Celestial Saga: Yoshiblue

[yoshiblue]

Time for new adventures with Hobo Space Cowboy, Yoshiblue!
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35CRN6O7wBY)


Table of Contents
[spoiler-box]I.).....Space drifters
II.).....The New Transport/Yoshiblue's T57 (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3119419&postcount=2)
III.).....The Visit (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3123214&postcount=6)
IV.).....Echos of the Antonia (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3125166&postcount=17)
V.).....Beach Antics That Never Came to Be (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3129170&postcount=19)
VI.).....Shakedown (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3131830&postcount=20)
VII.).....Resurfacing Memories (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3134995&postcount=23)
VIII.).....The Calm Before the Storm (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3137882&postcount=26)
IX.).....Gray Team (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3137882&postcount=26)
X.).....Earth Bullet (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3140916&postcount=28)
XI.).....A Lesson About Warping (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3144091&postcount=30)
XII.).....Cargo/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3147138&postcount=31)
XIII.).....Mandragora/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3149940&postcount=32)
-/-.).....Bonus (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3151647&postcount=36) / Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3151875&postcount=37)
XIV.).....Hitch in the Plan (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3156772&postcount=38)
XV.).....Seeking Answers/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3161279&postcount=39)
XVI.).....Civilian Shift/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3164487&postcount=40)
XVII.).....Starting the Course/Extras (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3171734&postcount=41)
XVIII.).....Decisions/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3173515&postcount=43)
XIX.).....Delusions (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3175434&postcount=44)
XX.).....When All You Can Do Is Stare/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3177947&postcount=45)
-/-.).....Fillers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3180935&postcount=48)
XXI.).....Early Morning Shenanigans/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3183900&postcount=49)
XXII.).....You Can Still Find Excitement in the Desert (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3186884&postcount=50) -- Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3187721&postcount=52)
XXIII.).....Delving Step To Heaven (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3189458&postcount=53)
XXIV.).....Why Must I Have to Meet With New People?/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3191998&postcount=54)
XXV.).....Hunting Beasties Part I - II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3194155&postcount=55)
XXVI.).....Good Old Bait and Switch (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3195734&postcount=56)
XXVII.).....This Is Why I Didn't Want To Be The Leading Man (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3198491&postcount=58)
XXVIII.).....Tests and Dragons (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3200107&postcount=60)
-/-.).....Fillers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3202353&postcount=62)
XXIX.).....Are They True Replicas? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3204006&postcount=63)
XXX.).....Interesting Time to Have A Reunion (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3205770&postcount=64) -- Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3207914&postcount=66)
XXXI.).....A Kink In The Wind (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3212415&postcount=67) - Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3214828&postcount=68)
-/-.)..... Fillers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3217340&postcount=69)
-/-.)..... Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3219090&postcount=71) +More Fillers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3221774&postcount=72)
-/-.)..... Filler/Omake (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3223163&postcount=75)
XXXII.).....Inner Depths (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3224466&postcount=77)
-/-.).....Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3225721&postcount=78) - Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3228147&postcount=79)
-/-/).....Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3229708&postcount=80)
XXXIII.).....Expanding Depths (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3231578&postcount=81)
XXXIV.).....Battle of the Dead Mothers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3233495&postcount=83) - Extras (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3234799&postcount=84)
XXXV.).....Master Spy Time? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3237389&postcount=87)
XXXVI.).....She's Surrounded by Boneheads (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3239679&postcount=88)
XXXVII.).....Chess (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3241569&postcount=92)
XXXVIII.).....Coffin Droppers (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3243867&postcount=97)
XXXIX.).....Rock, Stone and Time: Part I & II/Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3245580&postcount=100)
-/-.).....Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3247459&postcount=104)
Anniversary.).....Space Drifters!: The Other Ones (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3247658&postcount=105)
XXXX.).....The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part I (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3249198&postcount=106)/ Part II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3251242&postcount=112)/ Part III (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3253447&postcount=115)
XXXXI.).....Velarium (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3256179&postcount=118)
-/-.).....Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3258203&postcount=129)
XXXXII.).....Chipper Part I (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3260509&postcount=135)/ Part II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3262051&postcount=141)/ Part III (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3263954&postcount=146)/ Part IV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3265567&postcount=150)/ Part V (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3266809&postcount=155)/ Part VI (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3268729&postcount=162)/ Part VII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3269821&postcount=164)
XXXXIII.).....Another Mind Witch (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3271974&postcount=170) - Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3270872&postcount=168)
XXXXIV.)..... Searching For The Hidden Truths (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3273640&postcount=171)
XXXXV.)..... The Hidden Truths He Never Searched For (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3275317&postcount=174)/ Filler+Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3277326&postcount=177)/ Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3279333&postcount=182)/ Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3281678&postcount=194)/ Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3284371&postcount=196)/ Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3286125&postcount=203)
-/-.)..... Extra Part I (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3288969&postcount=208) / Part II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3290203&postcount=212) / Part III (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3291819&postcount=217)
XXXXVI.)..... Laying Some Groundwork (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3293496&postcount=225)
XXXXVII.)..... Cheaters of Death Clash (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3294961&postcount=230)/ Filler + Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3295999&postcount=232)/ Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3299226&postcount=246)
-/-.)..... A Mission of a Different Kind: Part I (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3300650&postcount=250)/ Part II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3302934&postcount=256)/ Part III (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3304181&postcount=260)/ Part IV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3305724&postcount=262)
XXXXVIII.)...... Regret, The Candle in a Dark Cave (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3307136&postcount=267)
XXXXIX.)..... Hyperon 370 C (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3309094&postcount=278)
L.)..... Order Completed (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3310493&postcount=286)
-/-.)..... Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3311908&postcount=292)
LI.)..... Way of Trinity (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3313534&postcount=297)/ Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3316039&postcount=302)
LII.)..... Lyn and the Burning Sunset (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3317289&postcount=307)
LIII.)..... Faith and Family (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3319236&postcount=312)
LIV.)..... Client Order (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3321443&postcount=317)
-/-.)..... Filler/ Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3323352&postcount=320)
LV.).....Trinity Force, ho? (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3327650&postcount=324)/ Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3330329&postcount=327)
LVI.)..... A Change to the Wheels of Progress (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3333980&postcount=338) / Extra: Valentine Special (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3332324&postcount=332)
LVII.) ..... What I Would Give to See That Smile One Last Time (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3336088&postcount=343)
-/-.)..... Extra (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3337822&postcount=350)
LVIII.) ..... Closure (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3340210&postcount=362)
LIX.) ..... Arethusa (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3341896&postcount=366)
LX.) ..... Ryuker Revelation & The Next Yoshiblue (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3343609&postcount=378)
Epilogue.) ..... Space Drifters! (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3344061&postcount=384)
-/-.) ..... Extra I (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3344979&postcount=388) / II (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3346516&postcount=395) / III (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3348381&postcount=398) / IV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3350847&postcount=407) / V (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3352582&postcount=409)/ VI (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3354214&postcount=413) / VII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3356145&postcount=416) / VIII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3357702&postcount=419) / IX + Extra X (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3379278&viewfull=1#post3379278)
-/-.) ..... Extra XI/ XII/ XIII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3417125&viewfull=1#post3417125)/ XIV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3418181&viewfull=1#post3418181)/ XV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3420334&viewfull=1#post3420334)/ XVI (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3421526&viewfull=1#post3421526)/ XVII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3424288&viewfull=1#post3424288)/ XVIII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3425381&viewfull=1#post3425381)/ XIX + Filler (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3426827&viewfull=1#post3426827)/ XX (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3429071&viewfull=1#post3429071)
-/-.) ..... Extra XXI (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3431167&viewfull=1#post3431167)/ XXII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3432401&viewfull=1#post3432401)/ XXIII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3432880&viewfull=1#post3432880)/ XXIV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3437417&viewfull=1#post3437417) /XXV (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3438179&viewfull=1#post3438179)/ XXVI (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3439704&viewfull=1#post3439704)/ XXVII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3440568&viewfull=1#post3440568)/ XXVIII (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3441345&viewfull=1#post3441345)/ XXIX (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3442262&viewfull=1#post3442262)/ XXX (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3443460&viewfull=1#post3443460)
Anniversary.) .... Space Drifters: Now With Some Random People (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/showthread.php?218308-Celestial-Saga-Yoshiblue&p=3445848&viewfull=1#post3445848)[/spoiler-box]


-Space Drifters!-[SPOILER-BOX]“Think anyone will find us?”

:{
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9bkPUA1WOA}:
“Depends on how badly they want us back”

“Keep eating like that and that won’t matter soon”

“Funny. Last I check, you ate half our supplies for some bizarre reason.”

“Maybe if I eat enough of this stuff, I might be able to see in the dark.”

“Good thing I’m a CAST and can’t be eaten by you humans. You can try though.” The voice said coyly in the darkness.

Besides the sound of munching, everything was silent and dark. Away from a source of light, all that can be seen were the mint green glowing bits of the CAST companion. The transport ship drifted as graceful as the asteroids around it, one of them gently bouncing within the hull of the ship. The asteroids were not the cause of all the scratch and cracks now seen on the ship as it flew past a red moon and into the sunlight. Signs of a battle were now apparent as debris of darker and blue gray ship parts drifted about. At this moment, movement began to occur. Gold eyes appeared in the darkness.

“Heh, then don’t stick your finger in my mouth” the second voice said as rustling sounds began to be made.

“We are currently bypassing the moon. You may now continue to repair the ship. I’ll stay here to keep the food safe.” The CAST said in a fake sleepy tone as the doors behind her began to open.

Out into the light appeared a man with a ten gallon hat as brown as the cardboard boxes that flouted out with him. A chip hugged his white face as he scanned the room for a good place to start. Taking off the hat to scratch his dark teal hair, he then quickly looked back to the doors.

“Hey, did you know Lilliman can fit into my hat?” said he with a smirk on his face as the sound of a half attempted acknowledgment was made by the CAST inside.

Scratching the backside of a just as brown Lillipan, the man then proceeds to remove the fuzzy creature off of his head and onto the now much colder floor. As expected, the Lillipan woke with a startled jump that allowed it to cling onto the now laughing man’s leg. Cries of anger induced gibberish were produced by it, yet it seemed the man could understand it as he began to laugh even harder. Unamused, it let go and pulled out a small tool pouch. The goal was to get main power back up and the engines running. The exposed inner hull was the least of their concerns as they began to drift about the transport and around the bouncing asteroid.

“[Destroyer of tech isn’t coming out to help this time, Yoshi?]”

“You know what will happen to you if she hears that”

“[You would think that she would be the best person to send out here]”

“I…ugh…did!” He said as the man was pressed in the back by a passing rock while repairing the left thruster. With a quick sigh, he then looked to the Lillipan by the control panel. “Until she blew up the communication console trying to rig it into an emergency beacon. Don’t even get me started on the Campship.”

“[The mission I couldn’t be a part of? What happened?]”

“Let’s just say to never let her pilot the ship.”

“[Someone worse than you? I’m impressed!]” The fuzz ball said followed with a sinister chuckle. Closing the panel he then started to hop towards Yoshi to assist with the smaller parts. “[Power from the consoles and turret has been rerouted to the engines. That means no more food can be dispensed. So you better hope we get home soon.]”

With a serious face, Yoshi stared into the face of Lilliman and said “You make it sound like we can’t restore power to it.”

Some time passed before they started to get signs of life on the engine. Considering that they got it working to begin with made them proud of themselves. The two cheered as if they won several movie awards. Yoshi then dived back into the hull and towards the door to tell their CAST the news.
Bursting in, the man started to shack the CAST violently. “Mmmmmmm!” Was all she could respond with as he didn’t let up.

“Ijiraku, good news! We got the engines back online!”

The man then jumped into the wrapper filled captain’s chaired and started to power up the ship. The sound of power being activated ship began to fill the cockpit followed by the humming of a roughly repair thruster. The two began to do their usual takeoff procedures to ensure nothing happens during their attempt to fly home. Lilliman pushed the asteroid out of the ship and found the warmest spot to relax in. With a thumbs up and a wink form Ijiraku, Yoshi started to fly off into the celestial sunset.

“Let’s get out of here. However, I need to you to carefully distribute power into the engine. We haven’t tested how much it can…” An explosion was heard outside followed by the raging screams of the Lillipan. “Handle…”

“Oops” She said with a shrug as Yoshi began to facepalm.
[SPOILER-BOX]April Fools[/SPOILER-BOX]
[/SPOILER-BOX]

Stay tune for the next adventure of Yoshiblue! New episodes every Tuesdays 7pm/ 10pm EST only on MejiTV™!

[yoshiblue]

-The New Transport-[SPOILER-BOX]
*optional music* (http://youtu.be/Xyeek3dhUEg)
“Everything seems to check out. You are free to take the day off until the next assignment is issued.”

“Everything’s okay?! There is a dragon sticking out of the Camp ship!”

Three men stood in front of the camp ship parked within the ship. Normally the camp ships would land and take off from the outside. However, there are times when emergency landings and other various reasons require the ships to land in the loading bays, normally used for freighters. Of the three men was the pilot kicking and screaming at the two men in green navigator uniforms, pointing at the motionless Crystal Draal that was lodged into the top left of the ship. His dark green and orange helmet bobbed side to side like a bobble head as he looked to and fro trying to get an answer as to what they were thinking. Partly it was because he was traumatized from what he and the survivors just escaped from. One of these two men held a cyan holographic clipboard, scribbling something as he casually looked up and down at the ship with an indifferent expression. The other stiffly stood beside him with his hands behind his back, calmly listening to the pilot as he blurted profanities with rapid success. Letting the pilot have his moment to get whatever he had off his chest, he patiently stood there for several minutes without even shifting his facial expression. It didn’t take long for his to grow impatient however, he began to clear his throat loud enough to make the other beside him take a step back and create an echo within the room.

“You are relieved of duty pilot. Rest assured that your ship will see repairs made. There is nothing to fear, the dragon no longer breaths.” said the man in the uniform condescendingly.

In a much more casual tone, the other man replied “It died on the trip here. Be glad it attacked when it did. It damaged the useless transport inside as well. You’ll be getting proper replacements this time. Have a nice day.”

At a loss of words, the pilot was rather glad about the transport replacements. His once defiant arms betraying him, the man with the helmet gave a sigh of relief for he blamed what was in the ship for what they had to go through. He left without saying another word. What the two other men failed to mention was of the dead female Newmen within the ship. Impaled by the dragon, she died making her way to the transport’s cockpit in an attempt to escape the dragon onslaught. As the two made their way around the ship, they made a large bend around spacecraft to avoid the slow dripping that water began to splash onto the floor and sides of the ship. The ice that encased parts of the dragon finally began to melt. Decently embedded in the ship, it made a hole the size of a photon chair on the outer hull. They didn’t dare touch it however as they did not want to clean up any messes should the dragon explode like a grenade. Upon reaching the backside of the ship, the two men then looked at each other as they opened up the ship. Both of them had stern looks about them. Rubbing his rather hairy chin, the more serious of the two stared at the deceased lass as the other promptly started to parse a database of some sort.

Returning to his previous stance, he made a grunt before speaking once again. “Report to command to have her records erased. Have her family informed that she is lost and that we are currently seeking to find her.”

“And the transport?” asked the man with the clip board.

“Have it shipped to Celestial. They’ve done well enough that they have no need to receive special treatment. Their team requested a spare transport and now they have one.” He responded the other with a small smirk on his face.

“Lucky them.”


-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

*optional music* (https://youtu.be/j6KlM3UZRyk)

Dimly lit was the left hanger bay of the Celestial team ship where two figures stood in front of their new transport. Of the two was a red headed wolf, tail waging slowly, she was lost in thought. To her right was her leader, Meji. Like a calm seashore tide, he moved back and forth from behind. Both glared at their new replacement transport with sour faces. The ship wasn’t much to look at seeing as it should have been in a museum rather than in the hanger of a ship, if not scrapped at all. Unlike the rest of the ships in the fleet, this one was a relic and not the best of them either. Having been in the fleet for years, it became cheaper to produce a new transport rather than repair this one. Lacking most of the original hull plating as well as looking as if it was nothing but rusty parts, the two were unsure if they even wanted to have it used in fear that it would break down. Alongside that was the lack of any attempt to repair it as it still had the hole punched in by the Draal’s nose. It definitely has seen better days and the two Celestials were at a lost as to what they wanted to do with it. Usually in a good mood, the disappointment Meji had on his face made the she-beast more nervous by the second. She finally decided it was a good time to give a suggestion that has been in her mind for quite some time. With a gulp, she finally spoke.

“Sir, I may have an idea of how to make this better for all of us.”

Stopping in his tracks, he then turned and faced Horo with an eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Oh” he replied.

Nervously she clasped her sweaty palms together and answered “Maybe we should hand it to Yoshi as a “promotion”? For all our sakes, we can definitely use a new pilot. H-heh.”

Crossing his arms, the blond Newmen pondered for a bit. The space cowboy never had a good record as a safe flyer. Some refuse to fly with him in fear of meeting an early death. Other simply just want a more relaxing flight. While he couldn’t speak for Horo, he certainly didn’t have anything against Yoshiblue. Horo, on the other hand, may have seen it as a sort of revenge for almost getting Nina killed. Regardless, not only would it get more people gung-ho about doing team missions, but would also keep Yoshi out of trouble. Seeing as the ship was in rough shape, there wasn’t much hope of getting it off the planet and the pilot certainly has survived worse odds. Hand on his chin, he returned his gaze onto the vessel. Nodding for he bit he seemed to have an idea of how he was going to make this play out.

With a large grin he then shouted “Horo, you’re a genius!” Having given a sign of approval to the wolf, he then rubbed his hands together with great eagerness.

“Thank you, sir.” She replied while slightly bowing.

“Have Yoshi report to me as soon as possible. He will be our new “team scout”. Light bless his soul.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

-Yoshiblue's T-57-[SPOILER-BOX]
*In the voice of Neil Ross* (http://youtu.be/Iec-otO4VPQ)
*optional music* (https://youtu.be/YufRB24HtNA)

No one knows why the T-57 is still in service. Some say it’s because someone of importance wish it to be so, others say that it’s because of sentimental value; you may even hear that it’s simply around because it reminds them of the good old days. Over thirty years old, this ship has seen years of service and has braved through several battles intact. While this can be seen as a blessing, the survival of the crew was never guaranteed. Several pilots and passengers who had the honor of flying this ship have passed away.

A symbol of the golden times, this ship was built during the peak of the peaceful days. Based on its proven sister ship, the S-57, the Teneranova was made with luxury in mind. About 1/3rd larger in size, it has enough room to hold a complement of six to ten persons. Red velvet coated the seating with gold trimming and complementing bronze paneling lined the interior of the ship. Above the seats was plenty of storage space overhead to hold what you want stored with a food dispenser above the cockpit doorway, able to provide any sort of meal you desired. Underneath the floor panels was a deployable white marble table to write, dine, or play on. Ten silver cup holders able to hold anything within it for those turbulent flights were installed into it. Up above on the roof held a sliding panel to the sunroof. For those who wanted to watch the sky and stars during their flight. Within cock pit held the pilot and the co-pilot, normally the owner or host of the ship, could have also been the entertainment or waitress to serve those on board. On the outside behold the majestic white outer plating of the hull. Embedded into it were angled neon blue lights on the upper parts of the hull. The engines however remained the same despite all the added weight for it allowed for smoother, more controlled flights. However, it was much slower and less agile because of it.

In those times of peace, it was to die for. But when conflict showed its face again, many never lived to step off it again. Defense and survival was never a core part in the design. Several of these transports were easily torn apart or shot down like a duck in the sky. No one knows why this particular ship lived long enough to see five generations replace it. Some say it has a spirit of tremendous willpower keeping it from dying. When one looks upon it today, you can see several of the internal workings exposed on transport’s surface. A shadow of its former self, the ship has lost several of the glamorous parts it had. The chairs have been stripped down to the bare metal frame, storage and dispenser parts removed from the walls, the panels now have a dull gray coloring about them, and the table was removed to store weapons instead. During the early escape run, the sunroof was the first to go; blown off by an explosive laser gone off just above it. Much like the ships used today, it has a solid flat surface only this one was sloppily soldered on.

While debates to why it was never scrapped continue, what is known is that a new owner flies this unkillable spacecraft. Thrusted upon Yoshiblue; it marked the birth of Celestial’s Force Recon branch consisting of Caseal Ijiraku, Lilliman the Lillipan, and Yoshiblue himself. Neona replacing the cowboy as new team pilot, Blue leads Force Recon, head first, into the unknown as the watchful scout for the team. A sane man would avoid this ship like the plague but young Yoshi saw them as kindred spirits. Both have seen their fair share of death and shed tears for like the patchwork on its worn hull, Yoshi’s hat hides the sorrow inside that no one would know unless they knew his story. The boy and his friend however see a bright, glorious future for the ship. Never resting, the new branch works like a beehive to restore and upgrade the old ship much like the boy’s pals, Reinhardt and Kazamir, did to make his life better.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

Oh. This is a thing. I wasn't expecting that.

[yoshiblue]

Yeah, the April fools spoiler was just done for the sake of the day.

[Zorafim]

See, I was thinking that the whole thing was just some april fool's joke. Which didn't make sense. It didn't seem... funny enough, to be one.

[yoshiblue]

-The Visit-
[SPOILER-BOX]
(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/mhoa7oWPPhk)

The sun was high in the clear sky with only a single cloud forming around the mountain side. Not a sign of structure damage was in sight making everything very peaceful as a lone transport ship entered though the atmosphere. Passing through the cloud, it made a calm decent into a colony that has slowly molded onto the side of the rocky terrain. A gentle breeze cradled the transport as it flew in the sky. The formation of the terrain was like a pair of arms about to embrace the vessel as it flew in.

Very few specks of debris hit the shield as it flew to a nearby landing pad. Beneath it were several Lilipans roaming about in what looked to be a bazaar. Each covered in different colored cloth; the sands were ever changing in color as several of them move within a crowd. Several tents and buildings were built up containing several wares. Judging by all the bantering that was going on, there was much profit to be had. The buildings were simple in design. Beige in color, rounded and square like; they dotted the landscape as mats of a variety of colors laid in front their doors. Owners with large hats danced around as they tried to reach as many consumers as they could within their crowds. Some walking away with goods and some walking away with a lack of interest, it seemed like a good day to visit the settlement. However, very unusual was it for this many of their kind to be out in the open, let alone create a community near an Arks landing pad. One would fear that they would be in a lot of danger with the amount of darker activity the planet of Lillipa was seeing. Regardless, the environment has changed a lot over the month. One could be impressed with how it has gone from a desert wasteland of endless dunes, ruins and hills to a bustling community consisting of several buildings. This once barren mountain side is now filled with homes, stores, water towers and several construction projects still going on. Now filled with creatures moving up and down the site, a welcoming sight was to be had as hands waved to the ship that flew by.

Now reaching the dusty landing pad, the transport landed dead center on the rather large Arks star that was imprinted on it. The power of the engine caused an aura of wind below, scaring away any specs of dirt that was comfortable. Accompanying it was another transport surrounded by the tiny bear like creatures, a human and a CAST. Few looked backed as the doors of the newly arrived ship opened. Coming into vision were two figures wearing sunshades of different kinds. A pale, lavender haired man wore the sleeker shades of the two that were black as the darkest caves. The other has much more color on his skin. Blazing red haired with a pair of gold aviators, one could judge that he was the pilot by the suit that could now be seen. A pilot suit of sage and orange walked down the ramp as it was approached by one of the natives. Neither of the men complained as they made the transition from an air conditioned ship to what was to be the hot environment of the planet. However, it was presently warm for being out in the open. Aside from the flooring obviously being hot, one could easily get use to staying in the cool environment in the mountains. The single cloud above has been shading the landing pad from the sun all day.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/JRdNNlgEMbU)
Greeting the two was the chief of the community. Robes of pure white and decorated with tribal deigns of red and blue triangles, this one was much younger and more colorful than the one Arkz is used to seeing. Syncing at the right time, the creature stopped right in front of the man in the purple suit as he finished stepping onto the platform. With a bow, it shocked the two as it began to speak their language. “Greeting members of Arks and welcome to this landing pad. I am Ruffin of Egal, leader of community. I hope a pleasant stay you will have.” Said the chief as it bowed.

“Interesting that is has obtained the ability to speak our language.” Responded the purple haired man as he looked to the red headed man. “Greetings, we are friends of the man you may know as Yoshi. I am Kaz and this is Heart.” Said Kaz, with a gesture to his friend and returning the bow.

With a gasp, the red headed man then crossed his arms and replied “Heart!? That’s the best you can come up with? Come on man, we’re not secret agents!”

“Freely giving out our names could lead us to some issues should information be drawn from the locals. Seeing as Arks doesn’t even know that Yoshi has been out here for a month, it would be unwise to drag us into any sort of trouble. We are merely here to check up on him.” Responded Kaz, who stared at Heart with a cocked eyebrow.

“As friends? Because we care about his safety? I may not know what it was like coming back as a Dewmen but you need to soften up.” Heart said as a he placed a hand on Kaz’s shoulder, giving it a rough shake. He then turned to the Lilipan as it patiently listened to the two. Expecting an annoyed look on it, Ruffin looked rather intrigued. “The names’ Reinhardt and this is my friend, Kazamir. Nice to meet you and we welcome your hospitality. Isn’t that right Kaz? May you lead us to Yoshi?”

With another bow, it gestured to follow as the crowd around the second transport began to split. Under the supported ship sat Ijiraku as she worked on the vehicle’s back lower corner with Yoshi sleeping on her lap. Reinhardt grimaced at the thought of using metal as a pillow. Yoshi however seemed fine, even with various bolts being plugged into his nose. Approaching the two, she didn’t even stop to look at them as she spoke to the men.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/72LAQl6NCc4)
“Humans are such interesting creature. All the potential things you could use them for as they sleep. It’s a good thing he breathes through his mouth. Before you ask, I am installing new landing gear for the Terenanova. Taking it apart proved quite vexing but we managed to get it out with the help of the Lilipans.” She said as she plucked bolts from the man’s nostrils. Finally stopping as she picked up one of the broken ones, she turned to the two the relic raised. “Did you know these metal objects use to be considered the finest deadbolts of its time? Interesting that it was so brittle, you could flick it off. I assume build up and the ship’s internal systems are what kept it together all this time.” She said with a smile, turning the object as she spoke.

Hand on hips, the pilot then finally said “Err, that’s nice. Glad to see you two are doing fine I guess.” Unfolding his arms, he then crouched down and pointed to Blue’s nose. “Eh, why are you using Yoshi’s nose to hold parts? Heck, what else have you been doing to him?” Nervously asked Reinhardt as Kazamir stoically stood, unmoved. Several of the fuzzy beings around them moved to and fro; some with tools, others with parts, and one that held clear cool water. Like Ijiraku, most of them worked on some part of the ship. Sounds of metal work and soldering fill the air with the bantering of the bazaar completing the scene around them.

Going back to installing the rest of the landing gear, she then said “Nothing that would harm him, save for the time I used his head to hold a cap. I may have feared his neck would break from the weight. None the less, he has been helping repair the ship and has done most of the work. Leaving me to do only the things I am good at.” Having finished, she then looked back at the two and waved her arms to the surround Lilipans.” The Lilipans around us are those who owe him favors for helping them out. They appear to see him as a blessing. A sign that Arks has them in their thoughts and has been bringing them supplies to build the settlement. Really, he has just been bringing back parts for the ships and the surplus went to the locals. With the help of your wife of course, Mr. Durene.” Said the gold CAST as she stroked Yoshi’s forehead.

“Marean has been aiding the natives by smuggling unauthorized Arkz materials to them?” Kazamir spoke with a voice of disapproval. With the tone of voice alone, Reinhardt did not need to look at the rather angry look his friend had.

“What can I say? She’s a woman who likes adventure and danger. She knows the laws like the back of her hand. Always has. Besides, I’m sure they won’t miss some of their things missing here and there. Even if they did catch on, they can’t blame it on Celestial because she left the group and several teams land on this site from time to time, remember? So relax.” He said as he starched his back, slightly leaning to face Kaz whose face hasn’t shifted one bit.

Turning away to look at Ijiraku, Kazamir then said “I am disappointed in you. What happened to the squad leader that took matters seriously and lead with honor?”

“What happened to the best scout we had who was willing to take risks and wing assignments? Time has apparently changed all of us” retorted the Newmen.

Finally making signs of life, Blue finally began to wake. By coincidence the chief and a Lilipan of equally fancy robes came with a scroll to report to the ship owner. Speaking in tongues unknown to the two men with shades, The CAST and owner nodded as they spoke. Reinhardt was impressed that Yoshi could understand them. Kazamir’s indifference however made him feel uneasy. As the Chief and his companion left, Yoshi then finally got off his knees to greet his friends.

“Hey you two, glad you came to see me. They came to report to me that the hull is successfully repaired and reinforced but they couldn’t do anything about the engines. So, what brings you two here?” Yoshi asked in a sleepy tone with a yawn preformed afterwards.

A smile as wide as his head and hand to pull Kazamir’s towards him, the Newmen then replied “We came to see our old buddy! While I can’t speak for mister grumps over here, I personally wanted to get you away from this piece of work and into the city. You know, see the sights, party in the city, and get you talking to single ladies.”

Kazamir then casually pushed off and said. “I came to say hello as well. Our friend pulled me away from my duties for a similar reason.”

“Come on, it will be fun! The ship will still be here when you get back.” Reinhardt added as he began to shake Yoshi with both hands on his shoulders.

“I don’t know...” Said Yoshi. “We got pretty far and have planned a shakedown tomorrow morning. What do you think?” he asked with a hand raised towards Ijiraku, the other on his chin.

“While we would be leaving the pad open to an attack, I do wish to relocate to someplace that won’t get sand in my joints. I’ll ask some of our team members to guard the place. Maybe I can ask Enforcer and Xenovia?” Pondered the CAST.

Now grabbing Yoshi and Kazamir, Reinhardt with tone of assurance then said “Then it’s settled. Let’s go right now!”

Leaving Ijiraku to tell the surrounding assistants of their departure, the three men traveled to the transport as Yoshi told them of his new friends and how Ijiraku taught a few how to communicate with the rest of Arkz as well as teaching him how communicate with them. Taking their seats, the ship roared as it began to power its thrusters. Ijiraku slowly walked up the ramp as it began to close. Making her way to the cockpit, she waited by the doorway for the Newmen pilot to put on his helmet. Grabbing him by the collar, she brought him close to her with enough force to make his helmet head-butt her metal skull. With a tone of seriousness but a look of joy, she said the Newmen “He’s not seeing any women”. That said, the Caseal threw him back into his seat and made her way to the hold to join the other. She gently returned to Yoshi his brown ten gallon hat once taking a spot of her own. Upon lifting off, the Lilipans waved a farewell as it flew away with majestic grace.

“It’s good to see you again, bonehead.” Kazamir said as he punched Blue’s shoulder.
*optional end title* (http://youtu.be/91yv6JlUJOg)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

Ehhh it was alright but I will admit its alot better than mines :3

[Zorafim]

I like the system you have with the music. It's pretty elegant.

It's kinda hard to figure who's talking at times. I didn't have a firm understanding of who was who.

[yoshiblue]

Heh, i'll try using less descriptive titles and just use their names in the next one then.

[Zorafim]

Well, I often saw you saw "she said" and wondered "Who's 'she'?"

[yoshiblue]

Ijiraku was the only female in the scene.

[Zorafim]

I guess I couldn't remember when she was introduced?

[yoshiblue]

Eh, regardless. I'll work on it.

[Zorafim]

It's tough, I'll have to say.

[Vintasticvin]

O_o Dangit Yoshi yer really making me wanna start up my story thread again!

[yoshiblue]

Do it with passion!

[yoshiblue]

-Echos of the Antonia-[SPOILER-BOX]
*optional music* (http://youtu.be/47G8zK2UEtg)

Getting clearance to board the starship Ur, the transport containing its crew of four flew through the dome with sleepy pace. High in the sky was the synthetic sun as it beamed down upon its terradome city with clouds to accompany it. Passing over several plain looking skyscrapers, advertisements, TV screens and colorful flashing posters; the ship slowly dipped into the city jungle. Starting to speed up to synchronize with the flow of traffic, the engines flared and receded constantly as it flew over several people who seemed to wear various colors of the same clothing. Even though there was an Arkz transport that now swam through the stream of vehicles, few people looked up towards the vessel for it was an everyday thing to them. Now entering a tunnel leading to a lower level of the ship, it looked as if they haven’t gone deeper at all. Like the floor above then, an identical sky loomed above the ship as it broke off from the holographic guided airways. However, unlike the previous area, this one held a large artificial beach where several people scrambled like ants as they moved in the sand and water. After finding an open spot in the cul-de-sac like landing zones, the gray spacecraft vertically descended unto a raised platform with hazardous speed. As if the pilot wanted to get their flight over with, the vessel’s landing gear bounced with great force as it landed roughly on the grey cement.

Various taxis land in these spots to drop people off and also tend to be a location for Arkz operatives to appear during emergency situations. For the crew of the ship though, they are grateful that this wasn’t the case for once. Eager to get off was the Caseal, Ijiraku, who was hopping up and down as the loading ramp dropped. Following behind skipping lass was Yoshi, who adjusted his hat to block the sun so that his eyes could readjust. It gave him a nice feeling to finally roam in a peaceful city, rather than the war-torn ones. Welcoming the new setting, he stretched as wide as he could while gazing at the surround environment of passing people and flying hover cars. Interrupted by a light body check on the hip, performed by his shining partner, the two drifted to the dark gray rails of the platform. A tune of a popular sports drink could be heard as moving objects whizzed by. Despite the sound of the sea shore and passing engines, the ad’s words of “Get popping to get pumping” can be clearly made out as it played from a distance. At the same time, his stomach felt a sensation of squeezing uneasiness as he hasn’t roamed in a city for months since joining Arkz. Not knowing where he was, he felt lost and confused. Unable to remember where his preferred stores and usual hangout spots were, he didn’t travel far from the transport. Unlike his female companion who quickly traveled from one end of the landing zone to the other so that she take in as much of the environment as she possibly could.

The excited banter of Ijiraku could be heard from within the ship as Reinhardt threw off his green and orange helmet, revealing red hair and pointed ears in the now dim cockpit lighting. Rubbing his forehead, he stumbled into the hold and looked to the purple man who still sat in his seat. “Kazamir, I need to talk to you about the Caseal.” Reinhardt’s words tearing his gaze from the other two, he looked to the Newmen and nodded. Making sure his suit was well kept, he calmly rose out of his chair and shouted towards the two outside “You two go ahead and look for places you want to visit, Reinhardt and I needs to discuss a few things.”

Yoshiblue crossed his arms in response. Furrowing his brows, he looked up at the pale stoic face of his friend who now stood at the vessel’s entryway. “Shouldn’t I be in there with you then?” The Dewmen then slammed on a panel as soon as the human finished talking. As the door closed, Yoshi heard Kazamir say “Sorry, Espresso. It’s a surprise.” The door now closed, Yoshi couldn’t help the feeling of being left out. In the past, they use to always talk about outing plans together. This was mainly done to create well-made attempts to sneak out without anyone becoming aware. It gave him a feeling of concern that things were wrong. However, reality grasped him once more upon hearing the giggles of the gold and emerald green Caseal behind the hat. Turning around with a more relaxed face of concern, the cowboy asked “What’s so funny?” Shaking her head, she stopped laughing. Finally finding composure, she made a grunting noise. “What kind of a nickname is espresso?” Confused by her question, the man could only respond with “Ugh.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/x9eH1eqUCqg)
Two white lights lit the hold of the transport as Kazamir and Reinhardt sat across each other. Holo-screens, constantly flickering with data and images, dimly gave a glow of blue hue on the darken walls around them. Despite the hard solid look of the transport benches, it was actually really comfy to sit on. However, they were only used in Arkz vessels, for they get the best of what’s to offer while still retaining a uniform look. The pilot, still rubbing his head, slowly leaned back on his seat before breaking the silence. The look on his face wasn’t of severer pain but the stoic man across him could tell, by the darken mark on his head, that he may have been experiencing a headache. Due to the helmet that was worn being disfigured by an earlier accident. “Man, she must really know how to hurt a man. I was wearing a helmet too. I thought you said she wouldn’t hurt anybody?”

Kazamir, with a face of indifference, only stared at his troubled red headed friend who finally stopped feeling the pain in his head. Placing one leg over the other, he slowly leaned forward and replied with a tone of seriousness “I told you the robot wouldn’t pose a threat.”

Now staring at Kazamir, the red haired man couldn’t fight back a question that has bugged him for a while now. “You keep calling her a robot. Isn’t that a bit rude to say about a CAST?”

“That’s because she isn’t a CAST. She’s a war machine wearing Caseal shells. In a way, you could call her a copy CAST. The robot may be even slightly older than the ship they’re repairing.”

“You allowed a refurbished killing machine to become Yoshi’s partner?” Reinhardt said in a slightly concerned tone. Now sitting up; he tilted his head in wonder with a hand, covered in green, on his chin. Nodding a few times he then looked into the pale eyes of the man across him. “Alright” he said with a hint of slight optimism. “I guess it has its perks.”

“The only reason I didn’t scrap her was because I wanted to do something for our friend.” Folding his arms, it was now Kazamir who looked to the side to ponder. His more relaxed companion could only guess if it had to do with the thought of his decision to not scrap Ijiraku. However, the man was not as patient and decided to continue the conversation.

“Interesting to find a machine of human like qualities.” said the impatient man as he lifted his hand from his chin. “It also sounds like you did some researching. What else do you have?” Now learning forward with a look of interest on his face, the Newmen eagerly awaited the response.

“It wasn’t easy and took several months to gather but I have some facts on her origins. She was built under the Haven’s Mother project during a civil war. One of Oracle’s ships managed to slip away causing a lot of squalor and unrest to take root within the ship. People didn’t like how the rich were trying to live like kings above the law and fought back. These new found nobles had robots built for war to rush the enemy and attack several key positions. The Haven’s Mother Project was to take a few of these robots and specially upgrade them to lead and decimated both ally and foe if needed. Ijiraku is one of these robots. The rebels however found where they were store and raided the factories and warehouses they were kept in. Apparently the ship must have been by Lillipa seeing as Yoshi found her within the depths of the canyons along with several other not as fortunate corpses. Eventually, Oracle found what was left of missing ship and restored order. Things start to get hazy from there. However, it no longer exists after its destruction during the early battles with Falz.”

“Lost ship, civil war…are you talking about the Antonia?”

“Indeed, I’m surprised you know about it.”

“How could I not know? It was one of the more combat oriented ships in the fleet. There was a reason it was on the frontlines after all.” Finally breaking eye contact, Reinhardt shifted his head to the right with a hint of sorrow in his gaze. “Sorry, I forgot you had family on that ship.” Kazamir however was unfazed and retained the same posture and expression he had at the beginning of the conversation.

“No need. When I left, I left for a reason. That said. I do slightly regret their passing.”

Taking a deep breath, Reinhardt slumped backwards onto the bench. With an arm supporting his head, he began to picture what the civil war may have been like. Fighting kin wasn’t anything new to the two thanks to their long past mercenary days. Thinking back on it however, also made him try to suppress reoccurring memories. Once a leader of a group, he was sadden by the fact that he couldn’t save everyone under his command. Especially during the day that made the three decide to resign from it. However, this was on a ship wide scale rather than trying to fix small problems. The battles must have been everywhere and much more intense. Every rebel must have used various modified weapons as they attempted to break the safeties civilian weapons tended to have. Thinking about pistols, he gave a small chuckle when comparing Arkz’s preference to use ‘run and gun’ style mech-guns instead of the more tame civilian pistols. Upon visioning about CAST warfare, it launched him out of memory lane and made him ask a question that had formed while listening to the purple suited man’s story. An arm lifted in the air with his hand looking as it held a steamed glass cup, he quickly look back at his friend to ask “So if she’s a mere war machine, how come she has a personality? Wouldn’t this machine be an emotionless meat grinder that would have killed us by now?”

“Indeed” his friend replied. “However, like any trophy of war, anything that wasn’t killed or destroyed was taken as prizes by the victors. These robots were built to kill and needed a work around to counter act this. I doubt many survived seeing as the common man are usually not born programmers. So naturally, not many of her kind exist or function to this day. Those that weren’t brutally dismantled were remodified for various other occupations. Such as fixing damages done, having them humiliate themselves and any prisoners or even become mindless toys of pleasure. The last option being the hardest to achieve due to the requirement of having to upgrade the robot's frame as well. Conveniently, I found a popular personality program that has managed to survive all these years for CAST research purposes. Mostly thanks to its usage as the forerunner for a few of the CASTs we see today. Don’t mistake this as the origins of CASTs with emotions however. This program was merely one of many designed in the course of their history. Compared to our modern variants however, it’s very primitive and only emulates human behavior. Never evolving, never experiencing true feeling. Lucky for me, Yoshi accidently activated her on the field. Being the only living being in the area, her programing must have registered him as some form of commanding officer. Because of this, the program naturally makes her cling to him as a sort of love interest instead. However, it is also tied to several systems to cancel out the original intentions of its design. Thus she can’t be changed afterwards. Modding her personality or deleting it will only give her an early retirement. If the situation turns for the worse and her assassination protocols do activate, I’ll know how handle the situation.”

(*optional exit title*) (http://youtu.be/tl8Sv1CVlaE)
“Alrighty then, story time’s over. Let’s go and find the others.” Having heard enough, the now satisfied pilot jumped out of his seat and began to roam towards the ramp. Before reopening the vessel, he solemnly looked back to say “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“I don’t know if I should be impressed. You don’t seem as concerned as I figured you would be.” With a smile, Kazamir then stood up as well and walked up to the exit as well. Turing around, the pilot then firmly grabbed the man’s shoulder to say,

“Kaz, we’ve been friends for a good while now. I know you would not have done this if it seriously endangered any of us. You may no longer be considered a human now, but that don’t change who you are. We’re still the same morons who snuck out to enjoy the night life. We just…uh…grew up a little.” Narrowing his eyebrows, a slight smirk was seen as he let go. The exit ramp beginning to open, the now glowing red head turned to face the sun light as he causally put on his pair aviators. “You know, he’s going to bug you about that surprise you lied about.”
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

Interesting so theres another Caseal with Human like capabilities like mines @w@ Nice soundtrack by the way I like the second one out of the three.

[yoshiblue]

-Beach Antics That Never Came to Be-
[SPOILER-BOX]
*optional music* (http://youtu.be/YVWdQGuE0-E)

The sky slowly turned to a brighter shade of blue as the clouds began to vanish overhead. The orb of light, which everyone could now clearly see, hung dead center in the air as the numbers 12:00 appears on a short pillar on top of the cement just underneath it. All set and ready to go, Yoshi energetically bounced around in front of the shore side changing rooms. Having been dreaming of all the activities that could be done on their visit to the beach, he waited with tremendous effort for his Newmen friend to leave the stall. Several people constantly went in and out the dark red sliding doors. Holding them up was a round box of a structure, completely built out of white metal layered plating. Nearby were his companions Ijiraku, who stood nearby patiently, and Kazamir who had an aura of misery about him. Finally shedding his purple Kaiser Haut, in its stead was a pleasant blue flora shirt with khaki shorts to complement it. Constantly tending one sleeve and then the other, he struggled to readjust his sleeves due to the fact that he was not accustomed to short sleeved outfits. He couldn’t stand that his pale white arms and legs were exposed to the world now. Only one hand was free to mess around with them as the other hand held a letter. Yoshi, as he bounced by, could vaguely read it as it kept waving in his friend’s struggle but made out the words “Time for a new look” and “You better wear it because I bought it”. Finally fed up with attempts to stretch his sleeves as far as they could, Kazamir looked to Yoshi with knotted arms. “I’m surprised that you are content with these kinds of outfits.”

Slowly coming to a halt, Yoshi glanced at an identical outfit which he was wearing and shrugged. Like his pale friend, he also received a floral shirt, shorts, and a note from Reinhardt. Unlike his tattooed friend, his clothing was beige in color and much larger. Taking the note out from his right pocket, he discovered that what it told him was much different than what Kazamir’s did. Reading words of friendship and good fun that was promoted on it, it finally reminded him of the surprised Kazamir mentioned. Like his sleeves though, he quickly tossed it from his mind as he returned the note to its former place. Looking to Ijiraku, who leaned on the glowing plated stall walls, his teal hair changed into several shades in the light as he roamed up behind her. Upon coming into arms reach, he casually scratched his head as the question of whether or not he should bother her settled in. Instead, he began gazing at the people around them alongside her.

Only a few inches away from his bare feet was the warm sand, taken from various foreign planets. Ranging from pale yellow to a shade of pink in color, it didn’t seem to bother everyone as they ran, played and slid across the colorful landscape. Various activities were going on as the two stared out into the beach. To the far left was a volleyball game that consisted with fifteen people on each side. The game looked rough as people kept being pushed into the sand. Every player kept tackling and shouldering each other as they reached for the soaring white ball. To the far right was a stage of black metal and purple curtains. Towering over the various musicians; they stood around as a few of them moved to set up any props, gave friendly advice and played to themselves while the world moved around them. The lifeguard posts were moved farther from the stage so that all guards aren’t distracted by the music and fun to be had. It was an interesting sight to see for Yoshi. Being so use to having a choice in what he could wear, he found it unusual for every beach goer to be wearing similar looking swim gear. While people did have the choice to go shopping for an outfit, it was limited to a certain selection of colors and fewer varieties. Even the lifeguards shared a fate of wearing the same gear. Unlike civilians however, their outfits had red and white stripes to signify that they were staff. A shimmer of gold flashed in his eye, making him aware of his surroundings again. Thanks to the shifting of his golden partner’s shoulder, he shot a short glance at the stall doors before deciding to bug the Caseal. With a hand on her plated shoulder, he gently shook it as he said “Hey. You sure you don’t want to change into anything else?”

Startled, Ijiraku gave a light jump followed by an awkward smile as she turned to look at him. Her arms hung low as she held them together. With a shake of her head, she replied “I’m fine. There’s nothing else I wish to wear.” Reactively forming a nervous laugh, Yoshi was baffled by this response. Having spent time with various Caseals, the majority of them expressed an interest in constantly changing their parts and outfits.

“You sure?” He asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Positive.”

Her golden eyes suddenly grew wide due to a white dotted outline, that only she could see, appeared on Yoshi’s teal hair. Frantically looking around, she seemed to be searching for something as Yoshi continued to display a look of bewilderment. As if she just had an idea, she quickly lifted her arm to snap her fingers. With a flick of the wrist, a brown felted ten gallon hat appeared into her hands out of thin air. “Here’s your hat back, cowboy” she gleefully said as she restored the hat onto his head with both arms.
“Oh, thanks” Yoshi replied.

As he readjusted it, Reinhardt elegantly strolled out of the changing booth with a boastful entry. Unimpressed, Kazamir strolled up to the red headed Newmen who stared back at him with a giant grin on his face.

“I assume you’re going to ask me why I took so long?” The Newmen asked.

“Indeed” the Dewmen responded.

Lifting his hand, he revealed a bottle of cologne which he then began to shake it in front of his face. Staring back with a dull expression, Kazamir waited for the proud man to continue as he shifted weight to his right leg.
“I was making sure this stuff worked. I bet you didn’t notice me sneaking out of the stall and chatting with that chick way over there.” Reinhardt whispered as he pointed out into the beach. “She said I smelled nice.”

“So did you get it for yourself or bonehead over there?”

“Well it was meant for Yoshi but I don’t wish to see the reaper so soon. But hey, I can’t let it go to waste either.”

“How unfortunate” Kazamir said with a chuckle.

Distracting the two from their conversation was the bickering of Yoshi and Ijiraku. Still by the stall, the Caseal was shaking the human by the arm and mumbling something. While being violently moved around, the distressed man used his free arm to keep his hat from falling off. “Hey you two, what’s going on over there?” Reinhardt shouted to them. Dragging Yoshi by the arm, she moved towards the two men with a face of anger.

“He’s not going take me shopping.” she said to Kazamir.

“I’m not going let her buy me a trench coat.” cried the human as he tried to struggle free.

Pulling Yoshi close to her, she stared down at his more rebellious expression with an intense glow in her eyes. “I’m going to buy it and you’re going to wear it.”

“I’m not wearing a trench coat. I don’t even look good in them.”

Finally breaking free, the man took a few steps back. Putting a hand on his chin, he smirked back at the Caseal and replied “I bet you just want me to buy some new parts for you.”

Upon hearing this, Kazamir slowly moved to Yoshi so that he could lean in to whisper in his ear “You’re not authorized to buy the type of parts she wants.”
Confused once more, Yoshi lifted his hand while he turned his head to face the Dewmen. “What?” he cried. Kazamir only gave a quick grunt before walking back to Ijiraku. Reinhardt didn’t know what was being said but Yoshi’s expression caused him to begin to laughing out loud. This laugh however quickly shifted into a muffled horrified shriek. Instantly, the Newmen quickly ran up to Yoshi “I need to borrow this.” He said, stripping the startled human of his hat. The red head lowered it as much as he could to hide his face from what was walking towards them.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/kyLXpECIsM8)
Coming from around a street corner was Reinhardt’s wife, Marean. Wearing her favorite black and pink Ursula Replica, her bright green hair shimmered in the sunlight as she walked along the sidewalk. She didn’t notice the four as she was too busy complaining to someone who was on the phone with her. However, upon reaching Yoshi, she abruptly ended her call while placing a hand on her hip.

“Funny seeing you here, spiky” The female Newmen said with a smile.

Looking to the pointy eared man who wore his hat, she then leaned in to examine him. Reinhardt stood as stiffly as he could, attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible. “So, who’s your friend and why is he wearing your oh so beloved hat?”

“He brought me here. Also, he wanted to try on my hat so he could have a taste of my fashion sense.”

“Sure, fashion sense.” Marean mockingly repeated in a thick tone. Standing up straight, she then noticed Kazamir who walked towards their small circle. Quickly examining him, she then brightly complemented the man of lavender hair with “Kazamir, you look nice in your new outfit. How does finally not wearing a long sleeved suit feel?”

Looking to his sleeves again, he then gave a weak smile as he said “It could be worse.” He then gave a quick bow before continuing, “Regardless with how I look, I pale in comparison to your beauty.” In the background was the stifled laugh Yoshi gave after hearing this.

“You got something to say, cowboy?” Marean said with a sudden furious half glace. Turning back to Kazamir, then gave him a look of endearment as she placed her hand over her heart. “That’s very sweet of you, Kaz.” With lighting speed, she turned to her hiding husband and looked upon him with a face of seriousness. “Someone ‘ought to be taking notes!” Yelling loud enough for Yoshi to squint and Reinhardt to stand more stiffly; a child in the background jumped with a start, dropping his ice cream cone. Ijiraku, as she passed by, thought he was about to cry but instead quickly fled as fast as he could.

Snatching the brown hat off of Reinhardt’s head, she gripped him firmly by the collar and pulled his face closer to hers. “So you thought you could drag Mr. I don’t drink to the city, hog all the drinks and still have a ride home, huh? Lucky for you, I have places to be right now. There better be dinner when I get home or you’ll be on the receiving end of what I get to bring with me.” Upon letting go, she gently patted his cheek and said a smile, “See you then, sweetie.” After giving other two a hug, the green hair Newmen disappeared as she headed off into the horizon.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/iI7NrfQuEd4)
“Nice job, guys. Thanks for ruining the day for me.” Complained Reinhardt.

“It wasn’t my problem.” Kazamir responded.

Coming back with a soft drink in hand, Ijiraku sipped on it as she picked up on the conversation. “She didn’t threaten Yoshi. So it wasn’t my problem either.” She added as she handed a happy Yoshi his own drink.

Clasping his hands behind him, Kazamir gave an awkward laugh as he looked in Marean’s previous direction. As he stared, he walked up to Reinhardt’s side. Yoshi, who followed behind, walked up to his other side. “Sounds like a fun night.” Kaz remarked. Reinhardt giving a mean look was then distracted by Yoshi’s mixed face of sorrow and disgust.

“Hey, no funny thoughts about my wife ya…mmm.” Reinhardt said with a voice of concern. Shaking his finger at him, he struggled to hold back thoughts of ripping Yoshi a new one.

“Calm down. I’m not” Yoshi lied. With a fake smile, he leaned forward so that his face could be clearly seen past the much taller Kazamir and asked “So, what are you going to make for dinner anyways?”

A face of desperation grew on Reinhardt’s face as grabbed his friend by the shoulders. “Okay. I know this is going to sound weird but I’m going to need you to cook dinner, Blue”

With a tone of amusment, Yoshi responded with “Am I invited?”

“No.” the Newmen quickly uttered.

“There’s your answer then.”

“Come one, man. How often do I ask for something? You have to bail me out on this one.”

“Wouldn’t she know you didn’t cook the food? You forget that your wife used to be Yoshi’s partner.” Kazamir butted in with a similar face of amusement.

“He can’t cook your food. He has to go shopping with me.” Ijiraku added.

Several minutes of bickering commenced. Several times was Yoshiblue grabbed and thrown around as they each argued over what should be done. Growing weary of people staring at them, he interrupted them with a compromise. “Look,” he said with closed eyes, chopping the air between them. “How about we go find some ingredients and shop at a coat store, should we pass by any. We’re all having dinner at your place, Jet Ears.”

Now uneasy, Reinhardt walked off as he looked to the beach. “I have stuff to cook with at home. How about we forget about shopping and spend time at the beach?” As he walked by to the dressing stall, he then looked back only to see the others already walking away. “Guys? Hey!”

“It appears that we all agreed to come to the city for different reasons.” Kazamir said as he looked back.

Restoring his hat onto his head, Yoshi looked to Ijiraku before saying “Still not going to wear a coat”

“You’re going to wear it!” the Caseal shouted as she pushed the cowboy in response.

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/m4Z7tDctcrU)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-Shakedown-
[SPOILER-BOX]
*optional music* (http://youtu.be/TUUY9Se-Z3Y)
“Seriously, how are you two okay with living on that thing?”

Walking off the ramp of the transport, Yoshi stared back into the ship as he once again stepped foot onto the Lillipa landing pad. Unlike the day they left, the air was much warmer as he shielded his eyes from the sun that peeked over a much more tiny cloud. Following him out of the vessel was Reinhardt as he threw on his sunglasses. Both looking out at the desert landscape they returned to, Reinhardt noticed that there were now several canopies raised in several locations. Not many of the furry creatures roamed among the rocky terrain yet sounds of construction projects continued to ring in the air as it did before they left. Looking back towards Yoshi, he gave a shrug before giving his reply.

“Hey, it may be hollowed out to hold cargo but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be a nice place to live in. It still has some of the original luxuries it came with.”

Now roaming towards the two were several Lillipans who now wore padded shoes to protect their feet from the heated metal platform. Among them was the chieftain, Ruffin, who’s robes were shorter and now looked much like the common tribe member. Walking out as the two men were welcomed back were Kazamir and Ijiraku, who walked closely behind him, wondering out into the arid environment. Giving quick nobs and bows as several Lillipans greeted then, they walked towards the shielded Terenanova that had sat untouched during their vacation off the planet. Taking his gaze off the bright blue protective field, Kazamir began pluck at a holo-screen that now floated in front of his waist.

Without looking at Ijiraku, he gave a soft sigh before saying “It would be best to start setting up while I tell the others to request a campship for this test flight.”

Despite the Dewmen’s refusal to look at her, she gave a quick nod before half glancing back at the group behind them.

“Right” she calmly replied.

With a quick swipe in the air, the holo-screen vanished into several particles. Now finished with his task, the purple suited Dewmen roamed to the other two who have just finished their conversation with Ruffin. The landing pad became barren once more as all the robed people cleared out in several direction, Yoshi smile back at the lavender haired man that looked back at him with his usual unreadable expression.

“Well, the time has come to see the fruits of your labor. It would be best if you two request a campship for the upcoming shakedown.”

“Wait a minute, Kazamir” Yoshi shot back in a shaken tone. “We don’t even know if it will lift off yet. We can’t just request a campship off the bat.”

“While that may be the case, we can’t rule out the possibility that it will fly. Should it lift off, it should then be tested in several methods while it still retains the ability of flight.”

“He has a point, I guess” Reinhardt added as he rubbed his burning red hair. “I don’t think we should but there’s no harm in calling for one either.”

Defeated, cowboy let off a sigh before saying “Fine.” As he twisted his arms together, the red headed Newmen patted his shoulder before walking back up the ramp. Before following after, Yoshi then asked “What will you and Ijiraku be doing in the mean time?”

Calmly glancing at the ship, he then returned his gaze unto Yoshi as he replied “First we will shut off the barrier. Afterwards we will start up the transport and refuel the ship if necessary. Should you two remain occupied, we shall inspect the ship to ensure that everything remains in place during flight.”

“We shouldn’t take that long.” the human replied with a half laugh thrown in afterwards. His chin lowered shortly after as his assured tone quickly shifted into a concerned ones. “Then again, with my track record, I guess it could take more convincing than usual.” Upon looking back up, he noticed the far off Caseal energetically waving to him. Throwing back a much calmer wave, he retreated up into the open ramp. “We’ll try to make it quick.” Yoshi said as the door began to close.

Proven wrong, it took more than half an hour for the two to walk out of the dark gray transport. Racing to the other transport that now gently purred as it waited, the two wore giant grins the whole way. Grouping up with the others who sat patiently in the hold of the much larger vehicle, they stared at the two who chose to sit across from each other.

“Time to hit the skies.” The pointy eared man cheerfully said. “Kaz, I’m going to need you to stay with me. I’m going to fly the other ship alongside Yoshi, in case something happens during the test flight.”

Kazamir nodded in response.

“The camp ship will be here shortly. In the meantime let’s get this piece of work into the air. She’s all yours, Blue.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/uEwIceiPSc0)
With a thumb up in the air, Reinhardt and Kazamir walked off the creaky metal ramp. Walking out into the cries of several natives, they’ve all gather to celebrate their momentous occasion. Should the ship take off, this was a sign that they were capable of aiding the Arks. Good at reverse engineering advanced technology with the knowledge given to them by Ijiraku, they believed they would be able to become mechanics for several vessels and enter a new golden era for their race. The creatures celebrating as best as they could, several objects filled the air as the two men walked back into their original craft. Complementing the objects was uniformed chanting and music played by the community’s best musicians as they all anticipated the launch.

The ramp of the Terenanova slowly closed as Yoshi made his way to the cockpit. Before entering the doorway, a gold arm suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
“Yoshi,” Ijiraku said with a face fill with worry. “What are the rules on additional passengers?”

The teal hair man simply gave her a warm smile as he said “Nothing wrong with another friend. If it’s a Lillipan, I’ll allow it.”

His smile now melting her concerns, they both entered the other room to see a Lillipan jumping in the pilot’s chair. Modified with leather and made with comfort in mind, the furry creature was enjoying the fact that he was on a ship and the comforts of an enormous seat. Upon lifting into the air for the fourth time, he was caught by Yoshi mid-flight. A look of horror drew on its face as it feared what the pilot would do to him. However, fear faded as Yoshi calmly pushed a single orange button on the roof. Like magic, the button summoned a third chair to appear from the floor. Upon fully materializing, the native was placed onto its less comfy but still passable seating.

“Alright mini man, time to let me have my chair back.” Yoshi

Several buttons lit up within the cockpit as the two took their seats. “Mini man” was amazed. The fact that they knew what each one did as they went about their business, made him idolize them. Preforming several checks on the old ship’s restored systems, the engines outside quickly roared and calmed. Several clicks could be heard as landing gear, turrets, consoles and other features were quickly empowered then drained. Going through all basic procedures, Yoshi began to pull on the joy stick in front of him. The cheers grew loud enough to be heard in the cockpit as the ship began to slowly lift in the air. Gently did it rise into the sunlight and into the gentle dusty breeze, the time for it to shine has come. With a slight readjustment to its facing, it flew off into the landscape that welcomed it with open arms. The sand dunes grew wider as the crew flew further out. Yoshi danced in his chair a little as he could no longer contain his excitement. Ijiraku merely smile at him before looking at the dashboard in front of them.

“Your friends are following closely to your left.” She relayed as she patted the glass radar screen. She then opened up a holo-panel that revealed a transport looming behind them. A light by the window flashed at them as all three of them looked at the image. “Judging by the flashing light, I think Reinhardt wants to race.”

“Oh, sure. I see how it is.” Yoshi said with a sarcastic tone. “Race the guy he knows he will decimate. Sure, I’ll race him alright”

“He’s going to give you a head start.” She replied.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/LpSsG9PXazc)
His head went lopsided as he glared back at Ijiraku with irritation. Afterwards he refocused his vision on what lie ahead. With a light tug to the brim of his hat, he pushed a lever by his right leg forward. Slow yet surely, the ship began to accelerate with enough speed to induce a feeling of mysterious force pressing him against his chair. The engines flared as it began to push distance between the two vessels. As it worked to move faster, two panels opened above and below each engine. Revealing extra thrusters, they too lit up with a blazing glow to give extra power to their speed. Despite all of the extra thrust it received, the other vessel passively caught up to it. For a few seconds, they level with each other only to be over taken with no chance of catching up. With a grunt of frustration, Yoshi pulled the brim down on his face in defeat as Ijiraku transferred controls to her end. The Lillipan awed as the controls shattered from Yoshi’s legs and regenerated by the more metallic golden pair of Ijiraku’s.

“I don’t see why you’re mad. It was just a test.” She calmly said.

“That’s not the point.” Yoshi shot back. Leaning out of his chair, he lifted the hat so that he could see once more. Glancing at a panel in front of his, he quickly tapped a few buttons that glowed right by it. With a deep breath, he then added “It’s a long story.” As he stared out into environment, a beeping sound interrupted the quite atmosphere as Kazamir’s voice began to ring in the cockpit.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/GBXKN6dYoAw)
“Structural integrity is fine however you will need to upgrade those engines of yours. Adding onto it did not help you much in the race. The Campship is ready for the deployment test. We will be ready to begin as soon as Reinhardt and I link up with it. You remember how to do this, correct?”

“Yeah, I remember.” Yoshi acknowledged. Lifting from his seat, he then patted the Lillipan’s head as he strolled into the hold. Upon entering, he then knelled down to a panel that sat on the floor of the ship. Pressing a few it’s buttons, the floor began to open revealing empty space and a few spare parts.

“This isn’t it.” Yoshi whispered to himself.

Pressing a single green button the door creaked as it re-sealed itself. With a hop to stand up once again, he then walked up to the seats. Placing both knees on the right bench, he opened a panel just above the frame of the seat.

“This is the air control panel”

Jumping off, he violently rubbed his head while scanning the ship. With a stroke of revelation, he knocked on his head and whispered “Duh.” With haste, he walked back into the cockpit and swung around the doorway with one arm. Now staring at an orange framed panel on the wall, he began to punch in a few of its keys. Upon finishing, he looked back at Ijiraku who silently chatted with the Lillipan in its native language. Waiting for her to finish, he gave her a thumbs up and open a channel to tell the others.

“We’re ready to deploy the Entry Pipe.”

Answering Yoshi was a female voice. “Campship to dusty old relic, we’re ready to begin the operation.”

Yoshi returned to his seat and began to look out for a good place to setup. Upon looking at the top of the rocky hills, he then pointed out and said,

“Alright Ijiraku, take us to that mesa over there. We’ll deploy the pipe on top of it.”

“Heading to the mesa with haste.” Ijiraku replied.

Swooping over the mesa, a bright blue glow slowly dropped from below the T-57. As it gently fell, an orange container with neon blue lights began to emerge from it at a much slower pace. Finally tapping the ground, the orb and the container were barely still combined as it violently opened up to hug the ground. The orb then proceeded to engulf the now dusty area activating the pipe for usage. Making another pass over the pipe, the two pilots look at each other with satisfaction before reopening the channel.

“Entry Pipe deployed. Arks operatives may now begin their mission.” Yoshi relayed.

“Confirmed, Entry Pipe is now synced with the Campship. Stand by for incoming operatives.” The voice replied.

Appearing on the mesa were two Arks members who observed the new environment that engulfed them. A female wave to the ship as it flew by for a third pass. Upon flying away, the two members returned to the pipe which vanished shortly afterwards.

“Terenanova to Campship, objectives are complete. We will now be returning to the fleet. Have a nice day. Campship out.” The voice said before finally ending all communications.

Confused, Yoshi rubbed his chin in wonder.
“That’s it? No combat testing, turret placment, or advanced maneuvering in space? How lame.”

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/Fhq4_Yu_-Gc)
Interrupting the mood was a voice that rung from the back. [“Can I stay with pilot and robot?”] The Lillipan asked.

Giving a chuckle, Yoshi looked over his seat to see the creature jump in the chair it sat on. “You sure no one will miss you?” He asked.

With a sad expression, it replied [“No. Black creatures took my family. There is no one for me to return to.”]

“I’m sorry to hear that. You got a name?”

[“Mereganatrisa of Mereginalzlant”]

“How about Lilliman?” Yoshi quickly said.

“Yoshi!” Ijraku cried in disbelief.

[“I would be honored to be called Lilliman by person of strange aura”]

Recovering from a punch to the shoulder, Yoshi finished the conversation with a smile.

“Welcome aboard.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

May have over done it with the music.

[PhotonDrop]

Confused, Yoshi rubbed his chin in wonder.
“That’s it? No combat testi(*optional muhttp://youtu.be/Fhq4_Yu_-Gcvering in space? How lame.”

Caught this in the last chapter. Quite an odd ability, being able to speak in URL. :wacko:

I like what you have so far. I have yet to play PSO2 so some concepts elude me but in a way it adds to the sense of adventure.

Keep doing what you're doing! :)

[yoshiblue]

Heh, thanks. The protection of the 4th wall has been restored.

Also embarrassed for acting rash in your thread. My apologies.

[yoshiblue]

-Resurfacing Memories-[SPOILER-BOX]

The sky was filled with stars as two figures dined on the balcony of a building towering high in the domed city. A looming crescent moon blanketed the two with light as they each slipped their glass of red wine. Yoshi, in a white tuxedo, was lost in the dark brown eyes of his female companion. Her free brown hair glistened in the light, her eyes lovingly gazing back, and a soft laugh that made his heart fly. Finally finishing their toast, he began to cut into his meal as an excuse to look at the complementing gold watch on his wrist. It hands both pointed at the number twelve, he took in his portion of meal quickly. Faint signs of sweat appeared on his forehead as he attempted to find the will within himself for the upcoming moment. Placing an elbow on the table to support his chin, he reached into his pocket with his free hand to pull out a velvet box.

“Tuhina, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” he said. In his thoughts he told himself. “You idiot, you had to start with the dumbest opening statement ever!”

The tan lady, who was enjoying the food in front of her, swallowed hard as she responded with

“Hmm?”

As he opened the box to reveal a diamond ring, a voice echoed from out of nowhere.

“Dad?”

Ignoring the voice, he began to squeeze tightly onto the box as he asked “Will you marry me?”

“Dad.” the voice echoed again.

At a loss of words, Tuhina covered her mouth as she gazed at the ring. Reaching out to it, she mouth words he couldn’t hear. In an instant, everything swirled into darkness as Yoshi was shaken back into the real world.

“Dad.” A female voice clearly repeated with impatience.

“Mmm,” Yoshi uttered as he struggled to regain focus, a single tear rolling down his face. “What is it, sweetie?”

“Your mag is acting funny. Its looked like it’s trying to beat itself up when I got home.” The female voice said.

(*Optional music*) (http://youtu.be/-vWzUnX1LBE)
Sitting up into the artificial moonlight, his teal hair glowed in the dark while finally regained his senses. In front of him was his support partner who also so happened to be named Marean. Modeled to look like the daughter that could have been, she stared back at him with concern as she tugged at his shoulder. Placing a hand on her identical teal head, he smiled softly at her.

“Have you been feeding him?”

“Master, I’m not a human. I have been feeding him at an interval of every five hours a day.”

“Marean, you know how much I dislike being called master.”

“It is the correct title. I dislike the title dad for I was never birthed, only manufactured for Arks personnel.”

“While this may be the case, I will not allow you to be treated as such.”

“Yet you allowed your daughter to be left alone for a whole month. Some father.”

“Hey, I spent an entire week asking if you can come. The higher ups don’t want you to be missing your weekly examination or whatever they do. Even then, I should have fought harder. I’m really sorry.”

Hopping off of his bed, he began to make his way to the doorway with a hand rubbing over his eyes. “Alright, let’s see what the problem is.” As soon as the door slid open, a gray mag flew into him with enough force to launch him backwards.

“Are you okay!?” Marean cried while rushed to his side.

“Yeah, I’m alright.” Blue replied. “Easy there Mag man. Those pointy ninja stars of yours hurt you know.”

The mag was a Cygnus model. Grey in coloring, it’s appearance was that of an ancient helmet with two four-prong shrunken like objects rotating on each side. Dancing in a circle while orbiting around the fallen man’s head, it showed signs of excitement for seeing its friend again. After three loops it flew into Yoshi’s hand had he reached out to it.

“I missed you too, buddy. How was your stay with Leanna?”

It did not speak however Marean seemed to understand as she begun to nod towards it. Seeming to mimic Yoshi, her hand rubbed her chin as she nodded from time to time. Upon letting her arm drop, she turned back to her father who still laid flat on the ceramic floor.

“Apparently Leanna wanted him to tell you that your daughter is more like you than you both think. He also said it has seen things it didn’t want to see. So it flew back to me since I seem to act like you from time to time. What an insult.” Marean relayed with a tone of resentment.

Yoshi bellowed a laugh as she said this, which didn’t improve the look on her face. Trying to calm down, he began to pet his mag with a smile.

“I don’t blame him.” Yoshi said. “A drunken grandmother who can show you visions of her daughter and things you don’t want to see can be a scarring experience.”

Using his free hand to prop himself up, he glanced at a clock which sat on top of a dimly lit end table. Four o’ one glowed in cyan blue numbers. Thinking to himself with a similar pose that Marean had, he walked out of his room and into a much larger one. Brightly lit, two fans flooded the room with light. Mostly covered in wood, several western themed furnishings and objects completed the room as Yoshi stared back with dread.

“Marean, you’re killing me. Why do we have a western themed room?”

“Well considering that you call yourself a space cowboy, I figured you would like it.”

“I appreciate the thought but this is taking things too far. People will think I’m weird and western obsessed.”

“People already think you’re weird.” She responds in a mocking tone.

Strolling up to his side, she patted his leg before continuing forward. Making her was to a green console on the bright yellow wall, she pressed on a few buttons to summon his gunbraver from thin air. Handing it up to Yoshi, she then continued, “Meji wanted you to report to him right away. He mentioned that an assignment has been waiting for you to complete for whenever you got back. He also recommended that you replace this with something better. Seriously, it under preforms and there are so many better models you could be using instead.”
Tightly grasping the wooden handle, brown eyes thoroughly passed over the weapon for long while. Overlooking the gold letters that spelled Tuhina to several scars shining in the light, he rubbed his hands over the several signs of reforging that glistened on the blade, which he hasn’t seen in a month. Regaining awareness at the bump of his mag, he exhaled slowly while placing it on his backside. Catching a frame in the corner of his eye, he noticed various framed photos hanging on the wall. Without turning to look for Marean he said “I didn’t know you hung up my old photos. What made you do that?”

Various noises flowing from another room, she yelled back “Empty walls are dumb walls. So I made them look less stupid.”

“Heh” he chuckled to himself. His smile faded to a frown upon turning his gaze onto a picture of him and his recruiter and instructor. Thinking that he has lost this particular picture, he took the time to reminisce on the past. Lost in his memories, words began to reverb in his head as his instructor’s words spoke once more.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/8xv3ACwhmUU)
“Congratulations, you passed with flying colors. A bit reckless but it will do. However, I have to ask. How much do you value your life?”

“None if at all” Yoshi’s reverbing words flatly responded.

“Interesting answer. Before you go, I have one last thing to tell you. Don’t take this job as a means for revenge. Instead, use it to better the lives of those around you. I know about the lingering issues you have with Ahan. Don’t let this continue to eat away at you. I’m sure he’ll eventually realize that there was nothing you could do for his sister and forgive you. Now go out there and make me proud.”

Plucking the frame off the wall, he removed the back casing to reveal a chip hidden within. Tapping to see if it worked, a pale blue holo-screen flickered in the form of a newsletter. However, several words showed signs of corruption and the data seem to have eroded away by mysterious means. Restoring the frame’s cover, he pondered how such technology erodes in only a few years. Continuing to hold on to it, he stared in deep thought until finally deciding to place it back on its magnetic holding points. Arms dropping, he whispered to himself.

“If only that were true…”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/4VDjZHG2iAs)
Drifting off in a random direction, he slumped on a door’s frame to discover Lilliman and Marean calmly eating cereal at the kitchen table. Both sharing bored expressions, they munched away in harmony while staring at the yellow box of Rap O’s. Yoshi, grabbing a bowl and jug of milk, sat with them as he tried to brighten up the room with a large smile.

“Glad to see you two getting along” Yoshi remarked while poring milk into his bowl.

“Well, first I panicked. We smacked each other with brooms for a bit. Then we decided it was better to just eat instead.” Marean responded.

“Interesting conclusion. Glad we didn’t resort to using knives.”

While Yoshi poured his portion of cereal into his bowl, Marean and Lilliman both looked up to the knife covered ceiling above them. Slowly looking back to Yoshi, they shrugged before lifting another spoonful of Rappy shaped marshmallows.

[“You make for a horrible father, you know that right?”]

“Shh, don’t ruin the moment.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[PhotonDrop]

There's nothing better in life than making a mouthy partner machine call you daddy! :wacko:

[yoshiblue]

Wanted to apologize to you, Zorafim and Vin. Everytime I want to comment, i'm tempted to give spoilers. So I end up not commenting. Heh

[yoshiblue]

Coming up next, Celestial Chronicles: Yoshiblue 1 hour special. (http://youtu.be/nUO3qByST_Y)
No, its not really an hour long read. Felt the first part was kinda lame so I added another chapter to go with it.

-The Calm Before the Storm-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional Music* (http://youtu.be/mdghrATAv3c)
“You remember what I asked you to do, yes?”

Within the team ship’s well lit hanger bay were several people surrounding the refitted T-57. The bay doors revealing the stars outside, everyone eagerly awaited the recon team’s first mission to commence. Yoshi staring back at his blond team leader, Meji, he eagerly nodded in response.

“At eight hundred hours, we are to link up with the first wave of campships heading to Naberius. From there we do what we can to aid fellow Arks without getting in their way.”

“Very good, Yoshi. Remember, you’re representing Celestial. Make sure they came back with a good impression.”

“Just another cowboy doing his job.”

“Don’t just be any cowboy, be a celestial cowboy. Now if you will excuse me, I shall leave you to your guests. Good luck.”

Walking away, a blue woman by the name of Nina flanked him as he headed deeper into the teamship. Turning to join his companions once again, Yoshi was instantly gripped by Reinhardt.

“Yoshi, ol’ buddy. This is it. I have been looking forward to having you as my wingman for a good while now.” He said as he shook his human friend around. Coming up from behind was Marean who wore a fancy dress to the occasion. While wearing a smile, her eyes told the pilots that she wasn’t truly as excited as the others.

“I don’t see what so damn special about all this. It’s just bonehead Yoshi flying a ship.” She said with a cheek to his face and a roll in her eyes. Now looking smug, her eyes narrowed before adding, “Try not to crash it, okay?”

Now facing his wife, Reinhardt let go of Yoshi and held her by the shoulders instead. “Honey, you would want the same thing to happen if it were you flying a new ship. Stop being such a downer.”

“I wouldn’t be flying a piece of junk. Are you sure you worked hard on that thing. You sure seem unfazed by all of this.”

Chuckling, he smiled at her as he replied, “Going to have to agree. It is just another take off for me. Doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it though.” Looking past her to see Levia, Nedra, Kazamir and Ijiraku inspecting the ship in the background; Yoshi gestured to move forward as he then said, “We should celebrate with the others by the ship. My head is feeling a bit empty with Ijiraku holding my hat. Where’s your sister by the way?”

“Neona is going through extra training so she doesn’t crash all the time like you do.”

Walking across the gray and teal floors, they were greeted by the others as the two other women began to walk away. Meeting up with Yoshi, the gold Caseal returned to him his hat while speaking with Kazamir. Finishing up their conversation about the engines, Kazamir then began to speak to Yoshi.

“The ship appears to be in working order. It is prepped to leave whenever you’re ready. You never told me you installed a turret before leaving Lillipa.”

“I figured if I can’t fix the speed issue, I would add some extra firepower instead. If you’re wondering about the seating, it’s so Lilliman can use it as well.”

“You have a Lillipan on your ship?” Reinhardt butted in.

“Yeah, dude wanted a life beyond the desert. Can’t say I blame him.” Yoshi replied with a shrug.

Everyone staring into the ship to look for the Lillipan, Kazamir patted his shoulder before moving toward the exit.

“I’ll see you later Yoshi. I have things to check up on. Oh, and you also have another guest.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/ujdZy43k1z8)
Yoshi and Reinhardt quickly spun around to see who it was. Upon getting a good look of the inbound figure, Reinhardt bit his lip in fear. Half glancing to his wife and back, he then whispered to Yoshi,

“Shit, it’s her grandmother. I got to jet, buddy. I’ll see you later.”

With that he was off, speed walking as fast as he could make his Newmen legs move. His wife seeing her husband suddenly vanish, she chased after him before halting at the sight of their approaching guest. In a moment, her face of concern quickly turned into a face of content as her grandmother reached them. Almost a splitting image of her granddaughter, she too had green hair. Were it not for the few wrinkles, a less but still physically fit body and white strands in her hair; she could have passed off as Marean herself. Mainly thanks to a Newmen’s ability to retain their youth in their later stages in life.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. Oh, how you’ve grown.” She said while pinching Yoshi’s cheeks.

“Eh…er…it’s only been a few months.” Yoshi replied while struggling to retain his tears of pain.

“Even so, we have to cherish every moment in our lives. This is a big moment for you after all. Your grandfather would have been so proud of you.” Now rubbing his burning cheeks, she continued, “A shame he couldn’t be here to see this, or maybe not. He could be bashing you over the head instead.”

Smacking her hands away, Marean then stepped in front of Yoshi. Glaring at the lady who now calmly clasped her hands together, she said in a stern tone,

“You’re not his grandmother, Leanna.”

“My word, calling your grandmother by her first name. That’s no way to speak in front of your husband.” Leanna said with an amused face.

“Yoshi? This idiot isn’t my hus-“

“I’m well aware of your good for nothing Newmen husband.”

“Good for no-“

“Shshsh, no one likes a drama queen.” Leanna said while placing a finger on her granddaughter’s lips.

“Leave, Leanna.”

“In due time, my dear. In due time.”

“So what made you decided to come here?” Yoshi asked, trying to salvage the moment. He gave a face of worry towards his friend. However, with Marean insisting that she make her grandmother leave, he did nothing to stop Leanna from taking action.

The younger green haired Newmen uttering muffled cries while trying to remove a hand from her face, Leanna finally answered, “It’s only natural for family who love you to come see an important moment such as this. It’s a shame that not even your adoptive parents bother to come say hello. Don’t worry yourself about them though, dearie. What’s important that you are surrounded by company who care about you, even your foul mouth companion here.”

Walking out of the ship, Ijiraku bowed to Leanna as she gave a sign that it was time to leave. Yoshi tilting his chin in confirmation, he smiled to Leanna before walking into the ship.

“I trust you will take care of him?”

“I’ll do my best.” The Caseal gleefully responded.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/909C5k4PMdc)
Waving while the shuttle doors began to close, Leanna finally allowed her granddaughter’s mouth to be free once more. Before the doors sealed to a close, she shouted “Be sure to visit me and tell of your adventures!”

Looking towards her grandchild, she then added, “I hope you take care of yourself as well. I don’t need to tell you that the life of a smuggler is a dangerous one. It worries me that you haven’t even unlocked your potential. If you don’t, you’ll never truly be successful. So try not to die before then, will you?”

“I’ll be sure to outlive you.”

“Good, my favorite great grandchild comes from you, you know.”

While Leanna walked away, Marean felt lost as she struggled to understand what was just said. Having nothing to retort with, she shouted,
“The child that will never be!”

Without looking back, her grandmother laughed as the exit doors began to slide open. Marean staring back with hatred, she didn’t want to see her again. Her insides knotted and her hand balled, she looked back at the T-57 that flew away in the distance. Comforting herself to the thought that no one could predict the future, she grew relaxed and held the ring worn on the other hand.

[/SPOILER-BOX]


-Gray Team-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional Music* (http://youtu.be/bTD-QQU_P6E)
Several ships exited a large watery circle as they made their way to the planet’s surface. Once closing, twelve silver campships were seen alongside twenty four transports escorting in a tight formation. The twenty forth being the Terenanova which lagged behind as it was the last to exit the portal.

“Alright boys and girls, let’s make this as painless as possible.” A male voice shot out. “In ten seconds, I want everyone to form into their groups. You know what to do from there. Happy hunting.”

Yoshi bumped fists with Ijiraku as they listened to the voice emitted from their speakers. Happiness turned to a look of confusion when questions he should have asked start to appear in his head. Shrugging it off just in time, he began to listen to the continuous chattering of the pilots.

“Look Viril, it’s up in the skies again. Whoever’s flying it, I’m going to let you know right now. I won’t be wasting my time babysitting you, you got that?” A female voice said.

“If he gets shot down, I’m not going to save his ass either.” A male voice said.

“Don’t worry ladies, he with me.” Reinhardt’s familiar voice rang. “Yoshi, switch to gray channel and link up with me by the second campship.”

Several cries of agony and cheers were heard as the cowboy smirked to his golden co-pilot. Pondering over which channel was what, he accidently blurted out,

“Which channel was gray channel again?”

Out of the blue, an angry voice shouted back, “Son, how the hell did you graduate from basic training?”

Tempted to argue back, he felt a tap on his shoulder which prevented him from regretting his decisions. Trying not to glare at Ijiraku, he gave a look that made her snort with laughter. Trying not to laugh with her in embarrassment, he noticed a finger trying to point at a screen embedded in the dashboard. On it, it wrote,



This is how you switch to our channel. I’ll give you the info on the other channels as well. Also you do know that text based messages are still a thing, right?


(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/iEiAkCX6SFA)
Upon switching channels, Yoshi proceeded to say “Now on the gray channel. Thank you for your help, Mr. Grumps.”

“’Don’t get paid enough for this shit.” The voice shot back.

“Are we all friends now? If you look around us, everyone has already oriented themselves. So quiet down and get it together. Flying ears, you have entry pipe duty. Drop off and start exploring. Raven, you have escort duty. Guard the operatives as they complete their mission. Not sure what to call you but for now your call sign is Relic. Repeat with me now, R-E-L-I-C.”

“Yeah, yeah. Relic.” Yoshi replied.

“Good. You can do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t get you killed.”

“How does rescue duty sound?”

“First of all, it’s not called recuse duty. Second of all, you don’t look like a medical ship and you certainly can’t get there in a hurry but whatever floats your boat. Their lives are in your hands then.”

“Light save us all, another damn cowboy trying to seek glory. Look, if they can’t use a warp pipe, they deserve their deaths.” Raven said in a tone of sarcasm.

“If you weren’t being so sarcastic, I would have sent you back home by now. Brace for reentry.”

Cutting through the air like a hot knife through butter, the three transports dived through the planet’s atmosphere without a sign of struggle. Noses heating up, they increased in speed as they began to bend their trajectory. Now gliding over a sea of trees, Yoshi noticed a few small objects appearing in the corner of his eyes.

“Those are Dagans. Odd that they would appear when nothing of value in sight.” Ijiraku remarked.

Pressing on a button to reopen channels, Yoshi asked “Relic to grey team. Not sure I should be reporting this but is there any reason to be concerned about Dagans appearing in the area?”

Looking back to the insects scattering about from below, twenty of them halted in an instant. Similar to the common Dagan, they were black as night and had four legs. Unlike their common variant, they had longer more flexible legs. Lifting their bodies to reveal their red underside, Yoshi watched as black objects filled the air.

Screaming through his speakers, Reinhardt shouted “Yoshi get out of there! Raven, watch out for any Dagan Aclis in the area. This mission just got a lot worse.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/gZCVlbQ6dq4)
Doing as he was told, he attempted to steer clear of the black projectiles as best he could. Three of them hitting the right side of the hull, his makeshift antenna flew apart as well as a chunk of the rusted colored hull. Suddenly the crew of the Terenanova could hear several people talking over each other in fear. Trying to make sense of everything, he believed they just flew into a trap. While listening in their evading, he learned that Red and Blue team was already wiped out. Red team also managed to lose their campship due to Dagans appearing on a nearby asteroid.

“Relic to whoever can hear me, I’m going to look for survivors. Anyone copy?”

A static filled voice responded back, “You think you have it bad over there, you’re insane in coming over here. They’re gone, Relic. Continue your mission.”

Yoshi not caring if the button continued to work or not, closed the channel. Sliding the controls to Ijiraku, he spun his chair to ask the others who sat with him in his cockpit.

“Lilliman, Ijiraku, opinions?”

“It’s wrong to say this but I feel we should listen to the man. We should avoid the conflict. Saving lives is one thing, following orders is another.”

[“It is wrong to abandon your kind. We should go and save them, despite the odds.”]

“I promised to protect Yoshi, we should not go in there.” Ijiraku protested.

[You’re the captain, hat man. It’s best for you to decide then.”]

“Yoshi, he doesn’t have any training like we do. He doesn’t know what he’s getting into.”

“Even so, I agree with him. We lost a chunk of hull because our shields weren’t up. Not a mistake we’ll make again. We’re going in. Ijiraku flies the ship and watches for any fluctuation in the power grid. I don’t need something blowing out because we were pushing our shielding to the limit. Lilliman, man the turret. I’ll control the undercarriage guns with you in the hold and prepare the ramp for emergency pickup. Really wish we could have some missiles right about now.”

Doing as they were told, everyone moved to perform their duties. While moving into the hold, Lilliman tried to grasp how the Caseal could have an opinion yet not fight for it when Yoshi decided against it. Taking his seat, he pressed all three buttons on the side of the turret. One by one they began to glow as various sounds of power emitted from the console. The seat ascended into the roof while the ceiling opening up to reveal a bubble shield. Slowly, Lilliman began to fit into to position as several objects whizzed past. Getting a better view of the now burning world around him, the platform roughly shook as a locking sound was heard from underneath. Following after was the unfolding of the turret’s muzzle. Starting out as several pale white spokes, they rapidly combined into a more solid object. With a single rotation, a holo-panel popped up to confirm that it was fully functional. Rotating the turret to the rear of the ship, the cries of uncountable Ragnes ripped through the air.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

Wanted to apologize to you, Zorafim and Vin. Everytime I want to comment, i'm tempted to give spoilers. So I end up not commenting. Heh

*Deep gasp* You like us that much?! D: I hope Yoshi makes it out of that mess alive

>_< I also have been putting my story thread rebooting to the cause since joining Celestial I've been having fun and wonder if Ima login in to pure insanity and see En's oil spurt out a bit or things actually calm and mellow then theres the creation of my new Cast Apollyon (whom Im having loads of fun with)

Perhaps one day I can toss an entry in the Celestial Chronicles sometimes.

[yoshiblue]

-Earth Bullet-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/MYqxv8NKkAw)

“Mind tilting the ship a little?” Yoshi shouted towards an open cockpit door.

“Hold on! We’re coming around for another pass.” A voice shouted back from within.

“Your friend also had something to say to you. Now playing it in the hold.”

“Yoshi, if you can hear me. We got our hands tied over here so we won’t be there to assist you. Drinks are on me when we get out of this. Flying Ears, out.”

“More like give me an excuse to go drinking.” Yoshi said while chuckling to himself.

Sluggishly turning as fast as it could, the left engine had several sparks of electricity dancing upon it. Taking advantage of its weakening state, the ship tilted to allow both turrets to target the Ragne below. The giant black bug roared as the ship soared by. Lifting its legs in the air, it attempted to swat the ship out of the sky only to lose the exoskeleton protecting the rear legs. Upon crumbling to the floor in pain, several Hunters popped out of the bushes to strike at a giant red core. Dropping a turret for extra measure, the man watched as the box fell like a brick to the ground. His face wincing once it broke upon the floor, he turned to look at the Lillipan firing the cannons above him.

Looking back out into the burning forest, smoke filled the man’s lungs. Watching various firearms going off within the sea of green through the open ramp door, he didn’t dare walk into the cockpit. Refusing to hear all the cries emitting from it, he continued to use his time scanning the ground below for any injured parties. Leaving the scene to look for other encounters, two transports flew overhead causing a gust of wind to blow into Yoshi’s face. Clinging onto his hat, he summoned a barrier to protect his face. Now partially protected, brown eyes studied the radar as several numbers, shapes and colors slid across the map. A bump on the ship made him cover his head as the turret continued to fire at objects above. Spotting various forms of Foie spitting out of a cave opening, Yoshi immediately tried to get a closer look. A blue screen appeared on his glasses as the reflecting image zoomed in on a particular area. Gripping onto a handle bar, he shouted to the pilot,

“Ijiraku, get closer to that waterfall. I want to see what’s in those nearby caves.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked.

“I don’t think natives know how to shoot fire everywhere.”

“You better hold on to something then.”

Before being able to ask why, the ship started to free fall through the sky. Hugging the handle bar closely, it rattled on the ramp’s doorframe. Closing one eye as the ground drew near, a feeling of inspiration couldn’t be resisted as the Lillipan continued to fire. Just when he thought the ship was going to hit the ground, the sound of power flooding into the thrusters filled the air once more. Now gliding close to a river, several insect like corpses slammed onto the floor. With a sigh of relief, he subconsciously activated the landing gear.

“How’s it looking out there?” The female voice asked.

“All clear for now and the landing gear is deployed. I think I saw a few wounded out there.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/tBf5V86yHek)
Too impatient to wait for the ship to safely land, he ran down the open ramp that hovered inches above the ground. Instinctively drawing his gunslash, he slowly scanned the environment with the gun raised in pistol mode. The gunfire on the turret ceased when Ijiraku walked out of the ship. Following close behind, she shouldered her rifle. Forming into a two man group, the two carefully made their way to their wounded. Upon reaching the cave entrance, they both hid on each side. With a gesture made with the muzzle of her gun, the Caseal said to him

“Go ahead, Yoshi. I got you covered.”

Increasing in speed, the cowboy dashed towards the others. Blood painted the scene as a party of eight rested on the floor. Moving from the waterfall, through the blue cave openings and into moss covered surroundings; he glanced around for any signs of life. Moving over black scars, he noticed three men huddled by a large boulder.

“Hey!” Yoshi shouted. “Are you guys able to walk?”

“Oh, thank goodness.” One of the men said. Pushing off the ground, he limped towards Yoshi with haste. Having trouble stopping, his rescuer noticed that the blond man was violently shaking in his yellow FOmar suit. “They came out of n-nowhere.” the man uttered. “They weren’t like the u-usual lot either. They were organized… t-took us out systematically. Please, please get us out of here. I don’t want to die.” The man’s lip trembled as he resisted breaking into tears. Yoshi placed a hand on the man’s shoulders only to notice a stub sticking out of a bloodied sleeve.

“It’s alright; we’re getting you out of here. Who else is still alive?” Yoshi said trying to give a reassuring smile.

“J-just two others.” The yellow suited man replied through shivering breathes.

Walking alongside the man towards the others, Yoshi handed them each a dimate. Noticing that the third in a HUmar suit didn’t respond, he dropped the green container and kneeled for a closer look. Shaking the HUmar a few times, Yoshi quickly twisted back to call for Ijiraku. The sobs of the man grew quiet as the other force took his drink and slumped on the rock they hid by. Leaping over the mossy rock, the Caseal gracefully landed while sheathing her gun to her back.

“Area is all clear, Yoshi. Lilliman and I bagged all the bodies.”

Looking back towards the HUmar next to him, Yoshi said with sorrow in his voice “We’re going to need another one.”

Pushing Ijiraku out of the way, the force pulled at Yoshi’s sleeve. “No, no, no. H-he’s just napping. H-he can’t be d-dead. Not, Rejol. What will I tell his wife?”

Regain composure, Ijriakru calmly responded “I’m sorry, sir. It appears he bled to death. There’s nothing we can do.”

“He has a good gash on his back. I assume you lost your hand before his injury?”
Before anyone could respond, Ijiraku rearmed with amazing speed. Placing a finger by her ear, she shouted “Lilliman, get that turret back up.” Grabbing the dead body, Ijiraku ignored the streams of blood that slid onto her chassis. “Yoshi, we have to leave, now.”

Listening as best he could, he felt trembles in the earth and the sounds of earth crumbling from a distance. “She’s right; we have to get to the ship.”

The CAST of gold now leading the others away, Yoshi followed behind with his gunslash raised once more. Without warning, a creature busted out of the dirt. Now on the floor coughing in dust, he crawled backwards as fast as he could while aiming his weapon towards the shadow within. A shrill cry echoed in the cave, causing hairs to stand and his eye to squint in pain.

“A Gwanahda? Here?” Yoshi cried in shock.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/lqZYtPlvufc)
Jumping back on his feet, he dash away while shooting the weapon over his shoulder. The walls became a blur, water splashed into his face; he narrowly avoided a bizarre looking pillar emerging from the ground. The vessel appeared in his refocused view. With a bite of his lip, he ducked low as several blue bolts flew overhead. The sounds of the turret rung louder in the air the closer he got to his ship. The vessel’s engines humming in harmony while waiting for its last passenger to climb onboard. The teal haired man climbed onto the ramp, he heard the force screaming “He’s on. Lift off, lift off!”

Listening to orders, the ship took off. Without proper footing, the wind was knocked out of Yoshi, who fell onto his belly. Clinging to what he could with dear life, the human struggled to climb back into the ship. Feeling the leaves bashing against the tips of his shoes, it became clear to him that getting back in would be harder than it looked. A shriek was heard due to a giant purple sword grazing the side of the ship. Looking behind himself and back into the hold, he watched the force rise out of his seat while staring back at him while he hanged. Glancing at a glowing orange button on the hull’s frame and back, he kicked the cowboy in the face and slammed on the panel. Wide eyed, a red shoe mark on his face; Yoshi fell as the plated doors closed in front of him.

Tree limbs broke, leaves showering the floor, the man shouted several profanities while making his painful return to the grassy surface. Following after him with blazing speeds, a helmet shape mag flew next to the fallen man and blessed him with a green aura. Grumbling in anger, he felt around for his weapon. Going from an expression of indifference to worry, his hand froze in place upon feeling pebbles bounce around underneath it. A push to the ground to lie on his knees, he looked up to see a humanoid figure slowly walking up to him. Drawing his gaze from red eyes, tears blurred his vision as he helplessly listened to the muffled screams of a female body squirming in its hands. Un-phased by the attacks to free herself, the Darker lifted her in front of the two and crushed her skull. A lifeless body falling to the floor, the cowboy jumped onto his feet with a backup weapon in hand. Being one of the standard issue models, the blue blade vanished as Yoshi switched it into pistol mode. Aiming the weapon towards the figure, it spoke to him.

“Good, good. You’ve seen death before, and are prepare to defend yourself. You now have my interests. Please tell me, you can be entertaining as well. Come, I’ll even give you a free hit.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/h9G5uoyJl1A)
Hesitant at first, Yoshi stood his ground while the figure patted the closest thing he recognized as a cheek. Feeling the blood drain away from him, he ignored the rejecting feelings as he whispered “We’ll I’m dead anyways.” He dashed. The blade glowing once more, three successful strikes were performed before running off to achieve distance. Lookin back to see the figure dust itself off, it then said “Good, you’ve also know how to kill a man. Those blows would have worked had i’ve been the average human. Sadly, now it’s my turn.” Leaping into the air, Yoshi began to back up. With a simple click, the gunslash began to fire several shots at the inbound figure. Ducking under just in time, he barely managed to keep his balance as the shockwave of the kick pressed against his body. A duck under a roundhouse, a jump over a low sweep, the defender hopped from object to object hoping to slow him down. However, he watched as they were simply destroyed from one backhand to the next. Tired of his games, the purple figure began to sprint after him. Blasting holes into any trees that blocked its way, It pounded the ground, creating red shockwaves to fly towards the man.

In a moment of panic, he leaped away in a random direction. Launching himself over a vine covered tree root, the frighten human discovered his beloved gunslash embedded in the dirt waiting for his return. The wooden handle left untouched, a yellow canister by the hilt gave a pulsing yellow glow; Yoshi eagerly lunged to hold it once more. While pulling it out, the figure chopped the tree in half and stared down upon its victim. Both weapons raised, the man twisted his torso to fire with both gunslashes. Unable to handle the recoil, his right hand lost grip on his backup; causing it to fly out of his hand. Shifting back to see a raised fist in the air, Yoshi back flipped off the tree root to avoid death. In a desperate attempt to make something happen, he closed his eyes. Pointing to the ground, he pulled the trigger. Dragging his aim from the ground to the sky, the yellow canister on the gunslash’s handle began to give off a brilliant light. Both sides felt shock waves collide as smaller red pillars met with the attacker’s larger ones. With a stroke of luck, the larger ones were over powered and caused damage to the purple darker. Stumbling backwards with a cry of pain, a hand covered the opposite shoulder. Struggling to lift the weapon due to the uncontrollable shaking of his arms. With tremendous might, he leveled it with the figure’s face. With a dark expression, his organs knotted when it began to laugh.

“Oh ho ho. Ha ha ha ha! Wonderful! I’m impressed. Yes, I can see there is talent in you. Count your blessings, Arks. You won your lives for today. We shall leave you be for now. We got what we wanted anyways.”

Stepping back into a swirling red and black ball, it then continued to say “Don’t die just yet, human. There are others who won’t remove the Darkers from this field. Until then, I shall await our next meeting.”

Fatigued, he collapsed onto the floor to rest. His mag floating by, laid a monomate on top of his forehead. Poking a hole on the side with one of its sharper corners, Yoshi slowly drank the contents that traveled in branching veins. Smacking the container off his forehead he looked to the looming mag with a hand reaching out to it.

“Thanks buddy. But could you stick it in my mouth next time?”

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/nvgiZP8P96U)
Watching trees leaves blow in random directions, he began to close his eyes to the sound of a landing transport ship.

“That must be them.”

The sounds intensifying only to fade away, dreams soon followed after.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]I have to admit, there's something awesome about imagining a lilipan operating a turret[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

-A Lesson About Warping-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/GJVsQe8JeY0)

“Wakey wakey, Yoshi.”

Awoken from his slumber to the patting of his cheek, his eyes adjusted to a dimly lit room. Surrounded by several glowing buttons, he avoiding the multiple colors on the walls while feeling the layered emergency shutters on the windows. Sitting upright, he could make out the faint traces of light on the creases of the interior. Dim red lines and closed windows emitted a sense of isolation from the world. The color reminding him of the attacks from earlier, the man rubs his torso, feeling for any signs of injury. Beside him was his golden co-pilot, Ijiraku. Staring back at him with easy eyes and a pleasant smile, she restores a felted hat back onto his head. Rubbing an eye with one hand, he looks to her and asks,

“How long was I out?”

“Only seventeen minutes.” She replied with a peppy tone.

“Alright, that’s good I guess. How’s the ship looking?”

“The breach in the hull grew larger. The primary generator was hit and is running alongside the backup. Should it fail, we have enough power to keep running for twelve hours. Six if we open a warp gate.”

“Do we have passengers aboard?” Yoshi asked while the Caseal access a database on the dashboard.

“We have seven in the hold. Four forces, one hunter and one ranger wait inside. We have rescued a total of eighteen operatives, which are all waiting in the campship. One of the forces had to be detained however.”

“Good to know. No harm done I hope?”

“I may have… dislocated an arm and maybe a leg...” She said giving off a hint of uneasy vibes. “Anywho, there was a message asking for us not to long ago.”

A sour expression on his face, he scratched at his head as he messed with a panel looming above him. “How long have they been waiting?”

“Five minutes. I felt it would have been best for the captain to speak.”

“Not really sure that’s the best idea but oh well.” Pressing onto a button, Yoshi yelled into the buttons, “Relic to Campship, do you read?” Responding to him was the relieved voice of Reinhardt.

“Good to know you aren’t dead, Yoshi. Was getting kinda worried for a moment.”
“Just coming by with the last batch, I think.” He shouted with furrowed brows. Taking a quick look back to only see a closed door, he leaned forward and continued. “What’s the assessment on the operation?”

“It’s looking kinda ugly. Blue, red, white and orange squads are completely whipped out. There may be a few survivors from orange but they haven’t responded. Green, yellow and black are pressing forward despite what happened. Yellow are down a few men and green lost an airship. As you already know, we’re pulling back to return the wounded home. Sad to say, Raven didn’t make it. His ship was shot down and he died fighting to the least bullet. Unlucky for the rest of us, everyone else was reassigned to Amduscia.”

“Unlucky, indeed. I was told they got what they wanted. Any idea what that means?”
“Not sure who told you that. Nothing seems to be missing from the planet but judging by what just happened, I would say the Darkers figured out how to bypass our shields. Speaking of which, you may be taken for questioning when we get back. For an old ship, it took quite a beating. I bet it may have to do with the composite metal plating you gave it.”

“Heh, well we’re approaching the campship. I’ll see you when we get there. Relic, out.”

Releasing the button, he slumped into his chair. Bothered by the glowing eyes staring from within the darkness, he pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes.
“We’ll, that went smoother than I thought it would.”

“We will reach the campship in five minutes. All things aside, I say we did a good job for our first run.” The Caseal replied.

Hearing a voice shouting from the other room, Yoshi shot upright. With a sigh, he lifted out of his chair while readjusting his hat. Now on his feet, the cowboy briskly walked to the banging of the cockpit door. Turning back to Ijiraku, he said with a tilt of the brim “Guess I better see our passengers out.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/uGGwBhfk5FY)
Upon being given a thumbs up, he poked at panel on the door frame. Sliding open, a woman fell upon Yoshi causing the two to stumble backwards. A buxom chest in his face, he couldn’t help but whisper, “Hellooooooo, nurse.” Looking up to see a glaring gold face and a blushing red one, he coughed while helping her back on her feet. Taking a step backwards, he held his hands up in the air, opened palmed. “Not to worry everyone. We are approaching the campship. So sit tight and enjoy our 1st class window view right over there.” He said with two fingers pointing at the hole in the ship.

“How soon?” A concerned voice asked.

“In two to three minutes.” Yoshi responded with a smile. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head over to the ramp so I can open it.”

As Yoshi made his way to the ramp, he turned back to see the metal walls of the campship calmly pass over the open hole. The turret coming down to ensure the ship doesn’t scrape against its cargo room ceiling, a Lillipan hopped out of the seat. Walking into the cockpit, he ignored all the faces staring down on him. Opening the ramp door, several gears grinded until it came to a halt midway down. Not wanting to deal with it, Yoshi kicked the rest of it down. Gesturing with both arms that everyone can leave, he shook hands with a few of them and received a hug from another. The woman from earlier walked out with a head hung low in embarrassment.

Upon relieving the vessel of all its guests, Yoshi propped up the ramp by hand. Giving him a hard time, it took all of his strength to get it up all the way. Suddenly jolting upwards, he flew backwards as soon as it finally decided to work with him. Sliding across the waxed flooring, he stopped at the feet of Ijiraku who stood with hands on her hips.

“Some fancy flying, getting the ship in backwards.” Yoshi said to her with an awkward smile.

Bringing him back up by the arm with great force, she replied “Thank you.”

[“What does the beeping mean?”] Lilliman suddenly asked while peeking from behind the doorway.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/P-E034D7EL4)
Looking at each other with fear, they quickly scrambled back into the cockpit. Jumping into their seat in synchronous harmony, they quickly flicked a few orange levers. Pushing several buttons to get the ship running, Yoshi signaled for Lilliman to get back on the turret. Power surging and the engines roaring, Yoshi pushed the lever as far as he could. The ship launched itself outside of the campship with great speed. Trailing behind it was the sparks produced by the bottom corner of the craft as the failing engine couldn’t lift its side up properly. Calling out to him was the female pilot in a commanding tone.

“Relic, get back in here and prepare for warp.”

“No can do and don’t even try to argue with me.” Yoshi responded, closely leaning towards to the dashboard. “Not with useless shielding. Let us distract them and get yourself out of here.”

There was a pause as the T57 moved away from the silver ship. Before reaching the incoming wave of enemies, the pilot finished the conversation with “You idiot…” Without another word, the massive vessel flew off into a giant watery portal appearing out of nowhere. Closing just as fast as it appeared, the campship was gone. The turret now back into position while a smaller one materializes underneath, the ship fired at several Darkers scattering in strange formations. Traveling in groups of four, the all took turns diving at the Terenanova. Doing the best they could to repel each other, the weaken thruster made both sides frustrated as lasers flew astray and insects whizz away. Black parts and slivers of the ship’s metal drifted in space as each darker started to fall one by one. The ship taking quite the beating, it continued to hold together as the attacks scrapped the hull. Noticing that Dagan started to appear on the floating bodies, the ship began to focus more on evasion while a hail of objects began to fly by.

“Alright, I think we did enough. Let’s get out of here.” Yoshi commanded

“Okeydokey.” The co-pilot gladly responded.

Blasting away in a random direction, most of the Darkers began to pursue after it. Refusing to slow down, a portal was barely beginning a few meters in front of it. Just before reaching the portal, several projectiles blasted away at the rear of the ship, throwing enough force on it to force the ship off course. Yoshi slammed hard on the controls to keep it on course. Using the emergency ports to save the ship, the left thruster exploded causing several shards to fly into the chasing Darker threat. The nose now going through the blue pool, they both cringed at the sight of the ship skimming its edge.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/hZja_IBwVsk)
“This is going to be close.” The Caseal said to Yoshi. Holding on to him to ensure that he doesn’t teleport away from her, they both watched as the vessel fly in sideways. Upon opening their eyes, they realized that the ship seemed to be intact. Both opening their own version of the ship layout, they noticed red glows on the landing gear.

“We’ll that’s gone. How is everything else looking?”

“We lost a bit of the undercarriage, the right side is melted. Anything going through it is being rerouted to flow power by the turret instead.”

“So we lost our food supply?”

“No. Just the air conditioning.”

Hearing the turret come back down, Yoshi watched as Lilliman fell off the turret seat. Hitting the floor, it threw up on the metal flooring it laid on. Yoshi quickly throwing himself out of the captain’s chair, he reached for the first aid kit on the left side of the door and ran to the furry creature's side.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-Cargo-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/U9fOzuQLQ4g)
“I’m lost. I don’t know what to do.”

Sitting against rigid exposed wall, expanding from the ceiling to the floor, Yoshi sat looking to the drifting red and orange planet floating outside the spacecraft. A leg dangling in cold empty space, it swayed in circles to the thoughts of the mind. Moving faster when something got going, slowing down when it didn’t work out. The sunlight glowing on his glasses, a Lillipan could be seen, reflected on the edge of the glass. Holding a sage green micro torch to the hull, it blasted unique flames on a rather small panel only it could work in. Swirling blue flames on rust color hull, the creature was the only one doing any work on the Terenanova. Due to an oversight in the T57’s refitting; many of the ship’s outer workings were set into place by smaller hands. The pondering man guessed it was what it was, a simple mistake or clever plans to force him back to Lillipa.

Sighing to himself, he extended his gaze beyond the ship and out into space. Within the sea of stars, something made him flinch. His torso launching forward, his face in awe, he squinted to confirm what he was seeing. In a panic, the teal haired human quickly scrambled onto his feet. Growing steadily, the object grew in size. A grey dot in the sea of black, a twinkle as it drew closer. Yoshi beckoning the Lillipan back inside. Helping the robed critter inside, he summoned his gunslash before roaming to check on Ijiraku. The door half opening at the prss of a button, two hands grip the metal door. Throwing it completely to the side, Yoshi covered his eyes out of reaction. Sitting in the co-pilot chair, a Caseal sat with a cable protruding from her back. Staring back at him in a sleepy gaze, one arm gripped to the chair while the other tried to push off.

“Don’t worry, i’m just…recharging.” She said while holding a palm out to the concerned man. Putting his hat on, the human producing a sigh, something within him told him not to approach.

“Don’t remember CASTs needing to recharge these days. Do you ne-”

“For your safety…don’t remove it.” She interrupted. Eyes faintly flickering between gold and silver, a comforting smile rotated away from the cowboy. Unsure how to respond, he quietly backed out of the room. Closing the door by hand, he turned to see the Lilliman hugging a portable heater to stay warm. Around the size of a toaster, white plating with black vents, a red glow warmed the brown fuzzball due to the lack of a line shield. Rubbing the furry creature’s head as the man passed by, he peeked outside the breach to see how close the object was. Eyes widening, the gray object was now a large ship. Approaching faster than before, Yoshi quickly hugged the inner wall. Hand on his gunslash, he waited. His head rested on the wall, just behind entering light. Seeing the leader prepare for something, the Lillipan withdrew into a storage compartment under the bare seats.

The sunlight suddenly blocked out, the ship grew dark as large plating glided over the opening. Engine hums growing faint, the ship outside stopped moving. Sounds of pressure releasing nearby, the human braced for the unknown. A leg suddenly appears; he made his move only to stop dead in his tracks. Under his chin, a silver blade, faint hues of pink on peeking sun beams, a woman continued to walk in without glancing at her hostage. Green hair, silver rimmed glasses; Yoshi was well aware who she was.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/nHdcMHyscdw)
“A fine mess you got yourself in this time.” Marean said in an unsurprised tone. Her hostage chuckled in response. “Getting slow already, cowboy? Were you any other man, I would have slain you were you stood.”

“Glad we’re on speaking term then, huh?” Yoshi nervously replied.

“Being one of the few people I befriended, it would be a waste to kill you. You should learn to move like a proper cowboy. Otherwise you should look for a different image. Like becoming my servant.”

His grip tightening on the handle, he tried to remain calm under slow deep breathing. Caught off guard once again, metal was removed and replaced by a shoulder blade. His hand off the handle and into the air, it slowly dropped to pat her back as she hugged him intently. Partially in fear of breaking a rib but also because he didn’t know how to react to a blade pressed against his back, he decided to complete the hug.

“Heh heh, it’s good to see you too, Marean.” Yoshi warmly said. “How did you find us?”

“Just passing by.” She answered. Letting go, she pointed out into space. “A ship is stationed at a planet not too far away and I have a shipment to make over there. The Mandrake if you know about it. Don’t think it’s here for you though.” Crossing her arms, she looked to Yoshi with a frown. “Reinhardt said they aren’t really making an effort to find lost Arks these days. However, Kazamir did tell me you would be here though. Not sure how he knew but it seems he’s been keeping an eye on you.”

Yoshi leaning against the ship, arms mimicking the female Newmen, he too knotted his arms. “Not sure why he couldn’t get me himself if he knew all along. Then again, getting a warp capable ship this far isn’t an easy feat either.”
“You know how he is. One moment he’s there, the next he’s gone.” Moving one arm to readjust her glasses, she began to look around the ship once again. “Speaking of gone, what happened to everyone?”

“Ijiraku is in the cockpit and Lilliman…” Looking down towards the floor, he started uttering words she couldn’t understand. Popping out from under the seats, a Lillipan still clinging to the heater slowly crawled out. “He’s right there. Lilliman, Marean. Marean, Lilliman. He helps me around the ship and uses the turret.” He said while gesturing towards the roof. Swiftly standing into a salute, Lilliman gave a proud expression before hopping on top of the seat it hid under. Yoshi giving a thumbs up, decided to take a seat next to him.

“Well, I would just say hop on my ship and we’ll leave right away but I’m pretty sure you want to take the ship with you. Don’t want to owe the team any more debts?”

“You know it.”

Very carefully, the ship was pulled into the cargo bay of the larger vessel. Yoshi tasked with moving the objects within to make space, they carefully towed it all the way to the back. Crates of several colors being moved around, the T57 slowly moved into the ship as if moving in by itself. Holding it still with magnetic locks, Yoshi rocked on the ship to ensure it was secured into place. Waving back to the gold Caseal within, Lilliman and Yoshi made their way inside Marean’s ship. Medal plates unfolded behind them to block out the light.

Strolling down a well-lit corridor, they look the several objects that hung on the walls. From pictures to several cultural items, they colored the beige walls they covered. Through a red door, they stopped inside a room made to be similar to the living room of a home. The two boys taking in the place, Marean sat on a tan love seat sipping on coffee. Setting the mug onto a glass top coffee table, she gestured for them to sit down. Not wanting to argue, they both roamed to the closest chair. Lilliman taking the armchair to himself, Yoshi hesitantly took the remaining seat that was the loveseat she sat on. Continuing to stare at the coffee mug, she didn’t turn to look at Yoshi as she spoke.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/l2SWTFbLAkk)
“I still blame you for getting me hooked on coffee. It gives me a good reason to make long haul trips. Finding good brands are getting harder and harder with Falz destroying our ships though.”

“Well, at least something good came out of working with me.” Yoshi said, also glancing at the mug. Observing the odd room’s many pictures, he then continued, “Speaking of ships, where’s Reinhardt?”

“Busy. Off doing his job of being a hero and everything. With me being busy myself, I don’t get to see him as often.”

Removing his hat, teal hair was scratched as brown eyes met with sadder green ones. “Well, you did kinda leave Arks. I’m sure you’ll see him again.” Roughly shaking her arm, he then added, “Think on the bright side. You now have me to keep you company.”

Punching his shoulder in response, she then replied. “You mean I have you to get pissed off at again.” Warping her arm around Yoshi who rubbed his shoulder, she hugged him close enough for the two to butt heads. “You better make a good partner in crime or I’m going to start charging you rental fees.” Yoshi flinging himself away in disappointment, Lilliman took the time to make tea on the heater. Pulling out his own little cup to pour it in, he peacefully enjoyed his drink as the other two began to argue.

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/eTU-jTmWr-k)
:“I’m amazed she hasn’t once cursed at him yet.”:
[/SPOILER-BOX]

Not sure how often I will do these but I felt like making filler parts for story that may add something but don't really move the story along. I also wrote this just because.

-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
Void of windows, strips of light lit glowed on beige walls. Sparsely spread out in the room, several ornaments and pictures of various people could be seen hanging on the wall. In two corners of the room were two different plants. On one side was a potted fern. A ceramic container round, white with blue waves coloring the lip. On the other side, a neatly trimmed tree hugging the same wall across it. Unlike the other pot, this one was ecru in color, rectangular and brightly lit thanks to a nearby light source. Across it played a stereo system, black in color it played tunes of calming jazz. Standing next to the tree, a matching brown bookshelf made of wood. Filled with various books, some useful, some simply for decoration, book covers faced the back of the furnishings in front of it. Also matching the walls are a love seat and an armchair. Tan in color, sitting near a doorway, a glass coffee table of wooden framing separated the two. A smaller plant sat on top of it. Underneath all these objects is mud brown carpeting, soft to the touch, to complete the room’s color scheme. A hint of lavender complemented the area.

Two people sat in this room. One of them wears a brown Arks coat and white pants, a tan ten gallon hat covering teal hair. Across him, a woman. Green hair braided in twin pig tails, she wore her usual black and pink Ursula Replica. Brown eyes locked with pink ones, she moved her arms constantly with a mug in hand. Also holding a mug, the man listened to her while sipping away at his beverage ever so calmly. Unenthused eyes gazing at her, he did not say a word. Trying to be a good friend, ears only listened to the story being received by them. Her expression constantly changing, her arms still moving, he began to wonder if she will ever put down her cup. Occasionally, he would take the time to check how much was left, before taking another sip.

“The fucken balls some drivers have these days. Think they can trade as much paint they can and technology will recover the damage. Stupid ass doesn’t know I have fragile equipment, worth more than the organs in his forsaken body, being transported in my ship.”

“Have you tried using the loading arm?” Yoshi finally said.

“Yes I used the loading arm. And guess what? The moron still got to close. It’s how I learned to never buy from that piece of shit company ever again. Dumbass decided it was a good idea to approach, the arm presses against his vehicle and guess what happens next? That’s right. It snaps in two. Do you know how much fucken meseta I spent on that thing? This isn’t some budget equipment you find in a bargain or straight out of the junkyard. This is supposed to be high quality stuff. I don’t have time to deal with shit products. Maintaining a ship is expensive as is. If I’m going to shell out the cash, I expect it to be top of the line. Not stupid shit like that. And don’t get me started on trying to get a return. Oh ho ho, how I wanted to rip the cashier’s throat out when he told me the warranty wasn’t valid.”

“Do you want me to look at it?” he said while waving a random hand gesture towards her.

“So you can break it even more? No. I can’t even afford to replace it now. Want to know why? Your friend thought it was best for the both of us to lock his account; all because I used your account once upon a time.”

Finally she slammed the mug onto the table. A silent sigh of relief releasing from him, he looked up to see her leaning forward, a pointed a finger at his face. “When you talk to him again, you tell him to unlock that account or he’s in for a beating so hard…”

Hands urging her to relax, Yoshi gave an awkward smile. “Alright, I’ll see what I can do. You haven’t asked him by now?”

“I’m going to slap you upside the head.” She replied, her hand now slightly chopping in the air. “No. He hasn’t bothered to answer my calls. He’d rather be off saving the world and doing his job than to talk to me, his wife. I don’t give a fuck if he’s doing his job. If I call him, he should be making me priority number one. I could be bleeding to death and he would never know. Arms too stupid to pick up a phone.”

“What’s a phone?”

“Something people used back in the day, don’t worry about it.”

Interrupting the conversation, a Caseal of gold frame and emerald green highlights peeked through the door way. Yoshi taking the chance to look away, he sleepily waved to Ijiraku who didn’t look as happy.

“Yoshi” she said. “We should patch up the hull now that we have a better foothold.”

Glaring back at the metallic woman, Marean slightly lifted off her seat with both hands on the table. “You and what materials? You want your ship fixed? You can wait when we get to Lillipa.”

Entering into the room, the CAST placed a hand on Yoshi while maintaining eye contact with the Newmen. “Why waste time when we can repair what we can now?” She replied. “At best, it would be more productive than listening to things nobody cares about.”

Fully standing up, the two began to argue over the teal haired human. Doing his best to enter his own little world, he hung his head just above his cup. A shudder from not knowing the best solution to this situation, he drew deep breaths and slowly closed his eyes. Nothing came to mind but thoughts of escaping. Swirling the remaining liquid, thoughts of getting food seemed to be the best option. Standing up between the two, he began to move towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Marean harshly asked.

“Grabbing a bite to eat” Yoshi answered.

“No. You’re staying here. I’m not going to let you smuggle food out of my kitchen.”

“He’s a man. It is logical to find as much energy as possible for peak performance.” Ijiraku butted in.

Pushing Yoshi back into his seat, she grabbed his cup, and made her way to the kitchen doorway. Turning around as the door slid open, she pointed to Ijiraku this time. “It’s not your damn food. It’s mine. So shut you fucken trap before I seal it for you. You stay there, Yoshi.”

The door closing, Ijiraku hunched over the chair Yoshi slumped on. Eyebrows flapping with a deep sigh, his head loped backwards to meet a face just above his.

“Come on, Yoshi. I found some spare parts to use for the ship. We have enough to fix the engine and attempt a flight to Lillipa on our own.”

Turning his face away from her’s, Yoshi replied “Sorry, Ijiraku but I don’t want to make the wild fire worse than it is. I think it’s better if I just remain here.”

A gold smile shifting into a frown, Ijiraku replied in a shaky tone “So I try to help you out and this is the thanks I get? You choose her over me.” Sounds of pouting growing distant, she ran off to the other door. Looking back to see a door open and close, Yoshi heard her yell “It’s because I’m a CAST isn’t it?” Slightly regretting what he just said, anger grew from confusion. Trying to keep his cool, he gripped onto the cushion of the seat. It wasn’t enough. Thoughts continued to race in his mind. Needing to find a release, he ripped the frames off of his face and hurled them across the room. Not caring about what became of them, he threw his back against the backing of the chair. Shoulders relaxed when the other door opened once again. Holding a black marble looking tray, she brought a few bowls and two piping hot cups to the table. Offering sugar and cream to him, an arm waved them away to drink the dark liquid as it was.

“Where’re your glasses?”

“I felt like taking them off for once.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-Mandragora -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/4Rgh9G-zUME)
Standing close to each other within curved glass walls, Yoshi and Marean shuffled in standard civilian clothes while they patiently waited for wood finished doors to open. Yoshi, rubbing his lonely teal head, gazed upon the several numbers lining a silver panel; glowing yellow marks spelling out “slow mode” dimmed against the sunlight that flooded the small room. Scanning the slowly raising city rooftops, eyes looked to Marean who applied makeup from a pocket mirror. Plastic, black in color to match the purse housing it, a reflecting sun beam bounce from its silver surface and onto the man’s face. Not taking kindly to being blinded, a hand was brought up to shield the eyes. Teeth visibly clenched underneath.

“Couldn’t you have done that before we landed?” Yoshi asked.

“This is temporary makeup. Completely vanishes after a period of time. So I want to make sure I have as much time as I can.” Marean slowly replied.

“What’s the point of putting it on if it’s temporary then?”

“Because I don’t want it on my face all day, duh.”

Leaning against silver metal railing, which lined the room, he looked to the other direction. The room growing darker, slate gray buildings now began to engulf the elevator. Staring at the several windows lifting into the sky, his eyes widen in shock. A glimpse of an old naked man coming out of the shower, Yoshi flung his face back towards Marean. In an attempt to act natural, more questions were asked. A hint of nausea was fought back while doing so.

“So what are we doing here again?”

“None of your business.” She replied, a tilt for an eye to look at the Human.

Slouching back a little to the response, a chuckle was uttered. “Alright” He amusingly said. “What do you know about the Mandrake?”

Closing the mirror, the black plastic case was stored in the small purse. Now giving Yoshi her full attention, dull green eyes met with his. “It’s a ship that specializes in Biology. Not sure why they are here but rumors say they can create a child from the DNA of two dead people. Maybe this planet has something to do with it?”

Feeling his heart dropped, sadden eyes shifted towards the red fifty-four now changing to fifty-three. Releasing an audible breath of air, he returned his gaze back onto the green haired Newmen. “While that sounds like quite a feat, I don’t see why anyone should make a child that will never see their parents.”
“Ah but that’s the best part. No one needs to know. There would be nothing to hold them back from making child soldiers. Hard to think that the next generation of Arks could be replaced by clones.” Showing signs of interest, she lifted a hand to her chin. “Do you think the Ace is a clone of someone? I’ve been hearing a lot of interesting things being done by that person. Maybe that person even has brothers and sisters no one knows about.”

“Yeah well, let’s hope that doesn’t get too out of hand.”

Crossing his arms, the two grew silent. A few moments later, a ping filled the room, wooden doors begun to follow after. Light now restoring light into the dark room, several people roamed to and fro outside the plated brown doors. Walking into a classy marble room, they walked over red carpets, past red and gold banners, and out through a heavily decorated sliding door. Now in the streets of the science vessel, everyone seemed to have an odd look about them. Being a ship of science, several civilians showed faint signs of genetic enhancements. Some walked faster than usual, no one wore eyewear, and their clothes were slightly modified. It looked as if they could be battle ready when the situation demanded it. The banners were different too. Unlike the ads that would boast about the newest car and soft drink or the best food anyone could buy, this city’s was filled of ads claiming that everyone should enhance themselves. Similar to any ad he has seen, they came in several colors and designs. However, all of them had the same theme. Enhance. Improve his movement, reaction time, pregnancy was no longer a worry and even boost his nightlife. Very few cars fill the land and skies. Impressed with how clear the streets were on a normal day, all that could be seen were elongated vehicles forming various kinds of buses. Aside from the difference, everything looked the same. Buildings, signs, streets, flora all uniformed like the rest of the fleet. Distracting him from staring at others, a shiny black object was slammed against his chest. Reactively lifting both hands to grasp the object, he looked to Marean in confusion.

“Hold it.” She quickly said.

Without asking, he carried the object a book. Tucking the purse between a hip and an arm, the two sped around a corner and continued to move past several stores and doorways. Finally stopping at an alleyway, one looked at the steps leading to a grey door on the side of the structure while the other looked to the numbers on the side of it. Pushing him against the wall; she whispered to Yoshi, a finger close to his nose.

“You stay here, keep the purse viable. Make sure that door stays open, alright?”

A little bit worried, furrowed eyebrows stared back. “Alright, anything else I should know?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/sWAE2X8Jq60)
Patting him on the head, she walked into the building. Her voice faintly heard when finally answering his question. “Try not to run off after the women.”
Feeling awkward and alone, he tried his best to look normal. Scooting a little into the shade, the need to avoid any sunburn became a priority. Rubbing a warm sleeve to relieve the heat felt on his skin, regrets of never listening to the woman’s sunblock advice were felt. Warmer than usual, feeling a little vulnerable, a hand felt around for a scar received in the past. Being so use to living with a line shield, memories of the mercenary days were fought back. Aiding this was the various smells of perfumes passing back. Entranced at first, he quickly snapped backwards as if figuring out a puzzle. Now knowing what Marean meant, it was discovered that few women wore alluring scents to attract several men. Struggling to fight back urges of moving away, constant pinching was done to stay sane. Breath now being held, the purse was used to filter what little air was dared taken in. A mixture of citrus and fabric in his nose, people started to look at him strangely. Sprouting thoughts began to make him a little impatient and self-conscious. Tapping a foot while leaning against warm metal wall, stretching and yawning was performed. Doing anything to keep from thinking about the scent, curious eyes decided to peek into the open doorway. Wonder what could be inside, all it offered was darkness and silence. Minutes passed, several people passed by. Some made mocking comments, others asked if he was lost. The sun now held directly above in the blue sky, a Newmen finally appeared from the doorway.

“Ah, good to see you are still here.” Marean said with a brisk smile. Holding out her hand, she then asked “May I have that back, please?”
Handing it back to her without saying a word, she peeked into it for a moment. Upon closing it, she looked back with a sly expression. The object was raised high in the air.

“You…” “Stupid…” “Piece…” “Of shit!”


“Ow.” “Hey.” “Cut it out!”


Both arms shielding teal hair from pain, a few more blows to the head were received before they finally stopped. Sharply standing up straight again, a furious expression stared back.

“The heck was that for?” he yelled, arms dropping heavily.

“That was to make sure the perfume no longer affects you. Also, couldn’t pass up the chance to be an abusive wife.”

“Oh, now you’re just making shit up.”

The two up close to each other, an officer approached them with an electric nightstick in hand.

“Is this man giving you any problems, ma’am?” He asked while staring at Yoshi. The two staring at each other, his expression gave him a feeling that the officer was ready to pummel him for any reason.

“No, my husband is just being stupid once again.” Marean answered.

Now feeling insulted and a little bit shocked, a slight urge to strangle the woman could be felt from within. Not wanting to meet an early demise, he tried his best to remain calm. Making an effort to not make eye contact with the officer, Yoshi looked to his female companion instead.

“May I suggest you leave him if he’s causing you too many problems?” the officer asked with a smug face.

Alleviating some of his anger, the teal hair man was surprised to see that it was his green hair companion who was mad now. Gripping a limp arm, she swung the hatless cowboy close to her while giving the officer the meanest glare Yoshi has ever seen.

“The nerve of some people. I married to this man for a reason and some buffoon in a suit thinks he can go around freely talking about divorce?” Now dragging an impressed man away, the two moved away from the confused officer. “Come, we’re leaving”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/-vc0VLfbWwA)
Roaming into a park, the two sat on a cement bench under a matching gazebo. Giving off a sigh, the purse was reopened to place a chip within it. Yoshi looking at it with curiosity, held back questions of what it contained. Taking a moment to enjoy the lush grass, fields of flower and greens trees the area had to offer; joy filled his heart with the fact that nature could still be seen even in the cement jungles all the ships seemed to contain. Artificial breezes continued to blow in the air complete with the aroma of the surrounding flowers. Out in the distance, several children played in the fields while parents sat nearby. Though he didn't care to check, he thought he even heard birds somewhere in the park. It made him wish his daughter was there with him. Just when tired eyes were about to rest, a voice prevented him from relaxing.

“I don’t hear you saying thank you yet.” Marean contentiously said.

“For what?” Yoshi sharply shot back. “You beat me over the head, call me an idiot and want a thank you?”

“As an apology, you’re going to take me out to dinner.”

“I’m not going to buy you dinner. What do I look like, your husband?”

“Fine, next time you ask for my help, I’ll remember this moment. How I spared my valuable space for your crappy ship. How I let you eat my food and sleep in my ship with no payment at all. No, no. No need to say anything. I’ll just-”

Words working their magic on him, he started to grow irritable. Showing signs of regret, he interrupted her. “Alright, alright.” A palm was raised at shoulder level. “I’ll buy you dinner.”

Going immediately from sad to cheerful, green hair flew in the wind as the defeated man was squeezed with amazing strength. “Yay, you’re the best.”
A roll in the eyes, he wasn’t very enthused. “But no drinks”

Letting lungs breathe again, she held him by the arms. Staring back with puppy eyes, a cry was uttered asking “What?”

“I don’t want to deal with carrying a drunken woman home while also dealing with the aftermath.”

Now violently shaken, she cried “You’re killing me, Yoshi. Come on, I haven’t had a good drink in ages.”

“You could buy drinks some other time.” He said, his voice slightly raised with forearms lifted in the air.
“I don’t have the money to buy drinks all the time.”

“What do you mean you don’t have the money?”

Letting go, Marean’s body slumped onto the bench. Looking out into the park, a sigh was let off. “Finding good jobs is pretty tough these days, alright? With the return of Falz, all these shit newcomers have started to crawl out of the woodwork and sweep up all the good jobs. So in case your slow mind hasn’t picked it up yet, I don’t have a lot of money. Otherwise I wouldn’t be asking you for dinner.”

A palm to his face, a moment was taken to think. Fingers slowly tracing his forehead and down his nose, eyes opened once more. Trying not to regret his decision, he finally said “Fine, but only a few.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]


-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
A pale yellow object hanging high in the sky, moonlight illuminated the crowd of people sitting on skyscraper rooftops. Surround by decorated arching lights, Marean and Yoshi sat in a formal regal environment. White chairs, tables, clothes, fences, pillars and ceiling lights all complete with gold trimming with a glossy finish; they both sat patiently as they enjoyed a large bowl of salad sitting in front of them. Both dressed in formal clothes, Yoshi wore a white tuxedo. A red handkerchief hanging out of his front pocket, he refused to use it over the one provided by the waiter. More careful than usual, he did his best to avoid getting ranch on his pure white suit. Marean also dressed in white, wore an elegant ball gown. Several designs faintly seen reflected on the dress, faint symbols glowed in the looming moonlight. None of them spoke a word while they slowly took turns taking bites. Preferring to look out into the city, Yoshi took in the view of the city shimming below them. Lost in thought, a head was held up with a chin in hand and an elbow on the table. A few people looking at the two, he never cared if this was an acceptable act or not. Marean, on the other hand, looked down at her plate. A hint of sorrow in her eyes, she solemnly took a sip from her wine glass.

Looking to see how far she got with her appetizer, the teal hair man felt a small rush of sadness upon seeing the expression on her face. Lifting a hand, it froze midway through. A mouth opened but no sound came out. Holding a pose for a moment, he pondered to ensure the situation wouldn’t get any worse. Fingers crossed under the eyes, gears turned to think of various things that could be said. Coming to the conclusion that it may happen anyways, the decision to go through with what was going to say in the first place was made.

“What’s wrong?” He asked with concern in his voice. “Missing Reinhardt already?”

She didn’t answer. Instead another bite was taken. Without moving his head, eyes quickly looked around the area to see if anyone was watching. Moving the plate to the side, a white elbow inched forward on the table to lean inwards.

“Come on, don’t look so sad. The place is pretty nice and we have a great view. Think of all the food you can eat and don’t forget the drinks.” He cheerfully said.

Only shoulders shrugged. Becoming nervous of all the on looking people, the nervous man began to hug the table questioning what should be done. Heartbeat increasing in speed, sweat began to glisten on a wrinkled forehead. Tossing around the fork in one hand, he began rely on his gut instead. Making the effort to place his chair next to hers, an arm was wrapped around tense shoulders. Now slightly lifting to reject it, a deep breath was taken before pulling the sad woman closer.

“Alright, how about you can buy all the drinks you want? Does that make you feel better?” He nervously asked.

Weight lifting from his shoulders, Yoshi was relieved to see a smirk come and go. Upon seeing a waitress strolling to their table, he calmly removed his arm to regain his posture. A bit unpleased with how long they had to wait, they were glad that food was finally being ordered. Asking for another glass, the two did their best to appear happy while the waitress left. However, hairs continued to stand as the aura of uneasiness still consumed the room. Scanning the area, a handful of shady figures now filled certain areas of the room. Covering the exits, cautious eyes looked for the best plan of action in case of upcoming conflict. Not wanting to say something, questions began to pop up such as how advanced they were, were they special agents here to remove Arks that weren’t allowed in the city, did they have something against Marean, or was it a deal gone bad? Spending no time to really think things through, a knife was casually moved towards Marean in hopes that she would get a hint. With no reaction being given, the lack of patience caused the knife to be gently tapped against the table. While pink lips took another sip, the figures moved closer. Temptation to summon a gunslash began to drive Yoshi crazy. Having no access to it, he felt helpless. Stuck in a civilian lifestyle for a day, there was no way for him to carry a proper weapon without it being out in the open at all times. Not wanting to hurt the innocent either, it was best not to use techniques either.

Without thinking, an elbow knocked the glass out the air. Shocked, the Newmen watched as the table cloth absorbed her fallen drink. Hands balling into a fist, they slammed unto the table. Silver wear dropping, conversations stopping, she lifted out of her chair. Hold a hand above him, signs of became apparent. Yoshi using the angle to his advantage, manage to stick the knife into the white dress. Anger rising from confusion, she shouted

“You know what? Fuck you.”

Now storming out, figures followed. Voices resumed to fill the area as Yoshi sunk his face into his hands. Feelings of failure filling the mind, arms dropped to the table. Waving away the thoughts of shame, he slipped the other knife into his sleeve. Ensuring that it wouldn’t fall out, the sleeve waved into the air to call for the check which strangely came as soon as a sound was uttered. Quickly paying off what fee were charged, white legs dashed out the door to follow after his green haired friend. Walking out into the marble hallways of the building’s interior, he dashed without caring if the red rugs underneath were harmed. Following the grunts and cries of several men, a worried face entered into an open balcony to see several bodies lying in pools of blood and a stained gown standing over them.

“Well, looks like you didn’t need my help.” The teal haired human said while tossing a knife onto a corpse.

“It could have gone better.” Looking around to see if there any survivors; both looked at each other with relieved faces. “I was afraid this was going to happen.” She said with a weak smile. Walking up to him, a knife was carelessly tossed behind her. Hugging him close to her, a bloody finger began to poke at his cheek.

“There was a woman checking you out, did you know that?”

Caught off guard, an attempted to lean away was made. “Wha…why would I care about that?”

“Really? Here I thought you were a single father looking for a good woman?”

Facepalming, he looked down in disbelief. “First you act sad, knew about all of this and now you tell me about women eyeballing me? Ugh, I don’t understand women at all.”

Now sitting alone in the living room, the green haired she Newmen undid her hair so that it may hang down as usual. Making sure there weren’t any tangles, her attention was diverted to the doorway as several boxes suddenly entered the room. Gently dropping onto the carpet floor, teal hair poked out from behind them. A smiling face now looking back at her, the man held his arms over them as if asking for a hug.

“What’s all this for?” She asked with concern.

“I have a promise to keep. This should be enough to last a month or two. I have more in the cargo bay if you’re wondering where the rest is.” Opening a crate up, a can was lifted out of the box and handed over. With a tap on the lid, a small hole appeared as the metal began to vanish. Before she had a chance to grasp it, he added “Go nuts.”

A warm smile looking back to him, it slowly shifted into a frown. Her gaze following him out the room, she looked to the can with sorrow. Looking at a reflection staring back on the edge of the can, a tear drop distorted it as the first sip was taken.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

I'm still having trouble figuring out who you're referring to when you speak. Don't be afraid to use names more often.

So... you like Bossa Novas, huh?

[yoshiblue]

Heh, The ironic part was it was more clear but I felt I used too many names, he/she/him/hers and ended up cutting it down by a lot; while also shortening some, maybe more than I should have, lines.

Bossa Nova is pretty nice. Couldn't really think of good waiting songs though. So that's why I went with it.

Many thanks for the feedback. Sad to see I still haven't truly fixed the issue.

[Zorafim]

It's hard. I know it seems awkward if you use names too much, but clarity is more important than fluidity.

And yeah, Bossa Novas are pretty baller.

[yoshiblue]

Wrote this because yay free time.
-Extra-[SPOILER-BOX]Sun shining through open blue curtains, sun beams brought out the color in every object contained in the room. Blue and white in color scheme, pure white reflective surfaces were complemented by matte blue ones. Held by flat blue surfaces where various handheld systems. Opposite to the window, a blue and white bookshelf filled with various books of various topics. Resting to the left of the bookshelf, sat a saxophone, polished and waiting for its next song. Accompanying it was a cello, just as clean, its bow resting on black strings. Both reflected the scene on reflective metal surfaces. A blue and gold rug lying on a hard navy blue floor, it sat peacefully without a wrinkle to be seen. On it sat a couch. Its frame made to like white plastic, blue cushioned goodness was attached to the front of it. Minimalistic in appearance, only the arm rests and cushions connected two pieces together to form this couch. In front of it was a thin yet large TV screen showing two sports announcers commentating on two team that were about to play. A matching minimalistic table sat in between with an assortment of various snacks on top of it. Eating these snacks was Marean, eager and pumped up for the upcoming game, wearing a t-shirt with the words Ur Titans in blue and yellow text along with matching blue and yellow shorts. Leaning on the cushioned armrest was Yoshi, failing to share in her hype, wore a plain gray shirt and black gym shorts.

“So what are we watching again?” Yoshi asked with eyes half closed and a tone of obvious boredom.

“Skimball, Yoshi!” Marean exclaimed. “You know, an arena made of water, two goals on each side with two teams striking and intercepting each other with nothing but a ball and their tight swim jammers.” Grabbing Yoshi by the shoulder, she started to shake him in enthusiasm. “There’s something for everyone. I’m surprised you don’t enjoy it. I know I do. Today the Thorn Rapiers play against the Ur Titans!” Now pointing to the screen, she continued “Look, even women play. Are you not amazed by such a nice rack?”

Yoshi looked to Marean with a palm upright. “Why would I care about breasts when there’s a perfect pair right in front of me?”

Out of reaction, a fist flew across the space between them. “Aw ha. Ow!” Yoshi cried, his hand against red cheek, his torso pressing against the armrest. Her fist still hovering in the air, she asked without looking “Anything else you would like to add?”

Yoshi sitting upright once again then replied “That’s a nice arm you got there. Did you change up your workout routine?”

Now rubbing her arm, she smiled as she said “As a matter of fact, I did. I learned how to increase the gravity in my ship without damaging the things inside of it. Got a new pull up bar to do more forms of exercises and increased the number of dive bombs and diamond bar pushups I’ve been doing.”

“I don’t think increasing the gravity is a healthy thing to do.” The man said with a hint of worry.

“Won’t know until you try it.” Now smacking a finger against his lips, she shushed him as the game was about to start. Teal hair trotted behind the white and blue seating. Slowly lifting up between the two, a tan face could be seen, brown eyes shifting from one person to the other. Rising up higher, the face then asked “Hey dad, what’s Marean doing here?”

“Hey sweetie.” Yoshi said while looking back at his daughter. “I invited Reinhardt here to hang out but he hasn’t shown up yet.”

“So I decided to tag along to see how you two exactly hang out.” Marean interrupted while munching on a baby carrot. “So far it’s just been us two.”

“Oooooh, I see.” Yoshi’s daughter said. “So whatcha watching?”

“Skimball” Yoshi replied. All three of them watching the screen for a bit, brown eyes grew wide as an arm point over the couch. “Woah! Look at the size of that guy’s package!” She shouted.

“I know right?” Marean said while giving Yoshi’s daughter a high five.

“WOAH!” Yoshi yelled, arms failing in the air. Covering his daughter’s eyes, he said “Nothing to see here.”

“Relax, Yoshi.” Marean said with a giggle. “She’ll be looking at this kind of stuff in the future anyways.”

“You’re not helping.” Yoshi said with a glare.

Tan arms trying to knock her father’s arms away, she looked to her father upon hanging on it instead. “Anyways, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“What would you do if you were friends with this guy who keeps being beaten around by this girl tags along with?”

A hand on his chin, Yoshi began to ponder. “Hmm…” He said. “I guess I would keep him away from her if your concerned for his safety. Then again, he may get the idea that you’re trying to win his affection…”

“I’d beat the girl up.” Marean interrupted with a fist against her hand. “If she’s beating the guy around, she’s not his friend. I’d also tell him he needs to grow some balls and fight back.”

“Interesting stuff to know.” The tan girl said. “Hey dad, can you show me how to use that pistol you no longer use?”

“You mean the one in the cupboard? Alright.” Yoshi said with a shrug and a push off the couch.

Following his daughter out the room, Marean shouted to him “Wait! The game just started!” In a second she began to think to herself before saying under her breathe “Wait a minute…” Jumping off the couch to run after the others, she sprinted up to Yoshi. Violently spinning him around, she began to hug him. “Yoshi you forgive me for all the things I did right?”

“Yes.” Yoshi said while making sure his neck was intact.

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“You’re not saying that so I’ll feel better right?”

“Marean, if I didn’t want to be your friend, I would have walked away a loooong time ago.”

Brimming with joy, she began to subconsciously crush Yoshi. The teal haired man trying to call her name, only uttered weak whispers from his mouth. Not wanting to suffocate to death, he tried to gesture his retrained arms for his daughter to help him. Taking a moment to figure out what he wanted her to say with a hand rubbing her chin, she raised a finger with her other hand.

“Marean. Marean! I think dad want you to put his face in-between your breasts.”
Gazing at the tan girl with a shocked expression, the green haired Newmen stared back at Yoshi with a furious gaze.

“No wait, I think he just wanted to make out with you.” Yoshi’s daughter said with a shrug.

Yoshi now pushed to the ground, Marean walked back to the couch while his daughter knelt beside him.

“Don’t worry, old man.” She said. “I’m here for ya. You go relax on the sofa and tell her you’re sorry while I get you two something to drink, kay?”

“Ugh” was all Yoshi could say as he got off the warm sunlit floor. Knowing that he had to be responsible for what his daughter said, he thought of things to say while roaming to the comforts of his blue cushions. Sitting next to Marean, who now tried to stay far away from him on the other side of the couch, he tried to apologize to her while she focus on the screen ahead.

Meanwhile in the western themed kitchen/living room combo, Yoshiblue’s daughter wore his ten gallon hat as she pretended to play cops and robbers with Lilliman who spent the whole time dancing near the jukebox. Both of them heading towards the kitchen counter, various tossing of objects occurred, while managing to pour, set and pass the drinks to each other without spilling a drop. Each doing victory poses to their success; they suddenly looked towards the door and scuttled behind counters. A sound was heard. The grey front door suddenly opening, the two peeked behind a brown marble top island counter to see a red head Newmen enter the room. Lifting sunshades into his hair, he looked around the room for a moment.

“Hey, Yoshi!” the man yelled. “You home?” Frightening the hiding creatures, he immediately looked down to the two. The tan girl, focused her sight, hunched down to spring for action, a smile in the corner of her mouth. Both the support partner and the Lillipan sinking a little bit lower, the red headed Newmen walked up to them with a smirk. “How’s it going, Marean? You can put down the gun.”
“Awwww.” Marean sighed. Slumping on the counter while twirling the pistol, she looked back at the man with much disappointment. “How did you know I had a gun?”

“Because your bonehead father makes the same face every time he does that too. Anyways, have you seen my wife?”

“Oh her? She’s making out with Yoshi in the other room.” She said with a snicker.
Hearing the man yell from the other room, Both Yoshi and Marean looked back behind the white frame to see Reinhardt storming in.

“Yoshi, you son of a bitch. I’m going to rip you limb from limb.”

“What the heck. What’s wrong with you?” Yoshi asked in confusion.

“I told you to keep off my wife. Now I’m going to show you happened to people that fail to do so.”

Marean, chucking a celery stick at her husband’s attention, grabbed him by the collar and flipped him into the empty space between them. “Shut up, I’m trying to watch the game!” She screamed

Knowing his wife, something wouldn’t happen if she was intensely focused on something, his anger quickly vanished. Trying to get comfortable, he glanced at the TV screen before quickly looking back at his friend. “Skimball? What are you, a homosexual?” Reinhardt whispered to Yoshi with a mean face. Before Yoshi could respond, the Newmen shoved a hand into his face as green eyes stared at the screen with new found joy. “Hold the phone, I want in on this.” Now leaning near Yoshi, he whispered “Dude, look at the jugs on that woman.”

Now wearing a disturbed face, Marean harshly shouldered Reinhardt. “Excuse me. I’m right here you know.” Placing a hand on her shoulder, her husband replied “It’s okay. I’m here too.” Disgusted, Marean got up and walked away. Yoshi’s daughter popping out shortly after from behind the armrest, tugged on her father’s sleeve. With mischievous intent, she lured Yoshi out of the chair and after his female Newmen companion.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-FillerIII-[SPOILER-BOX]
A single spot light glowing in a white room, several boys and girls walk out in haste. Walking away from a tiled room without windows or luxuries, some wore faces of eagerness while others concerned. Leaving through an open portal, left behind stood a girl in the center of a spotlight. Unlike the others, her suit didn’t look as flawless as the others. While the green fabric was clean and the gold buttons shined in the light above, it showed signs of wear and tear. Covering up well hidden stitches slightly under the left shoulder is a patch. Black lettering graced by gold trimming, the words Series 1 was displayed on that shoulder for the world to see. Teal hair dangling as brown eyes gaze upon clasped tan hands, she was not as happy and shook nervously. Ask to stay behind while numerous numbers twos left the room, she did not look to the only other person sharing the room. In front of her paced a man. Brown hair in a military cut, a blue variant to her green navigator suit moved left to right nearby. Black boots turning on its heel every time feet turned. The man looking to a holo-pad, yellow in coloring with
various records scrolling through it, finally stopped directly in front of the small girl.

“Seems Yoshiblue has failed to succeed in some of his capture missions.” The man gently said. Leaning in slightly forward, an aura of seriousness invaded the girl’s personal space. His tone changing suddenly, the man ask in a hushed voice

“Do you know what this means?”

“Yes” The girl replied, still looking to the white creases on the floor.

“It means you have to pick up the mess and capture those monsters yourself.” The man sternly said, now pacing once more. Tossing aside the holo-pad, it dematerializes in the air behind him. Waiting for a response, a single pass was made before speaking again. Arms folded behind him, his vision now locked onto the teal haired girl. “Need I remind you what happens to partner machines who fail to succeed in their official missions?”

“N-no, sir.” The girl quietly said.

Stopping, the man leaned forward. Placing a hand to his ear, he said in a sarcastic tone “What was that? I don’t think I was being clear enough.”

With a wag of his finger, the girl began to hold her head in pain. Face painted with agony, whimpers turned into screams. Pain filled all parts of her body. Her knees dropped like weights to the floor. She slowly lost the ability to hear. No longer could the sound of her own voice be heard. Her screams intensifying, she slumped to the floor, her limbs going limp. Arms knotted behind, the man staring down upon her without remorse, only watching with face made of stone. Desperate for help, wanting the pain to stop, the girl called for her father to save her. Screaming as loud as she could in a panic, loud enough so that he may hear her cries wherever he was, the pain stopped in an instant. Tears now forming a pool on white tile floor, every part of her body felt numb. Curled up, shivering on the floor, sounds became audible to her, slowly fading in. Brown eyes opened to a blurry scene. They tossed around searching for black boots. Regaining the ability to control her limbs, she attempted to pick herself up off the floor. Feeling slowly beginning to be restored, a voice caused her to shudder and stumble.

“Did I just hear you calling out to your father?” The man mockingly asked. “I think I’ve seen enough. You are dismissed.”

Limping slowly across the floor, she began to make her way to the open portal. Patience growing thin, the man began to yell at her.

“Leave now before I change my mind!”

Now moving as fast as she could, thought only of safety, the outside world and a man waiting to embrace her filled her mind.

Sun beams poking through tree leaves high in the air, green moss covered several rocks and tree stumps conquered the land they were embedded upon. Birds darting into the tree canopy, various shrill cries filled the air along with the faint panting of a person. Chased by several pitch black insects, large carapaces glowing in the light, a small girl in green ran for her dear life. Pausing every so often to look back and catch some breathe, black and gray checkered legs began to move again shortly after. Small limbs moving as fast as they could in the lush forest, drops of blood bounced off of giant green leaves. Twisting and turning to avoid red lightning strikes, something large followed behind in the sea of black. A bloodied glove holding an injured arm, the other held a rod hovering over moving floor. Every so often, she would heal herself with Resta, a spell of light which restored the user’s health and stamina. However the chance to recover was far and few between for a giant creature, which could be confused as a queen, attack relentlessly by throwing a barrage of red disks at the girl.

Dunking and avoiding every attack, she crashed into a gray console while looking back. The giant bug now trapped in two orange circles of light, tears fell through hovering blue squares while the girl frantically mashed at cyan console buttons. Much to her surprise, the creature stood still. As if accepting its fate, the two stared at each other before everything within the perimeter of the rings vanished in an instant. Several of the smaller insects surrounding the area, they stood still forming a black rimmed arena. Nervously chuckling, the girl stumbled around as the console no longer existed to support her. Looking down, brown eyes widen to a giant shadow looming over hers. Legs now trembling, she turned to see red eyes gazing down on her. A black and purple humanoid hunching over the small partner machine, fire balls flew out at it only to be repelled without effort. The figure casually taking what she threw at him, an arm swept the air to create a powerful gust of wind. So strong was the wind that it knocked the rod out of the partner machine’s hands.

Falling to the floor, the girl glared back at the humanoid that now knelt in front of her.

“Ah, the fire in your eyes.” The figure said, it’s black and purple plum blocking the sun from the girl’s eyes. “If only your father was more like you. Or should I say remained like you.”

The partner machine attempting to cast Barta with her hands, the figure grabbed her white glove, applied a bit of pressure and said “Let’s be civil here, confused one. Your father wouldn’t want anything to happen to his dear sweet little child, don’t you agree?”

With a strong tug, a tan hand freed itself from the white glove. Rubbing it with the other, the girl shouted “He’s not my father!” She looked down. Tears forming in her eyes, she held the patch on her injured arm and looked to the side. “I’m just a worthless machine.”

Placing the glove on her lap, the figure stretched out his arm to summon the rod knocked out of her hands. “Let me ask you something.” He said. “Do you know why they gave you this rod, child?” The girl looking up and shook her head. “It’s because you, like your father, hold something special within you. Something I seek as well as them.” Engulfing the rod with his hands, he crossed his arms. “As much as I would like to convert you, you are far too young. You still need to grow up and develop your gift. Where you fail to reach my expectations, your father doesn’t.”

The partner machine gripping the dirt in anger for every time he mentioned the word father, the urge to yell at him burned strongly yet was at a loss of words. Watching the figure stand up, its intimidating appearance now affected her. While she began to crawl backwards, the figured spoke once more.

“Come now, don’t be afraid. I merely came to make a deal.” Unfolding a palm in the air, a red hologram of an oracle ship and a cowboy like figure flicked above it. “You seek revenge and I seek power. In return for taking the lives of those who have made you suffer, you aid me in your father’s corruption.”

The insect like creature now tightening up the circle, sweat rolled down the girl’s tan forehead. The feeling of blood draining from her body, the girl bit her lip and continued to glare without fear. Nervously laughing, she responded “Looks like I don’t have much of a choice.” Knowing that she will not be harmed, determination was found once more. Fire within her burning once more, she hopped back to her feet and pointed at the figure.

“Even though what I’m doing makes me sick inside, Marean will find him and she will save him.”

A short pause was had before the humanoid bellowed a laugh. Taken back by the response, the partner machine could feel courage erode away. Recovering from his laughter, the creature responded,

“Aw yes, the murderous Newmen. How you put so much faith into her, it almost makes me feel something deep inside. Let me ask you another thing. Do you know why you cling to her as you do?”

“Because I know she won’t lose to a creep like you.”

“Do try a little harder next time. No, it’s because you and she share similar fates.” Arms knotting once more, the figure tilted its head. “I wonder. How much will it take before you too are driven to preform mass genocide as she once did?” Eyes now returning onto the girl, his arms unfolded to stab a purple pitch fork into the ground. Lifting of his knee, the figure began to walk backwards into a red vortex. Slowly was his body consumed, his voice echoed in the air before it entirely disappeared.

“I’ll keep in touch.”

The girl looking around her looked to see the area become filled with red gas. Red and black clouds cleared in sync with the fading portal. Sounds of nature now echoing once more, the girl took the purple rod out of the ground and began to weep in regret.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-Hitch in the Plan-[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional Music* (http://youtu.be/hKVn6sWlNUI)

Waddling towards a large cargo bay door, two gray legs were seen under several green metal crates. Looming high over the figure, the ship was larger than the campships used by Arks. The exterior, sage green in color, bended yet in small angles and retained a rectangle like appearance. More rugged thanks to the modifications done to the entirety of the vessel; several upgrades were hidden within the hull of the ship. Originally a mobile home, much money was spent converting it into a cargo ship due to a smuggler’s need to stay one step ahead of the game. It also allowed the pilot to take on various roles for the ship which came in handy when presenting what kind of ship it was. Its gray hold making up half the size of the vessel, up to twelve transports could be store within this ship; six sitting in rows of two on the floor while the other six clung to the ceiling.

Leaning against the ship was Marean who watched with arms folded and a smirk on her face. Entertained by the struggles and balancing act performed by the incoming person, she lifted her arm to look to a nonexistent watch. Shaky legs in arms reach of large and layered metal door; the crates were slowly lowered to the ground. With a gentle pat made on cement floor, an exhausted chuckle was heard from the other side. Popping out from behind the boxes was a hand wiping the sweat under teal hair.

Marean pushing off the ship with her back, walked towards the man now cleaning a pair of glasses with a cloth. “Took you long enough, Yoshi.” She shouted.

Shifting the green crates around, each one of them was examined before looking back up to the man. “This is all of them right?”

“Yeah.” Yoshi confirmed. “All that’s left is to get these into storage and we’re set to go.” Roaming to open the giant doors, he turned to listen to Marean’s next question.

“Where’s the food?” she asked, her eyebrows narrow with concern.
“Oh, right.” Yoshi exclaimed. Waving his hand to summon a panel into the air, he tapped at a few hovering buttons. Appearing out of thin air on top of the crates, several cheeseburgers and three large sodas glistened in the sunlight. Once a white cup with small wave like designs on it, the color of purple outlined Marean’s hand as she grabbed it. Yoshi digging into his box of fries, he pointed his pinky at the green hair Newmen and said with muffled voice “With all the alcohol I bought you, I’m surprised you still wanted soda.”

Frowning at him, Marean pulled the straw from her mouth to ask “You saying I can’t enjoy variety?”

“No. I just wanted all the soft drinks to myself.” Yoshi responded followed with a laugh. Taking out another handful of fries, he then continued “So when are we leaving?”

Responding a low groan, she looked into Yoshi’s eyes. “Well here’s the thing. Before I answer, I need to ask you something first. Did you intend to go to Lillipa right away or stay with me for a while?”

Taking on a serious face, Yoshi took a sip of his now orange cup before answering. “I’ve been away for far too long. Goes without saying that I should return soon or Meji and friends will kill me.” Resting a leg on one of the lower crates, he watched as the Newmen looked away.

“That’s going to be an issue then. My schedule just filled up and the next shipment is far away from Lillipa and Ur.”

“So I’ll ju-”

“And your only other ride just up and left a while ago.”

“What?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/ly26BxoK83Y)
Yoshi slamming his cup on the crate, immediately dashed to the cargo bay. Gray doors folding up into the sky, Marean watched as she drank from both their cups. Sunlight flooding into the hold, few large crates and empty space were all it revealed. Yoshi speeding inside placed both hands around his mouth and called for Lilliman. After two attempts, a furry creature bursting from under a few cardboard boxes and gave off a roar. Both paws facing the human, Yoshi sighed with relief and began to rub the brown fur of the Lillpan. The critter reaching down for one of the boxes, began to munch its contents as it listened to Yoshi.
“While I’m glad you’re safe, you mind telling me what happened to the ship?”
The Lillpan placing the box neatly onto the floor, waved his paws in the air as he told Yoshi of a masked man in black and purple. Telling how he hid outside the ship to watch the mask man walk in, Lillman repeated his word to Yoshi. “Let’s go on a little trip.”

Yoshi looking puzzled asked in response “Did she put up a fight?”

[“No”] Lilliman replied. [“He snapped his fingers and she stood there like a pillar in the wasteland.”] Waving his hands rapidly in the air, it then quickly spouted [“Now I know what you’re going to say and I don’t think anything odd happened to her either. But, I think it has to be their knowledge of Lillipa and not the random cable sticking out of her back.”]

“Why don’t you think it’s the cable?”

[“The cable is an old out of date model according to your database. It was mainly use to repair the programming of robots, appliances and occasionally CASTs. However, it can send data and block data both ways to prevent a total invasion and protect CASTs using it.”] The lillipan said, sweeping both hands over and under each other. [“So what she did, she did because she’s weird. Or old fashion.”]

“So what was wrong with the cable and what do you think the masked did to her?” Yoshi asked with a hand to his chin.

[“Nothing is wrong with the cable. It’s just that you humans have faster versions to use instead. No clue about mask man’s evil magic”]

“Well it’s not like we upgrade the ship either.” Yoshi sighed, the lillipan nodding in agreement. “Great, now how will we save her?”

[“If it makes you feel any better, they still have you listed as missing. I have a faint trace of her signal as well but its going to take some time to find her.”] Lilliman said before eating the burger now suddenly held in his hands. Marean handing Yoshi his empty cup and burger, slid a pallet holding the crates with her foot. Pushing them to the back of the hold, she returned to the other two. Looking to Yoshi with a sly smile, chuckles were held back while he shook the container in sorrow.

“That’s what you get for taking too long, bonehead. So what did furball here have to say?”

“Some dude broke into your ship and stole my ship oddly enough. Nothing was stolen from you however.” Yoshi said, crushing the cup with both hands. His heart dropping, he gazed out into the city. “Guess we better leave the Mandragora now before we’re caught in something crazy.”

“Where we go?” asked Lilliman.

Throwing Marean off guard, she took a step backwards before answering “The Antheia.” Looking towards Yoshi she then explained “It’s sort of a sister ship to the Mandrake. Only it specializes in medical and revival products instead of enhancements and cloning. You would think with a big ship they could do both but I guess they want to keep things separate incase they lose a ship. Anyways, trade lines are getting dangerous and they are in need of more supplies to further their research. I hear twenty smugglers have already died making these runs.”
Nervously laughing, Yoshi responded “Let’s hope the ship of love sees us come in safely.”

Throwing an arm around Yoshi, Marean pulled him close. Rubbing her knuckles on his head, she said with confidence “You kidding me? That why I want you to stay with me. You’re like a good luck charm to me.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/rDyw-f5CXCk)
Pulling him along, she pointed to the doorway, the Lillipan following behind. The giant cargo door unfolding to a close behind them, the three traveled into well-lit beige corridors. First walking into the rear entrance corridor where elongated windows showed the inside of the cargo bay, they walked into a second room which split into stairs. Upstairs held remodeled bed, bath and wash rooms as well as an observation lounge. Sticking to the first floor, they headed into the living room. Lilliman straying to the side and into the kitchen, Marean and Yoshi continued towards the north door, which lead into the cockpit. Mostly untouched, the cockpit was made with child safety in mind. Button kept out of arms reach, were instead found on the roof. Just like the corridors the color scheme was bridge and maroon. Where the buttons would normally be are instead cabinets and vaults. Covered by soft plastic like walls, they were sloped so that children couldn’t climb on top of them. Installed on tan carpet were six maroon seats. Each large and comfy, every seat was spaced far apart, save for the pilot and co-pilot chairs, and held their own movable table and cup holder.

“Not going to lie. I feel very uncomfortable sitting this close to you.” Yoshi announced while trying to get comfortable. “You sure you need me as a co-pilot?”

“Don’t complain to me. The love seat was your idea in the first place. Besides, it’s not like he’s going suddenly come in and bash you over the head.” said Marean. Tapping at a few buttons on the dashboard, the cargo ship roared to life. Now lifting off, Yoshi took the time to read the manual conveniently found close by.
“And if he does?” Yoshi asked.

“Would beat the shit out of him first for never stopping by. To think that his best friend spends more time with me.”

Applying minor adjustments to their ascent, the two paused in conversation to focus on avoiding any accident with the smaller passing vehicles. Breaking past the traffic, Yoshi spoke once more in a reassuring tone. “I’m sure he would too if he was in the same situation. After all, Arks operatives are forbidden to be in the Mandragora.”

“Maybe not. Not to say that you don’t know your friend but I’m pretty confident he would spend a day with me and then head off on another ship once we landed on another vessel. After all, he is a beloved heroic pilot.”

Not wanting to see her cry, he looked away. Growing more uncomfortable by the second, he placed a hand on her shoulder and preached with his other hand in the air “You got to have faith. Got to believeeee in him.”

“Faith…Sometimes I feel I have more faith in you than I do him.”

A few beeps sounding close by caused Yoshi to press at a large screen. Taking the time to read the information, he shouted in enthusiasm “Oh hey, you got a call from Rein-”

Interrupted, Marean pushed Yoshi’s head under the dashboard. His face in confusion, she whispered “Get down. I don’t need him yelling at me for having you here.” Choosing not to fight it, he let his face rest on her lap.

(Optional End Title) (http://youtu.be/X2e_DnmMSnU)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

Author note shindigs
[SPOILER-BOX]
"When I asked for revenge, I didn't ask for an entire ship to blow up." - Marean SP

"So a few casualties happened. The weak merely died off to make room for the strong." - HUnar

I wanted to talk more about Marean's cargo/home ship thing but every time I go back to the layout, it keeps changing. Only thing that remains the same is the color scheme and the living room leading into the cockpit.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Seeking Answers -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/GmUZ8B2pgAc)
Lying on a warm lap for what seemed like an eternity, Yoshiblue sat motionlessly as he listened to the conversation of Marean and Reinhardt. First starting out causally, they exchanged friendly words to one another. Sadly, this happiness didn’t last long. Escalating into shouts and yells, the two exchanged choice remarks to one another as Marean gave to him her concerns. To the amazement of Yoshi, Reinhardt didn’t hang up. Knowing his friend to be a person who dislikes arguments immensely, he instead countered her questions with questions of his own instead. Why did she leave Arks if she wanted to be near him so badly? Why waste several thousands worth of his hard earned cash to renovate the ship, leaving him a poor man? Why take on a life of crime when she could have lived peacefully in the best of living conditions Oracle had to offer?

In the middle of the argument, Yoshi felt a shockwave flow underneath him. Almost falling off, he clung to the newmen as quietly as he possibly could. Lights flickering, screams of metal scraping outside, he used his upper back to prevent Marean from flying forward. Red lights now painting the face above him, sirens were emitted from the ship’s speakers, the sounds of his friend voice shouting from the other side. At a loss of words, a helmet being grabbed queue to Yoshi that something bad has happened and that the call was ended.

Tears falling on the back of Yoshi’s head, he lifted from Marean’s lap, took a quick glance, and began to hug her. Looking over her shoulder, he used his free arm to plot a course to the Antheia. A small trail dotting along the touchscreen, it reached the ship icon and morphed into a large button with the word WARP on it. Now cradling in a rocking motion, his hand constantly missed the giant warp button, mostly due to bad timing. Growing impatient, he flailed his wrist around until the edge of his pinky pressed on the pad. Celebrating his small victory, he gave a thumbs up to the dashboard, only to remember that he should thinking of a way to cheer up his friend. Cheeks inflating while a mind raked for answers, only thoughts of food came to mind. Not wanting to make it his only option, he continued to think of something else.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/UjUSs1pKdE0)
Lost in thought, he blurted out, “Maybe we can stab some Rappy shaped patties?” Tears already dying down, a small laugh was stifled upon hearing it.

“What?” Yoshi asked. Giving one last squeeze, he let go.

“Nothing.” Marean replied. Whipping a tear from her face, she looked out into space.

Shrugging nervously, Yoshi then said, “Alright. What do you want me to make for dinner.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Do you want to talk about the argument then?”

“No.”

Throwing his head to the back of the chair, Yoshi let off a sigh of defeat. Eyes lowering as far as they could, he looked to the touchpad which now displayed the distance of their destination. “Well, I set course of the Antheia,” said Yoshi, “So if you want me to leave, I’ll get off there.”

A short pause was had after he said that. Neither of them moving an inch, eyelids almost closed before immediately opening to the sound of Marean’s voice.
“I never asked you this before. Why did you join Arks?”

Sitting up, Yoshi leaned inward. Mouth twisting, his chest grew tight to the thoughts of his past. “It was a stupid reason. I joined for revenge.” Yoshi said. “To pay them back for what they took away from me. In the end, it just threw me into a deeper hole, figuratively and literarily.”

Marean’s head cocking to the side, she looked to him with confusion. “Someone out to kill you?”

“For a time, yes. Left me for dead in an open grave. As much as I hate to say it, I regret killing him afterwards.”

“Why’s that?”

Taking a deep breathe, Yoshi replied “Now that is a story I don’t want to talk about.” Rubbing his hand on his chin, he entered into thoughts he never visited before. “I do wonder who saved me though. Could have been the Ace, a lillipan, maybe you?” Yoshi said, a warm glace made at Marean.

With a half laugh and a grimace, Marean slowly looked away. Sadness in her eyes, she responded, “If it were me back then, you would have been dead.”
“Heh, to think that we would be good friends today. A thing of wonders.” Yoshi responded. Picking up a manual off the floor, he pried it open and continued where he left off.

“You don’t hate me for the scar I gave you?”

“I got over it a long time ago.”

“All your allies I killed?”

“I tend not to think about it anymore.”

“It was that scientist girl, wasn’t it?”

Eyes narrowing, stomach dropping. Yoshi hesitated to answer. Eyes mindlessly flying over the pages, a few seconds passed before he said, “She’s dead, Marean. Nothing I can do about it now.” Taking deep breathes, he whispered to himself, “Yet it still haunts me.”

(Optional End Note) (http://youtu.be/8SuiWd5habg)

[/SPOILER-BOX]


-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
Looking out into the sunlit city, brown eyes took in the lush landscape that lay before her. Not wanting to leave its beauty, movements slowed to a crawl while plaid legs moved backwards. Ignoring the shouts and commands of the armed men guarding the ship, she slowly made her way into the campship’s loading ramp. Loading docks unusual to the normal layout of an Ark’s vessel, operatives we not allowed on the Madragora thus the standard layout wasn’t needed. For only the special and permitted were allowed to enter. Standing apart from the series two partner machines, she slumped against the wall, watching circular doors close to become a warp gate.

Eavesdropping on the others, they whispered about her. Some speaking in fear of her, others mocked her. Trying to ignore them, Marean gazed out into space. Looking past the irritated face reflecting on the glass surface, she eyed a rectangular vessel, sage green in color, flying off into space. Unable to explain it, she felt a slight lift in her heart upon seeing it. A faint smile followed its journey into the abyss. Soon after, other partner machines did the same. All eyes looking at the dots in the sky, attentions shifted to the blue dome of the Madragora calmly changing to a red hue. Black waves spiraling within the dome like dirt in water. Unsure what was going on, no warnings were given. No one spoke on any open channel. In an instant, the dome shattered. Splitting the ship in half, Dark Falz Elder emerged from the flames of the ruined ship. Shuddering to the thought of all the lives that were just lost in an instant, a familiar laughter echoed in space.

“Sound isn’t supposed to travel in space.” A female voice cried.

Whimpers filling the campship, everyone watched the six armed creature drift across space and into the unknown. Checking to see if the call to arms was made, the planet, Falz and the several ships fleeing from the wreckage disappeared the next second. Traveling through a watery portal, eyes returned to see the lush world of Naberius instead. Team leaders trying to keep everyone from panicking, Marean watched their ineffective attempts with dull eyes.

Nothing but minutes worth of crying being had, one of the hunter partners grew tired of the tears and became aggressive. Shoving a leader aside, she shouted “Any person still crying is going to receive a pummeling from me. So sit tight and wait for orders, before I make you wait.”

“There won’t be any other orders,” Marean cut in. “The ship is gone. We’re on our own now. Its better we stick together and work to get out of this mess alive.”

The female hunter striding up to the much more tanner Marean, bumped chests with her , both giving each other an intimidating glare. “What would you know about survival, huh?” She said. “Your kind is all dead. You’re just a prototype, a defective model.”

“So you got a two strapped to your arm, big deal. Nothing but a bunch of rookies who, in the end, are just as expendable as I am.” Marean responded.

“Know your place.” The hunter yelled. Attempting to land a blow on Marean’s face, the teal haired partner machine parried the strike with a downward push on the wrist. Using her other arm to shove the hunter away, spacing was made so that she could quickly followed up with kick straight into the throat. The force of the counter attack knocking the hunter off her feet, Marean stepped on the body of the fallen hunter.

“You better learn to treat your teammates well. Otherwise you’re going to suffer a miserable fate. And when you do, I’ll be there to watch you bleed.”

The campship coming to a halt, the vessel began to tilt. A mysterious force sucking all of its occupants into the warp pad below, all of them struggled to cling onto the railings and consoles. A yellow line sweeping the room, the surface became slippery causing everyone’s grip to vanish. Partner machines picking themselves up in a dirt clearing, they stared into the sky as their transportation flew away into the unknown. Several boys and girls breaking into tears, Marean and the leaders attempted to raise morale and head for shelter. Wondering into the nearby forest, rain storms came and went. Seeking shelter from the environment, they hid in a cave to warm themselves in the cold night air. A few making desperate cries for help, some helping to start a campfire, others trying to sleep, Marean sat on a rock as the current volunteer of watch duty. Bored, cold, hungry, there she sat starring at the moon looming above. Trying not to sigh, faint sounds of static broke her train of thought. Looking around to find its source, nothing looked like a cause for interference. Growing more irritated by the second, a fuzzy voice began to break through the white noise. Becoming more familiar by the second, she stood up and tapped at her ear.

“M…an, do yo…py?”

Eyes shifting towards her ear, she responded, “This Marean.”

“Marean, I’m coming by with a drop ship. Do you copy?”

“Loud and clear. Where should start heading to?”

“Head to a dirt clearing not too far away from your current location. I’ll mark it for you on your map. Meet me there so I can pick you up. Kazamir out.”

Turning to the on looking partner machines, Marean place both hands on her hips and shouted, “Alright everyone. Back to where we just came from. Someone is here to pick us up.”

“How do we know you’re not lying?” one of them replied.

“Fine, don’t believe me. I’ll head over there myself. Bye.”

Everyone too scared to be left alone, woke the others and flocked after Marean. Avoiding all sorts of forest creatures lurking in the night, everyone cheered to the sight of the drop ship sitting on the horizon. Several small people rushing toward the shadowy vessel, Marean counted heads to learn that a few were missing. Grabbing one of the passing leaders, Marean asked, “Did some of them stay behind?”

“Yeah.” A boy replied. “Said they didn’t believe you. If they want to stay, that’s their fault. I’m out of here.”

“Oh come on.” Marean shouted. Tapping her ear again, she contacted the pilot.

“Kazamir, I’m going to have to go gather the others. Think you can stay for a while longer?”

“Sorry, Marean. I can not. I can come by tomorrow at best but they are going to find out about all of this if I stay any longer.”

“Well, I preached about team work to them, so I’m going to stick with them then.”

“If that is what you wish. Ironic to say, that sounds like something your father would have done.”

“So I’m told.”

Rushing back towards the cave, the metal clangs of gun fire echoed in the distance. Concerned for what was going on, legs moving faster than a cheetah, Marean vaulted over stumps, rocks and animals alike. Upon reaching the cave she abandoned, all that was to be seen was blood and corpses. Limbs of darkers and humanoids on the floor, Marean stumbled across the defiant hunter from earlier chocking on her own blood. A dismembered arm plunged into her torso, Marean clenched her teeth knowing that there was nothing she could do for her. Resta wouldn’t do the trick and a moon can only heal so much. Memories resurfacing, anger rose within her as she continued to stare at the fallen hunter. Taking out a trimate, she popped it open to drank all its contents. Upon finishing, an arm hovered over the hunter, a hand dropping the container over her body.
Not expecting what would happen next, a giant purple sword flew out of nowhere and cleaved the head of the hunter in two. Shaken by how fast it just happened, Marean stumbled onto her rear in fear.

“My, my, to think you would take joy in watching your own kind suffer. I like it.” A voice reverbed in the air. Appearing from a hazy red and black portal was the figure from earlier. A humanoid of black and purple, Marean casually called to it, “Hunar.”

“The deal is struck, your foes are dead.”

“So what happens to the rest of us now? Are we to be hunted down as lost property?”

“Do not worry yourself with such trivial matters. Someone will watch over you.”

“Who, you?”

“No. Someone much more familiar”

A thick finger pointing into the darkness, in the shadows were two red objects. A white pant leg stepping out into the moonlight, emerging from the shadows was a woman in a white bloody lab coat. Red eyes turning brown in campfire’s light, tan skin matching Marean’s own could now be seen.

“Recognize her?” Hunar asked.

Shocked, Marean couldn’t believe her eyes. “She’s…the woman in the pictures.”
Head snapping towards Hunar, she added, “Father said she was dead.”

Hunar crossing his arms, shifted his weight as he responded, “True, she was reported dead. Dismembered beyond recognition, her blood painting the walls, your father held her in his arms with such glorious grief. However, as you can see, she is not dead and watches over you just as dearly as she does your father.”

“She had blood all over her.” Marean remarked, shaking in disbelief.

“Ah yes, a side effect to keeping her alive with our power. While attempting to repair what was damaged, she has become rather…unstable. Almost murderous if not…how would you say it…kept on a leash. Your little companions sadly suffered an unfortunate accident. Tis a shame indeed.”

Picking Marean up off the floor, Hunar gave her a gentle shove towards the familiar woman.

“Now now, don’t be shy. She won’t bite. I’m sure you two would want to catch up on lost time. I know your father would. Ha ha ha ha.”

Hunar watching the little girl timidly walk up to a ghost of the past, a woman of blond hair and a black suit walked through her own hazy portal.

“Oh my, is Elder growing soft?” the woman remarked with a handover her mouth. “Acting so civil for once, I almost forget that you only speak about brutalizing your enemies.”

Turning to face the woman, Hunar replied, “Apprentice.”

Apprentice turning her attention to the other two, Hunar mimicking her, the woman then said, “Did you conceive a daughter while nobody was looking? If so, such a useless clone of a mother. So weak and frail. Can I kill her now?”

“It’s all part of an investment being made and something more. A fall back plan if you will. Hopefully the value in this doesn’t elude you as it did Persona.”

Hands lifting in the air, the woman shrugged and moved away. “You two can bicker as much as you like. If one plan works over the other, that’s fine by me.” Walking past Hunar, she looked back to the figure and said “My curiosity has been satisfied. I hope you know what you’re doing.” Turning away, she walked into the haze, disappearing the next moment into fading mist.

End Title (http://youtu.be/3FqZ9AezbB4)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Civilian Shift -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/p0tmfgbfDEE)

Sitting in an enclosed room, metal walls reflected several rectangle lights looming above. A hint of green hue glowing on the walls, one could vaguely make out the reflection of Marean’s cargo ship, which sat comfortably inside. Light flooding every corner of the room, even the underside of the vessel could be visibly seen underneath. With plenty of breathing room on all sides, various swarming vehicles took turns filling their metal storage containers. Just outside of Marean’s cargo bay stood three figures. Chatting to each other, two of the figures, wearing white robes, stood by each other on one side. Facing them on the other side, Marean herself conversed with them while at the same time, gave directions to the passing men unloading the supplies from her ship. Wearing her usual Ursula replica, a white shirt covered by a black jacket and pants colored with pink accents and belt; the female doctor constantly shouldered her male companion to prevent him from staring at the newmen’s cleavage.

“We can’t thank you enough for bringing us these much needed medical supplies.” The female doctor gleefully said. “It’s a real shame that Arks is more focused on killing their enemies than repairing damaged supply lines.”

“It’s not my job to know what goes on in a president’s head. This is also the same group of people who try to avoid getting involved with civilian matters. It what we have mercenary groups for, they say. Like the Hunters Guild.” Marean replied, a hand on her hip.

“That’s true I guess. The trip was pleasant, I hope?” The female doctor asked.

“It was okay. Wasted a bit more fuel than I wanted to, but we made it here in one piece.”

“We?” The male doctor asked before having his toes stomped on.

“Yeah, he’s somewhere around here. Bonehead tends to help me do maintenance on the ship.”

“Well please tell him, he has our thanks as well.” The female doctor responded. Tugging on her male counterpart, she dragged the struggling man away. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ll be leading the supplies back to the hospitals. You don’t know how much this will help all the incoming wounded. Talk to you later.”

“Stay safe.” Marean yelled. Waving her arm to the two while they stepped into tinted hovercrafts, she turned to look to the ceiling, then to the cargo bay. Two men confirming that all the supplies have been unloaded, jogged into their own truck like vehicles, and drove off. Watching all of the visitors form a convoy, her face shifted from a smile to a frown.

“Men these days, I swear.” Marean said while shaking her head.

Looking up towards the ship, she noticed a glow of orange periodically appear on the roof. On top of the green ship sat Yoshi. With a torch in hand, he used sheets of metal to mend the ship’s open wounds. At first glance, a blue metallic tube, three silver nozzles protruded on the top. Attached by a rotating cap, each nozzle wore a different tip. Changing with the tip, words of the current mode rolled out from underneath the cap upon a digital screen. First applying a sheet of metal over the gap, a wireframe overlapped on top. Two lasers shooting from a nozzle, Yoshi applied gentle pressure on the heated metal, carefully pushing it into place. Pressing a red button, the nozzle rotated. A much flatter nose now facing forward, a flat beam shot out to remove any unwanted deformities and give it a smooth solid surface. Pressing the button once again, a holo-screen popped out, showing various patterns and designs. Finding one that closely matched the ship, another flat line rolled over the metal, giving it a similar green finish. A smile flashing behind the sparks of the torch, Yoshi felt proud of finishing a portion of his work. Reaching out to grab another sheet, he paused. Hearing the cargo doors close, his head jolted to the noise. Placing the torch down, he crawled over the roof to get a better look of what’s going on outside. Getting a good look of the floor, eyes peeked over the corner to see Marean stare back at him from the ground.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/9PvrOD2Ya9k)
“Yoshi,” she shouted. “Get down here. I got a job for you.”

“Can’t it wait, woman? I’m repairing the ship right now.” Yoshi shouted back.
“Just get down here.”

“Fine, fine.”

Standing on top of the ship, he looked down and prepared to jump. “Yoshi,” Marean cried. “Don’t do it.” Not wishing to hit the protruding sides of the ship, he shifted a little to his left. “I mean it, Yoshi. Don’t. Yoshi?” The man jumping off without hesitation this time, Marean screamed with her hands over her eyes. Upon hearing a thud echo off garage floor, a tear rolled down her face as she slowly opened her eyes.

“It’s okay.” Yoshi said, hands wiping fluids on his shirt. “I have my line shield on.”

Running up to him, Marean slapped at the man’s shoulders as she said, “You idiot. Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you cared so much, sheesh.” Yoshi replied. “So what did you want me to do, anyways?”

Taking out a list from her right pocket, Marean handed Yoshi a piece of paper containing a list. Surprised, Yoshi looked to the list in a mixture of confusion and wonder.

“Welcome back to the civilian way of life, Yoshi. I need you to go grocery shopping.” Marean enthusiastically said with a wink. Unamused, Yoshi stared back at her with a cocked eyebrow.

“First of all, you’re scaring me. Secondly, I could be repairing the ship instead.”

“Nope, I don’t want you wrecking my ship while I’m away. Remember when I said I was on a tight schedule? Well I’m checking to see if those jobs are still available. We’ll get the ship repaired on our spare time.”

“Right,” Yoshi responded with uncertainty. Rescanning the list briefly, his eyes returned to Marean’s. “I’m going to guess that I’m the one who’s paying for all this?”

Petting Yoshi’s teal hair, Marean said, “You’re learning already. Now don’t look so mad. I’ll treat you to something later, okay?”

Lifting an arm, he paused before saying another word. Folding his arms instead, he tapped his foot a few times in anger. Thinking to himself for a bit, concern began to dawn on him as thoughts of combat without a line shield drifted through him. “You sure you don’t need me to come with you?” Yoshi asked.

“Yoshi, you’re forgetting who you’re talking to.” Marean cried. “I know how to take care of myself. Also, take off your line shield and go change your clothes. People aren’t supposed to know you’re with Arks.”

“Alright, if you say so,” said Yoshi who walked towards the ship’s rear entrance. With a chuckle, he continued, “Just remember who use to save you from explosives half the time.”

Glaring at the human, a memory flicked as he walked away. In her mind, a recollection of a purple hair woman stabbing the teal hair man, just after saving her life, replayed. Nails digging into her palms as the memory progressed, regret tugged at Marean’s heart.

Minutes passed as Yoshi struggled to get the auto adjusting “one size fits all” feature to work. Sleeves tugging, shirt pulling, the suit finally obeyed him. All set and ready to go, Yoshi walked out of the garage in a white and gray civilian suit. Wearing a long white and gray coat, grey pants and rather oversized white boots; he let out a sigh and looked to the sun. Guessing the time of day, he made his way to nearest store. Still getting used to living life without the convenience of Arks technology, he couldn’t access his usual holo-screens, couldn’t bring up a floating display of the time, nor could he summon a mini map. Having to suck it up and ask for direction, it turns out that the layout of the city was exactly the same as Ur’s. Walking down the sidewalk, Yoshi was surprised to see how calm people despite the recent Falz attack. No one rushed anywhere. All vehicles followed traffic laws. Everyone treated today as any other day. Passing by several stores in the shopping district, he turned into an oversized produce store.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/51klt2lnUzs)
White shoes stepping through sliding glass doors, Yoshi took a breath in preparation for the task. Sea green and ecru seemed to be the color scheme of the building. Brown eyes watching several people walk through the many isles the store had to offer, he picked up the scent of vanilla while walking in. Almost slipping on the recently waxed brown and yellow checkered flooring, he skated to a nearby cart dispenser. Standing in front of what looked like a fenced ATM machine, a small console protruded from the surrounding half walls with a single red button on it. With a press of a button, a screen popped out. Heavy, Light, Special appeared within faint orange glow. Rubbing his chin with a thumb, he pondered for a moment. Knowing that the list is quite large, a small cart wouldn’t do the job and special carts were only used for specials and holidays. Pressing the large H, a shopping cart materialized over a gray mat, sitting snugly between the two white half walls, gray handle bars just over green counter trimmings. Letting off a gust of air from his nose, he tugged at the cart while reading the list. Several minutes of careful produce pickings having passed, the shopping cart now carried several items within its crisscrossing plastic walls. Coming from around the corner, a girl with teal hair skipped toward the cart with a box in hand and slammed it into the cart.

“Can I have that, dad?” the girl asked.

Half paying attention, Yoshi replied, “What’s the magic word?”

“Chicken nuggets.”

“No, the other magic word”

“Please?”

“You should ask before you throw things into the cart but okay.”

“Yay.” The girl cried.

Looking back, no one was to be seen. Pondering if he was just hearing things, he shrugged and returned back to the list. Turning into the dairy isle, he stopped to gaze upon the massive selection of cheese, questioning what type of cheese he should buy. Deep in thought, a hand tugged at his sleeve.

“Dad, you should buy this too.” The voice said.

Tilting his head to see who was bugging him, a box of mints caught his eyes. Taking the box out of small tan hands, he lifted it to his face and said in a nostalgic tone, “Mocha mints. I haven’t bought these in a long time.” Looking back down, he saw his partner machine Marean stare back at him. Surprised, he smiled a large smile and immediately knelt down to hug her.

“Dad, stop. You’re embarrassing me.” Marean cried. Struggling to escape his grasp, she squirmed out from underneath and hopped backwards.

“I thought you didn’t like calling me dad.” Yoshi said with sarcasm.

“Yeah, well I learned to accept fate and deal with it.”

“How did you find me anyways? Does Arks know I’m here?”

“Silly dad, our bond was just that strong. Really though, Arks has no clue where you are. They don’t seem to really care either. Kazamir may know though; because he’s weird like that.”

“Haha, not really sure how to respond but let’s hope that bond stays strong.” Yoshi said, his hand rubbing his daughter’s hair.

Grabbing her father’s hand, Marean smile and said, “Anyways, you should stay away from Arks. Mom says they’re bad people and are only using you for personal gains. So promise her you will, alright?”

“Mom?”

“Well, I got to go. See you later, dad.”

“Marean, wait!”

Reaching out towards her, he watched as his little girl ran up to a woman standing at the end of the isle. Frozen in place, a familiar face smiled back at him with an arm wrapping around Marean. Sounds no longer in the air, the atmosphere growing colder, everything seemed to slow to a standstill. His heart froze as brown eyes synced, a chill running down his spine. For upon blinking, the two vanished as if they were never there at all.


(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/OrU7rS6ObBI)

[/SPOILER-BOX]


-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
Walking out of a metal door way, a male dewmen, wearing a purple suit, walked onto a shaded catwalk. The catwalk surrounded by two towering walls, there wasn’t much elbow room to be had for the person standing on it. An elbow hugging the dewmen’s chest, a pale hand hovered over his right ear.

“Are you sure about this? Letting a Darker roam free on the ship?” The dewmen whispered.

“Let the monster run its course. It will benefit the both of them in the end.” A female voice answered.

“Anything I should know ahead of time?”

“You already know what to do. Ensure the two stay together; keep the boy away from both factions, rid of the problem.”

“Right, I’ll call if anything comes up.”

“You be good now, Kaz.”

Folding a thin piece of plastic, streaks of light glided upon its polished black finish. Flying over the other sleeve, the compact phone connecting to purple fabric, its color melting away to match the tone of the host. Hands now gliding away from the sleeve and onto gray metal wall, Kazamir shuffled out of the narrow pathway and into the light. The looming sun providing light from above, a pale face peeked out from a shaded corner. Faint purple following the several passing civilians below him, serious eyes stopped on a green hair female sitting at a restaurant patio. Watching from above, the dewmen failed to notice red mist flying through the air. The mist swiftly swirling to the floor, it layered and settled, creating a woman in brown clothes from thin air. Seemingly aware of her location, the woman immediately walked towards the female newmen. To Kazamir, she came out of nowhere. Readjusting a tiny device in his ear, Kazamir leaned closer to the floor, intently eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Sia, it’s been a while.” The woman said in a friendly manner. Brown civilian clothes approaching the black table, Marean looked up to see a tan woman take a seat across from her. Uninterested, she replied, “Who?”

“Oh, i’m sorry. I forgot you go about under a different name these days. Still a homicidal maniac, Marean?”

Eyes narrowing, Marean sat up in irritation. Pointing a finger at the woman, she replied, “Look, unless you’re here for business; I suggest you keep on walking.”

Un-phased, the woman smile slyly at the newmen. “Not to worry. I do have business with you, concerning your precious friend…Yoshi.”

Trying to gather as much as he could, Kazamir took several mental notes as the conversation went on. Hairs standing in the cold atmosphere, the dewmen attempted to put down any surfacing emotions. As they continued to speak, the pale man felt goose bumps on his arms upon the revelation that Sia was indeed Marean and a created hunch of whom the woman was. Watching Marean’s temper flare, Kazamir was surprised how much the woman knew about Marean. The two ladies interrupted by a waiter, both displaying fake smiles, Kazamir took the time to recollect what he saw.

“She was right after all. People are starting to reappear. Are they truly darker clones? They’re sentient. Or maybe they always were?” Kazamir thought to himself. “This doesn’t excuse the fact that she shouldn’t be here.”

A chill running down his spine, he listened to the woman who unleashed harsh words onto the newmen. Several minutes of the two exchanging words to each other, Marean finally had enough. Slamming her hand onto the table, she said, “Unlike him, I’m not dumb enough to simply accept the tab,” and walked away.

Without looking back, the woman picked up a glass of water from the table and smiled. “Taking what you want and running away, Sia? It’s no wonder your husband no longer loves you. Keep it up and Yoshi won’t stick around much longer, either.” Giggling to herself, she took a sip.

Marean, resisting the urge to rip the woman’s throat out, continue to move away. Having seen enough, Kazamir slowly scooted back into the darkness until something caught the corner of his eye. Now skipping towards the woman was Yoshi’s partner machine. Kazamir now prone on the floor, he crawled back into position.

“Hiya, mom.” The girl said. “What were you and Marean talking about?”

“Hello, sweetie. Oh, it was nothing important,” the woman replied. “Just discussing how one gives pests their poison.”

Confused, the girl rolled her head in thought and asked, “We have a pest problem?”

Laughing gently, the woman rose from her chair with a hand reaching out to the partner machine. “Space is strange and filled with mystery. Within it holds many phenomenon and wonders.” The girl now taking her hand, walked alongside the woman who continued, “Let’s get you something to eat and then we’ll head home.”

“Aw, aren’t you going to talk to dad?”

“Time is running short, sadly. We can talk to him next time. Okay?”

“Alright.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]
Author Junk[SPOILER-BOX]For anyone wonder where Lilliman is, he's in the ship doing inside repairs. Marean forgetting he's around due to the fact that she hardly knows him.

Chapter has been ready for a week. Pretty unhappy with it but i'm not sure why. Writers curse maybe. May need more humor or action. Need to improve my transitions. Might be noticing how sloppy I am. Could use less commas and more full sentences. Had a whole conversation made for the filler but removed almost all of it. Had a whole section on the city portion but removed it. While it may have opened up the world a bit, it had nothing to do with the story. So around five pages (1 spaced) worth of content removed. Still had fun writing it though.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Author Junk[SPOILER-BOX]Long story short, I didn't want to use the story as a means to improve. For entire month or so, I was pretty angry at myself. Caused me to revive the group (http://www.pso-world.com/forums/group.php?groupid=405) so that I hoped me and other people could improve but it didn't do as well as I imagined. So to escape, I asked for a lock so that I may go on forced hiatus.

Now that the confession is out of the way, i'm back. Now with 50% more I don't care anymore. So if the story gets weird, this is why. Chronicles was changed to Saga because I feel half the stuff I wrote wasn't an important event anymore.Tempted to use anecdote but I don't feel i'll live up to the important serious message part. No longer attached to a word limit so some entries will be 500 words, others maybe 3000. I promise I won't post a 30 page entry like I was tempted to one time.

Lastly, going to need feedback on the last entry. I tend to avoid action heavy scenes so knowing what I can fix would be nice to know.[/SPOILER-BOX]

Without further ado, the story continues!


- Starting the Course -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/g4XMe9RD2M8)

Air flowing between narrow gaps and sliding material, a metal opened to reveal a disturbed female newmen. Warm air caressing her face while she peered inside, the newmen stood at the doorway with disinterest to anything around her. Pots and pans clanged. Sounds of running water paused then ran again. Unfazed at first, a face of disgust came and went for just a moment. The woman taking a deep breath walked inside to sit on a red plastic chair leaning against a wooden table. Cleaning dishes in the corner of her eye, a Yoshi hummed a happy tune. Taking a moment to place the last dish in a cabinet, the man spun around to greet the newmen. Elbow on wooden table, her resting head resisting the urge to smile at the man. Yoshi’s warm smile wasn’t helping. Wearing her brown and green apron, wet hands wiped on wavy patterns before scratching teal hair.

“Not something I usually wear but it’s nice to use as a towel.” Yoshi said with teeth gleaming down at the newmen. “Judging by that frown, I take it you had a bad time?”

Marean didn’t respond. Eyes rolling away, she grunted. Her shoulders shrugged to the question. Staring at floral green walls, Lilliman sat far in the back. With a box in hand and a cookie near his furry mouth, he paused before chomping down. Face turning like a bird. With a chuckle, Yoshi continued,

“Well, I think I know what will make that frown go away. I made food!” Yoshi shouted. “Today’s dish is pozole. Normally cooked in an oven or crockpot, your stuff made this disk cook rather fast and-”

“Just serve me a damn bowl already.” Marean quickly interrupted.

“Okeydokey, then.”

Turning around, Yoshi poured orange liquid and its contents into a bowl. Chunks of meat and white vegetables flowed in the orange stream. Placing the white bowl on the table, an identical bowl accompanied it nearby. Marean dragging the bowl closer, green eyes reflected in the rippling juice.

“Yoshi,” Marean said in a tone of wonder. “Do you really not care about what was done in our past? Do you ever care about anything?”

An eyebrow rising to the question, a spoon stopped just below Yoshi’s chin. His head tilting slightly to think, he answered, “I care. I care about a lot of things. About my daughter, what I’m going to eat, how my friends are doing. I just don’t let become the focus of my thoughts.”

“You didn’t answer my-”

Before she could finish, the man interrupted her. “Shh, your food is going to get cold if you keep talking.” Sticking his spoon in her mouth, Marean glared at him before the spoon out. Keeping her from retaliating, the man then said, “You should eat more. You could use the meat on your bones.”

Quickly glancing at her wrists, marean countered, “Look who’s talking. You’re thinner than I am. And stop cooling your spoon with techniques. I told you to stop acting like an Arks.”

Cold mist disappearing, Yoshi laughed. “I can’t help it. I’ve always had a knack with techniques. Even before joining Arks.” Taking in its contents, he rolled the spoon in thought. “But thank you for caring.”

Saying nothing to each other, the two munched in silence. Marean trying to enjoy her meal scanned the room with a brow twitching the whole time. Several minutes passing, a hand slammed on the table.

“Alright, would you mind telling me what the hell you did to my kitchen?”


[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Extra-[SPOILER-BOX]
Scurrying inside with great haste to escape the scorching sunlight, Yoshiblue and Lilliman carried bags of various tools into Marean’s garage. The creature dancing on heated metal, the two reached cabinets waiting at the back end of the room. Yoshi wiping the sweat off his forehead, Lillian jumped in place with impatience. He didn’t want to waste any time. With a kick to the metal doors, the two threw the bags inside and roamed into the rear entrance door way. A hand slapped the wall. A button glowed red as a silver door closed. With faces of relief, they took in the nice cool temperatures of the room.

[“Glad that’s over with”] Lilliman remarked, slumping against ice cold metal framework.

“Same here.” Yoshi replied, both of them dragging their faces against the hallway walls. “That took forever to patch up. That part of the hull was rock solid.”

[“Whatever it was, I found it strange for that room to be the most secure part of the entire ship.”]

“What makes you say that?” Yoshi asked.

Snickering to himself, Lilliman replied, [“Maybe she intends to keep a future child in there?”]

“Really?” the human said with shock. “I thought that room was an armory this whole time?”

Entering into the second corridor, the two stopped at the looming stairway. Looking up the grey metal steps, soft protective plastic covered each and every metal bump. The human and critter pondering if they should head up or not were interrupted by Marean, who walked through the cardinal living room door.

“What are you two up to?” She asked with hands on her hips and a slight lean towards them.

Acting fast, Yoshi picked up Lilliman and responded, “I was thinking of taking the little guy into the lounge.”

“No. You two want to goof off, go outside.”

“You know, there are Lillipans who don’t know the comforts of an air conditioned ship.”

“OUT!” Marean shouted.

Pointing out a nearby window, she pushed them out of the ship shortly after. The two boys now sitting outside the ship’s doorstep, the female newmen mumbled to herself as a green door sealed shut. Picking themselves off the heated floor, they looked out into the city. Eyes squinting in the sunbeams, they both crossed their arms. Their faces etched with newfound determination.

“This isn’t over.” Yoshi said.

[“Not by a long shot”] Lilliman finished.

The mysteries of the secret vault will someday be uncovered.

[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Extra-[SPOILER-BOX]“Even when hunting alone, the space turkey shows it pray no mercy. Stalking silently in the shadows, it waits while making it presence ever known. Using fear as a weapon, the space turkey consumes it’s pray with this fear so that it may lower it guard with a sense of false security. Once feeling safe, the turkey screams it war cry and goes in for the kill. Red beams shoot out of its eyes with enough intensity to slowly burn the skin of its food. Letting it scream in pain, as it strikes again and again…”

“Man, remind me to watch out for space turkeys.” Yoshi commented.

Slouching in the darkness on a brown sofa, an arm hung over the back cushions as he watched the program. Holding a silver remote in the other hand, it laid limp by his lap with a thumb still on the rubber up button. Flicking in the light beside him sat Lilliman. Munching on warm buttery popcorn, he reached for another handful sharing the same slow reactions his human companion had. Bored, emotionless; they stared into the flashing screen with dull eyes and slack jaws. A door opened but they didn’t react. They didn’t hear the door or the incoming footsteps. Walking into the room, Marean slapped Yoshi’s head with a rolled up magazine. His head twisting to see the green hair female breathing over him, slowly rubbed his head like a sloth afterwards.

“So did you do what I asked you to do?” She asked with impatience.

“Yeah,” Yoshi replied. “He kinda blew up.”

“Blew up?” Marean asked, her tone hinting in anger, a hand crushing the bottom end of a blue and pink magazine.

“Yeah. Some masked dude beat me to him and kinda caused him to commit suicide. I shot off the guy’s arm though. So if you see a random person with a missing arm, it’s probably him.”

Hitting the human on the head once more, she screamed, “I told you not to let him become unstable. Do you know what you allowed to happen?”

“Hey, I got lost. Okay?” Yoshi said while looking back towards the television.

“You incompetent, retarded, piece of shit, wannabe space cowboy! Do you know how much money you just lost me? I should rip off your sad excuse for a skull and blow you up with… ”

Letting her rant on for a bit, Yoshi calmly reached into a pant pocket and pulled out a green transparent orb. Glistening in the bright light of the TV, faint lines of mechanical inner workings rotated within. Without looking, Yoshi answered in a tone of indifference “Does this mean anything to you? Found it on the floor and thought it was more than a pretty object.”

Holding it up in the air behind him, Yoshi felt the trembling of Marean’s hand as she gently grasped it. Hearing nothing but faint sputtering, the newmen stormed off without saying another word. Upon hearing the pressure of the door fill the room twice, his hand dropped with limp and a sigh. Looking up to the man, Lilliman stared in confusion.

“Man, that turkey is angry.” Yoshi said, consumed by boredom once more.

[“That’s it. You’re not even slightly fazed by this?”]

“Mastering the art of not caring can be a long and painful journey. Or is it selective hearing?”
[/spoiler-box]
-Extra-[SPOILER-BOX]“How in the world does one person get past an entire group of mercenaries and not die?”

“I don’t know but you better not fuck this up. You understand, Kazamir? Our lives and pay checks depend on the survival of the guy inside.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice, sir.”

Pulling lime green sunshade over eager brown eyes, Kazamir quickly check the magazine of his rifle before looking to the closed door on the other side of the room. Sliding a hand across greasy black hair, a teal hair man wearing a similar uniform dodged any liquid flying off from behind. Gray in color, the men wore pants with several pockets and a jacket hiding armor underneath. All of them standard issue to avoid any conflicts with the law. Barely anyone made any form of customization. To his right was Reinhardt. A red headed newmen with a no nonsense attitude, the newmen aimed his sights at the doorway. Blue eyes stared at the brown wood with furious intensity.

“Yoshi, your pistol still has its safety on.” Kazamir whispered while patting his friend’s lap.

“Thanks, mom. What ever would I do with a blown off leg?” Yoshi sarcastically replied.

“Oh, I don’t know. Receive grade a nursing by Tuhina?” Kazamir suggested. “Smartass.”

“Pay attention or I’m going to shoot both of you in the leg.” Reinhardt barked. Reaching to his each, a finger tapped at a small ear plug like device for a few moments. Finally holding onto the device, Reinhardt shouted, “Mendoza, Gibbion; how’s it looking out there?”

“Nothing so far, sir. What a minute. Someone is coming.” A voice responded.

Hearing a few gunshots outside the doorway, a loud knock on the wall followed after. Hearing metal bounce off of metal, a blood stained sword cut through the door. Twisting sharply, brown wood splintering the next second, the door was kicked off the hinges. A body falling to the floor, a purple hair figure rushed past the debris and towards the trio.

“Shit.” Kazamir muttered.

Shooting in bursts of three, the three men attempted to kill the woman without hesitation. Sword and sheath blocking every bullet with amazing skill, fear gripped Yoshi as she slowly crept closer. Drawing a gunslash zero attached to his back, he rushed towards the woman without thinking. Out of sheer luck, he held his own against the woman as the other began to reload. However, all he could do was defend. The woman, restless in her attacks, wouldn’t give him the opening he hoped for and continued to pound at his blade. Purple eyes widening to the clicks of chambering rifles, she kicked Yoshi in the groin and attempted to cut him down. Yoshi fearing the worst, a metal clang rang in the air as Kazamir blocked the blade with his pistol. The black hair human, smirking at the woman, pulled the trigger; only to remember that the safety was still on. Using this to her advantage, the woman kicked the two to the floor and ran for the open doorway.

“After her.” Reinhardt shouted, slamming his rifle to clear a jam.

Kazamir still recovering from the wind being knocked out of him, Yoshi grabbed his gunslash and followed in pursuit. Taking pot shots down the hallway, the woman turned sharply to the left and up a set of stairs. Despite the woman having the lead, Yoshi reattached his weapon to his back and raced up the stair on all four limbs. Upon reach the next floor, he reequipped his gun, slid on the carpet floor and attempted more potshots before getting back on his feet. The two racing up beyond the top floor, Yoshi stumbled onto the roof to discover that the woman had mysteriously vanished. Taking the time to catch his breath in shame, an arm warped around his neck with obvious intents to snap it. Now struggling to fight his attacker off, the two took turns flipping each other onto the floor. Hearing several men storming up the staircase, the woman kick Yoshi into a crowd of incoming men. Jumping onto wire lining, she slid down without hesitation. Reinhardt not wanting her to escape pulled out his pistol and shot the wire supporting the woman. Cable whirling about, the surrounding men complimented the newmen on his excellent aim.

As they turned to head down the stairwell, an emotion he couldn’t explain compelled Yoshi to continue to run after the woman. Mindlessly jumping off the roof afterwards, he managed to catch hold of the viciously whipping wire and swing in after the woman. Catching her by the waist, she began to punch him in the face as she screamed,

“Let go of me you filthy pig.”

Crashing through the other building’s glass windows, the two rolled on the floor. Tables broke. Glass shards flew in the air. Feeling broken, Yoshi struggled to get on his feet.

“The things I do for a pretty face.” Yoshi cried in pain.

The newmen female getting onto her feet drew her sword. Watching the man continue to struggle, she lifted the blade and drove it into his back. Wiping the blade clean of blood, the woman did not notice a robed figure smiling from a distance.

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/6ve11iRWLq8)
[/spoiler-box]

[Vintasticvin]

O/ Pretty cool and Lilliman is boss I like where your stories are going.

[yoshiblue]

- Decisions -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/JHoHaBTVbwk)

A glow of the newly swap ceiling lights glaring off the cockpit windshield, a large metallic gray object shrink outside curved windows. Watching the Arks vessel, Irvez, slowly disappear from existence, Yoshi redirected his attention to a pale blue holographic screen hovering above his lap. A finger curled above it the whole time. His full attention now on words displayed upon it, his finger rubbed against the screen, creating ripples in the photons. Words flying up into the air, they vanished as soon as they flew past the tip of the screen. Scrolling up and down twice, he began to speak to the Marean who sat beside him, his other hand swaying in the air.

“Well that was an interesting week. Alright, a recap of what happened.”

“Start.” Said Marean, who shifted on a lever forwards. A faint blue glow decorated the rear end of the cockpit windows, the stars around them moving faster by the second.

“Starting off, we unloaded the supply of exotic chemicals to a group of biologists. Afterwards you assassinated the head honchos of a client’s rival company.”

“They had it coming for a long while.” Marean added.

Pausing for the newmen to finish, the man continued, “On Wednesday we blockaded a convoy. The mission went smoothly but we had to spend several thousands to repair the damages received during the operation and on the escape from the building we rammed. I personally still felt a stealth operation was best for that.”

“I keep telling you, it was too risky.”

“Just because you’re bad at stealth doesn’t mean I am. I can guarantee you that I would have got the job done in a timely manner.”

“And I don’t care how good you claim yourself to be. I wasn’t going to let it happen.” Marean responded, giving Yoshi a punch to the shoulder.

The human rolling his eyes, looked back to the screen. “Lastly, we modified the loading ramp so that objects now float inside rather than sliding on a surface.”

“We had the garage modified?” Marean sleepily asked.

“Yeah, you were right there when Lilliman and I were replacing most of the parts.”

Twisting her head in confusion, she replied. “I don’t remember that.”

“I… nevermind.” Yoshi said, shaking his head. “According to the schedule, we are sneaking into the Hatten, and are loading a rather large supply of merchandise into the ship? Mind telling me what it is?”

Without paying attention to the open palm next to her, she shook her head and said, “Not even I know, Yoshi. The job pays though and I even get to subdue a few people while I’m at it. A deal I couldn’t pass up.”

Swiping his hand to the side, Yoshi watched as the screen vanish into digital mist. Throwing his back onto the chair, he held back the urge to yawn while at the same time, he stretched. Refusing to look at the clock hovering between their heads, he turned to the green hair woman to see her fight back a yawn of her own.

“So what do I get to do? Am I the wingman who kicks butt from the sidelines this time?”

“Nope, you get to watch the ship.”

Yoshi moaned in despair, sinking into the chair like a child. “When will I ever get to do anything cool?”

“You get plenty of cool jobs.”

“All I ever do is watch the ship, wash the ship, do the shopping, make dinner, keep the client company and balance the budget.”

“Yeah, well it’s cool to me.” Marean said with a tilt to her head.

“Probably because you never do the boring stuff.”

“Hey, at least you’re safe, fed and have a place to sleep.”

“Yeah, fed with the food I pay for.” Yoshi said while pointing to his chest.

“Think of it as a storage fee.” With a grunt, Yoshi lifted from the pilot’s loveseat. While moving towards the doorway, Marean added, “Keep it up and I won’t give you that room I’ve been planning to give you.”

Hearing those words, the man slowed down. Stopping by the rosewood colored door, the teal hair human looked behind him for a brief moment before looking down at a panel in front of him. Pressing a button on the side, the door slid open allowing him to pass through. Holding onto the doorframe halfway in, Yoshi said in a tone of indifference, “I didn’t need it anyways.” His hand releasing, the door sliding shut, Marean looked behind to see only chairs and empty space. Sharp pain was felt as the mysterious words echoed in head.

Now walking down dimly lit corridors, faint white glows on shiny objects guided the human as he made his way down the ship. Thanks to the several decorations the hallways contained, reflections of the floor lights where plenty. Stopping in a hallway filled with several windows, he opened another door and stepped into the garage. Heading to the corner across from the door, a light in hand, the face of Lilliman looked up to Yoshi with strange objects held in his paws.

[“Heading to bed so soon?”] asked Lilliman.

“Got to enjoy the good life before things get crazy again.” Yoshi replied, slumping into the corner of the room; tilting his hat to shield his eyes from Lilliman’s bright lights. “Got anything new?”

[“I finally traced where Ijiraku was taken. As I have feared, she’s on Lillipa. Some place close to where you found her.”]
“Interesting. I have been thinking of getting us a ship to Ur as soon as we land on the Hatten. From there we will hook up with the team and then get our rescue mission going and save our friend.”

[“And Marean? You seemed to have stayed with her for a reason.”]

“On a promise I made but we’re over staying our welcome. She doesn’t need us.”

[“Good, there’s something I need to do on Lillipa as well.”]

“Oh?” Yoshi said, with a finger lifting the brim of his hat.

[“I’m going to need your help killing a few traitors.”]

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/D7gKoCoK3kA)
[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional music) (http://youtu.be/csktKj2cKZ8)
“She’s going to be tough to track with the way Darkers move around. Are you sure it was okay to let her go?”

“As I have said, it will benefit the both of them.”

Sitting in a dim room, two figures sat across each other. Two lavender couches place on each side of a glass coffee table, the two people both leaned forward in their own ways with tea cups in hand. Next to them were closed mauve curtains blocking out the sunlight. Slipping through the crack, sun beams caused Kazamir’s pale face to glow. The dewmen taking a sip from his teacup, place it in the plate in hand and asked, “And Reinhardt?”

“You know how I feel about the undesirable newmen. I do not approve of him nor do I want him anywhere near Marean. However, I will deal with him. You just watch over the other two.”

“I fail to see why you want them to stay together.”

“Same reason you seek to help our friend Yoshi. We both want something. You seek forgiveness and I seek an invaluable treasure. And before you ask, yes, a relation is part of the plan and I already know of your past secret relationship. If I recall you saying to her, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him?” the figure across him said with a grim smile. Kazamir at a loss of words, took another sip from his cup; his hand causing the plate underneath to clatter. “So energetic you two were. If it were back in my day, she would have been pregnant by now.”

“It scares me that you know this much.” Kazamir remarked with a quiver in his voice.

“I know many things, dearie. Enough to ruin a life or save it. This does not mean I can change everything in an instant, however. Some things will take longer than others and this investment will be the largest I’ve ever made. I intend to reap the rewards, Kazamir. As for the ghost, her time has come and gone. What you did in the past, I do not hold against you and she will disappear again in due time. All that needs to be done is to remove the accident.”

“Does she really need to die?”

“She is like a pendulum which cuts away at everything we have worked for. She is a link to his attachment and to leave her be would be risking far too much. Are you still attached to the child?”

“No.”

“Good. Now I must remind you that it is very important for Yoshi to stay with Marean. For now, he stays because he made a promise to me, but I doubt it will hold him forever. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid, you hear? Fear not, you will be rewarded for your efforts.” Calmly taking a sip from her cup, she gestured her cup forward and said, “You are dismissed.”

[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Delusions -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/8Gy_zq_YuQQ)
Swooping through cloudy skies, a gigantic ship gracefully swept between dull buildings and neon signs. Swerving towards a large tower made up of several metal doors, 4 red dots above a gray square turned green as the ship flew past floating poles. Slowing down in its approach; the giant vessel hovered for a few seconds before the building opened its mouth. Entering gently, like someone crawling into a bed, the ship loomed over a waxed tiled surface. Dropping little by little, gusts of powerful wind were visibly seen on polished floor, litter missed by lazy janitors flying across the room in hopes of escaping the black undercarriage touching the floor. Waiting for internal suspension systems to kick in, the ship bounced, blue glows dying out from underneath. The landing seem so perfect, Yoshi kicked himself in the foot wishing he could be outside to watch it firsthand.

Celebrating another peaceful landing, the team never stepped outside the ship once. Having nothing written on their planners; Yoshi, Marean and Lilliman spent the entire day relaxing instead. Marean, her brain never resting, used the entire day to lock herself in her room. Pacing back and forth, several scenarios raced through her mind, events from earlier constantly replaying over and over again. Every so often, she would leave her room to check on her human friend. Quietly unlocking her door, traveling down metal stairs and hallways, she would stare into the same window every time, never noticed. For within the ship’s garage, Lilliman spent the entire time messing with gadgets kept in his container; while the space cowboy slept the day away, his brown hat in the same face covering slant it had since early afternoon. A sigh of relive made after every visit, she would lock herself up and pace again. All day, she continued this routine; questions constantly lifting in the air but never drifting to find an answer. Never finding the will to ask, she only stared until the fifth visit, when only darkness filled the room. Fear consuming the young female newmen, a finger rushed for a nearby switch. On a flick of a metal stick, she eagerly waited for lamps to power on, hands tightly clasped together in worry. Being one of the few times she has ever used these lights, Marean was amused by how quiet they were, watching square rectangles burn to life one by one. The last set flickering to life, eyes widened, breath was held, for only nothingness remained in the room. Inside the hold revealed only an empty corner and a note on the floor.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/Wf6rqvlDqQQ)
Outside in the middle of a busy city, two figures swam inside a crowd of colors. Yoshi and Lilliman both sporting blue civilian jackets, not wanting to deal with their gear getting caught on someone else, clung to their black zippers while pushing through. To avoid suspicion, Yoshi dressed Lilliman to appear as a child wearing a fuzzy mask. Though the furry critter struggled at first, eventually forgot about the foreign clothes while diving deeper inside the concrete jungle. Scattered clouds covering a crescent moon, the human and critter made their way through chilly city winds on a trip to the city’s bullet train. Venturing through the Hatten, a ship without a curfew; the two scanned maps, dodged several rushing vehicles and waiting by annoyingly timed streetlights. Sneaking through alleyway shortcuts and crossroads, the two resisted the temptations of good food and music luring them from every corner. From jazz to rock, from sushi stands to cake shops; quick glances were made, coins were tossed, but the two pushed on forward. With so many temptations filling the ship, Yoshi felt that the Hatten didn’t want him to leave. That it wanted him to stay in false blissful paradise. He resisted. Reminded constantly of their mission to the tugging of Lilliman’s paws, they finally reached the bullet train station.

Well lit and very clean, the two traveled up expansive gray stairs, around stone stairwell walls and into a fancy tiled gateway. Moonlight reflecting off shiny white square tile, which made up the entire building, a single streak of blue and orange wrapped around in a horizontal fashion. Entering through sliding glass doors, the building revealed white marble flooring and marble pillars supporting the second floor balcony. The second floor seeming as a place where people go to eat and have a chat, the first floor looked much like an airport would. Several chairs neatly lined up for the many people waiting inside. Yoshi’s brown eyes wondered around, seeing various stores surrounded them for anyone who feels they forgot any supplies, food or just needed a good book to read. Walking forward, past those roaming to and fro, greeting friends and family, Yoshi moved through the gaps to purchase a couple of train tickets.

Exhausted from their journey, the two looking for a decent place to chill, rushed to nearby blue plastic chairs. With an arm wrapped behind the top rail, Yoshi looked to the ceiling, mindlessly staring at lights embedded in cement. Eyes drifting to passing colors, he finally realized that everyone wore different clothes. Shirts no longer matching the pants they wore, sleeves boasted various sizes, pants hung in a variety of forms; Yoshi felt like he was in a different world. A stranger in a land he didn’t belong in. His gaze slipping to the Lillipan beside him, Lilliman looked to Yoshi with a growling stomach. Without a word, he nodded. Picked up the brown fuzzy creature with both hands, the human walked to the nearest vending machine.

Embedded into the wall, a face from behind glass stared back at the teal hair human as a hand, reaching inside with products in hand, restocked the empty machine. Several other people gathering nearby, a few left to look for another vender while Yoshi waited for the stranger to finish. Upon seeing the back panel close, those who waited began to push and shove their way to the glowing white and orange panels. Minutes passing, the line shorting, finally getting his chance to touch the machine, Yoshi held Lilliman closer to white buttons so that he may choose his snack of choice. A paw pushing a few buttons, the man paying the fee, the two witnessed a bag of chips launching into the air and into a net. To the sight of this, Lilliman clapped and bounced in amusement. A shaking hand punching through a plastic flap, Yoshi retrieved the bag and returned to their seats.
Reaching into the bag for a chip or two, a female voice began to echo in the air. Trying to listen past the flood of conversations, Yoshi watched the people around him lift from their seats and walk towards the edge. Doing the same, Yoshi picked up Lilliman and followed the current; only for a hand to suddenly pull at his shoulder.

“Yoshi,” said a familiar stoic voice from behind, “you should head back.” Feeling the man’s grasp tighten, Yoshi looked to his fuzzy companion with dead eyes.
Fighting back a sudden jolt of irritation, Yoshi responded, “Nothing will get fixed if I just sit around.”

“Then let me take care of it.” The voice commanded.

Using the crowd to his advantage, Yoshi violently shook his shoulder and plunged in the stream of people swarming into the train’s doorway. Trying to fight his way after Yoshi, Kazamir was pushed aside as the train’s doors began to close. Others who missed the train now shouting in anger, Kazamir watched the cowboy escape to the airport.

“Damn it, of all the times he had to act up, it had to be now. Why couldn’t he just take a taxi anyways?” Looking outside giant windows across the empty train tracks, he saw several hover cars cry in a traffic jam. To prevent any further accidents, orange fields rolled out around the vehicles to prevent them from rushing above or below the traffic. Having nowhere to go, the cars had to wait until detour tunnels opened up.

Slipping into a dark alleyway, Kazamir was confronted by three shady looking shadows. Mostly baggy jeans and jackets, they held small knives, which made the dewmen chuckle to himself.

“Look what we have here?” said a thug wearing a sage green jacket.

“I always wanted to cut me up one of those horned freaks.” A thug in a brown coat added.

Stoic as usual, Kazamir let them approach, wearing a stone face. The green thug lunging for a jab, the dewmen casually leaned to the side with a knee shooting to his stomach. Finishing on a sharp kick to launch the thug away, Kazamir elbowed a blue themed thug in the face. Grabbing him by the throat, a wire dropped from Kaz’s free hand. Using it like a whip, it cracked on the brown mugger’s knife, metal spun in the air. Before having the chance to run away, the wire attacked once more, wrapping around his neck. The mugger holding his neck in tears, now being dragged backwards, Kazamir suffocated the two until no conscious soul remained. Having knocked out the few men attempting to mug him, he threw them into a garbage container and scanned the alleyway. Ensuring that no one was around to ease drop, he pulled a thin piece of plastic from his sleeve to flip it open.

“Can’t a woman take a bath in peace?” yelled a female voice.

“He got away.” Kazamir calmly replied.

“Yes, yes, thank you for the update. Now go after him.” The voice yelled again.

“And if he escapes to Ur?”

Expecting her to scream at him, Kazamir only stood in silence. Several minutes passing, the voice finally spoke once more with uneasy glee. “Go to Marean, tell anything to keep her mind off of what just happened. Yoshi will most likely go to his team ship or whatever you call those things. Follow him to Ur, I’ll meet you there.”

“Don’t you think it’s risky for you to be out in the open?”

“Don’t worry, I have a plan. How did I even miss this?”

“Care to explain?”

“A new window has opened, Kazamir. Meet me at the twenty-fifth civilian space dock. I’ll see you soon. We’re going to tag along on his little adventure.” said the voice in unnerving glee. Confused, wishing for clear answers, the screen went dark. Purple eyebrows furrowing in wonder, white gloves sheathed the black piece of plastic and ventured back into the light. Marigold Station would have been easier to say, Kazamir thought to himself.

Making his way to the skyscraper that held Marean’s ship, Kazamir entered a plain elevator. Whispering random sentences to himself, he prepared for the conversation to come. Thinking of various excuses to say, purple eyes watched red numbers count up in dread. Metal doors opening on floor twenty four, the dewmen made his way through white hallways until he reached a gray door with a large four engraved on it. Hacking the lock, forcing the door open, he cleared his throat and leaned backwards, hoping that the hallway remained barren and lifeless. Strolling towards a green door on the side of the ship, a pale finger poked at a glowing orange button. Waiting for an answer, he adjusted his sleeves and collar. In a short amount of time, the door slid opened, revealing a sobbing newmen on the other side.

(*optional music (http://youtu.be/z3Ig45MZ8Po) / alternate track (http://youtu.be/O3V-a-FOet8)*)
At the sight of this, Kazamir subconsciously turned away from Marean, a palm on his face, and whispered under his breath, “Fuckin idiot.” Quickly facing forward, he lifted his hand to the newmen as she sputtered muddy words at him.
“Marean, listen to me.” Kazamir interrupted. “He’s a dumbass, alright? You know he’s a dumbass. He didn’t leave because he hates you. He left because he needed to cut loose ends. Okay?”

Marean, whipping her tears away, attempted to calm down as the dewmen continued. Pulling out a plastic card, Kazamir held it in the air and said in a calming tone, “Don’t worry about him. There are some things he just needs to do alone. He wanted me to give you this. Knowing that you have money issues, he didn’t want to see you suffer. I’m sure he’ll come back to you after everything is over. With this money you can either upgrade the ship or go visit Reinhardt. If anything else, just wait for him.”

“This isn’t about love, Kazamir.” Marean forced out. Placing her head on the doorframe, she summoned a piece of cloth and whispered more strange words to herself.

Lifting his hands alongside a shrug, Kazamir asked “Then why are you crying?”
“All this time, I’ve been expecting him to take my life. Why hasn’t he stabbed me, kill me in my sleep, poison my food or even electrocute me? I want to know why he doesn’t hate me. After all the scars I gave him, all the bones I have broken, all the times I tried to make his life a living hell; why does he continue to come back with a smile?”

“Like I said, Marean, he’s an idiot. If he were any stupider, he would most likely be unable to tie his own shoes.”

“Is that what you think of him?” said Marean with a hand on her chest and face of disbelief.

Raising open palms in the air, Kazamir backed up and nervously replied, “Relax, it was just a joke. Bottom line is; he has things to do. Ijiraku is dying; he has to save his daughter, and didn’t want these issues to get in the way.”

“They wouldn’t if he had just told me. These are things people find help for.”

“Yes well, I am not Yoshi.” said Kazamir, with his face to the floor. “Is there anything else you need?”

“No. Thank you though.” said Marean, looking to the sky in thought, her cloth dabbing away at her tears.

“Now if you will please excuse me, I must take my leave. I wish you luck in the future and a good night’s rest.”

Urging the newmen to take the card, Marean reached out with caution. A wet hand snapping back upon grasping it, she muttered a weak thank you alongside a bow. The dewmen also giving thanks, waved as the metal door closed shut. Now alone in the garage, he gave off a sigh.

“She didn’t ask me where he was going and for once, she didn’t reek of alcohol. Hmm...”


(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/fI_BI0FlhMM)
[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Remix-[SPOILER-BOX]A 3rd person rendition of a friend's tale.

A warm breeze caressing rosy cheeks, a woman of blue hue awoke to the sight of her lover happily eating apples. Smiling to such a rare sight, everything seemed... so peaceful. So far away from all the troubles of worlds and ships, there they sat in the middle of a golden wheat field. Where problems didn't exist and worry never reared its ugly face. There they sat harmoniously, closely in each other's company.
[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- When All You Can Do Is Stare -[SPOILER-BOX]
Today seemed to be a busy day for the Marigold Space Dock. Words drowning in a sea of noise; multi-color heads bobbed in an ocean of hair with an occasional face surfacing from fibers. Sitting by purple-blue retro themed recliners, a man watched as these heads moved about. Like ants bouncing in harmony, they marched in single file lines under gray ropes. Stopping past checkpoint booths, the ants would then wonder by aimlessly in all directions, scattering to what appealed to them at that moment. Pointy ears bumping into smooth ones, men of steel conversing with softer kin, eventually they would all head to the same destination. For what awaited them on the other side of the gigantic glass window panes, starships of white and orange refueling from their previous journey, humming their songs of calming.

Eyes closed, back straight, a leg over the other; a purple head tilted parallel to the ebony floor underneath. Citrus fragrances filling the man’s nose, he enjoyed the inner peace he has found in his quite little corner. A faint smile reflecting off polished tile flooring, it quickly disappeared as a wad of paper rudely brought him back to the reality of a somewhat noisy airport. Sharply shifting to the direction of his attacker, a large smile briskly flew towards him. Dressed in red and white, a red head newmen was seen waving to the purple man. Wearing matching white shirt and pants, a red expensive jacket shuffled on broad shoulders as his arms drew nearer and nearer. Unamused, the man sitting down scoffed and turned his cheek.

“Kazamir, I’m surprised to see you here.” Reinhardt said in a gleeful tone, hoping to restore the lost mood. Lightly punching the purple man with his shoulder, Reinhardt continued, “All we need is Yoshi and our trio would be complete. I do hope he’s alright.” Eyebrows dropping, the red head newmen took a seat next to the dewmen, his spine resting on the fabric covered backrest.

“Don’t worry. He’s alright.” Kazamir reassured the newmen. “I found him on the Hatten trying to get back to Ur. Apparently he has forgotten that civilians can only travel between ships of similar living conditions.” Looking out the space port windows, purple irises followed each ship drifting in. “Are you expecting someone as well?” he asked, preventing an awkward silence from occurring.

“I was about to ask the same question.” said Reinhardt with an elbow on an arm rest. “It’s kind of rude to say this but I’m not looking forward to it. My mom is coming to see me and the last thing I want to hear is her chewing me ear out over my choice of women. Who are you waiting for?”

“I await an acquaintance of mine. Sadly, she requires my assistance on a few pressing matters. And before you ask, no, I don’t know what they are. All I know is that I am needed.”

Punching the dewmen’s shoulder again, this time with two hands, Reinhardt’s grin grew wider than before. “Kazamir you sly dog, I knew you had it in you. What’s her name? What does she look like? How long have you two known each other?”
Blow after blow, the dewmen finally waved the man off and replied, “She is not my lover nor do I intend to make her such. She is old enough to be your grandmother anyways.”

“Ah, so you’re into older women these days, huh? Intere- yow.” Rubbing his shoulder, Reinhardt fought back a fighting tear jiggling on his eyelid. While staring at the dewmen in agony, Kazamir readjusted his glove before attempting to restore his calm demeanor. “Man, looks can be deceiving.” Reinhardt said while rotating his shoulder blade. “You got quite the arm. What’s with the look on your face anyways?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/_Y-d97Tzt94)
The dewmen, his pale face wrinkled in distress, flung his body out of the chair responding to the question with an “Oh no.” In the distance and drawing nearer, three newmens gathered under an aura of hatred. Casts, humans and other newmens subconsciously avoiding the three figures; Reinhardt and Kazamir rushed to the site before anything went wrong. Two furious glares locked over the various holo-rails, attempting to burn the other’s eyes out, a regal woman of red hair and black dress now stood face to face with a woman of green hair, who wore a much more casual white dress in comparison. Meeting toe to toe, the two attempted to have a normal conversation but neither of them had the desire to complement one another.

“What a pleasant surprise, Leanna. Still hugging graves, sulking over missed opportunities?”

“Alison, still a lecherous whore I see?”

“I hope you aren’t trying to salvage what’s left. It’s a shame to see you weep over such worthless trash.” The regal newmen said in fake tone of concern. Clapping two hands together, Alison added with excitement, “I’ll tell you what, why don’t you and your daughter come serve my family over on the Melchior again? How does that sound?” Placing a finger on her chin, she looked in wonder before smiling a sinister smile. “Oh wait, one of your branches seem to have chopped itself up and withered away. Ah ha ha ha! I guess that makes two graves to grieve over. A shame the seedlings didn’t do the same.”

“You bitch.” said Leanna through her teeth, her nails digging into her palm.
Leanna, burning with hatred, raised her fist with murderous intent. However, before her balled fist could reach the laughing woman’s cheek, a white glove caught white sleeve in midflight.

“Calm yourself, Leanna.” Kazamir intruded. “We don’t have time for unnecessary conflicts.” Ripping her arm from the dewmen’s grasp, Leanna continued to glare at the amused woman. Hoping to defuse the situation, Kazamir stepped forward followed by in a bow, muttering, “Excuse me but may I suggest y-“

Stumbling backwards to a loud clap, a red hand print painted the pale man’s cheek. Slowly tilting his face, trying to fight back any building emotions, Kazamir gritted his teeth as Alison yelled, “How dear this excuse for a creature speak to me as an equal. Gilles, would you be a dear and hand me the hand sanitizer? I wish not to contract any diseases this thing carries.”

“Yes, Lady Durene.” Gilles said with a bow, his eyes half closed. Handing Alison a gold bottle, he bowed once more stepping backwards.

Upon handing the bottle back to her green hair newmen butler, Alison’s blue eyes widen to the sight of Reinhardt who seemed to have sat idly by the entire time. “Reinhardt, my baby.” said the mother endearingly, her arms spread wide in an effort to embrace her son. “It has been so long. I hope you still aren’t paired with that dreadful woman, Marean.”

“Mother, please not this again.” Reinhardt said in a resentful tone of voice.

“While I’m glad that you have taken an interest in our newmen race, you know how I feel about wedding mere servants. There are so many women of higher value in which you could have wedded instead. Come, come, I have much to discuss with you.” Dragging her son away, Reinhardt looked hopefully towards Kazamir for help. However, all that was given in return was a cold face and a sigh.

“It would be wise not to anger Lady Durene, Ms. Velarium. I fear for the wellbeing of your grandchildren.” said the butler with sadness in his sleepy gaze.

“I thank you for your concern Gilles but we both know she would seek to harm them, regardless of my actions.” Leanna replied. Turning towards Kazamir, she said, “Come Kazamir, we leave.” Before turning back to Gilles, finishing with, “I pray for your safety.”

“As I yours, mad ‘am.”

The two newmens nodding to one another, Leanna and Kazamir left the airport arm in arm. Stopping at a cafe, Kazamir summoned a canteen of tea, which he poured into a cup to serve Leanna. Serving himself a cup, he said in sarcastic tone, “A nice lady. All this time I hoped Reinhardt came from a different line of Durene.”

“When your kind is second to last, you tend to bark louder than you can bite. Newmens of red hair will always be treated as such on the Melchior. They will forever be seen as newmens who follow the wrong path.”

“And the newmens of green?” Kazamir asked, his lips on the rim of his cup.

“This isn’t the place to be discussing such things. The puppets are listening. Have you returned Yoshi to the Ur as well?”

“He should be returning to the Celestial team ship as we speak.”

Standing in an empty lobby stood a man in a chic jaeger. A futuristic cowboy inspired suit, gray was the main color complemented with several orange highlights coloring various parts of the suit. Wearing a ten gallon hat, felted and brown, it danced in the air, staying still every so often. Underneath it, flying gray arms told a tale. Hands reshaping as these arms flew, a lady in navy blue heard this tale while standing on the other side of the lobby’s reception counter. A gray-blue brick attached to frame of the ship itself, several consoles bleeped behind and in front of the woman as she listened. Every so often, she would simply hold her coffee mug in awe as the man wearing the ten gallon hat told his tale. Other times she would sip in boredom. The man placing his fingers onto the counter, gasped for air on the conclusion of his story. Nodding in acknowledgment, the woman uttered a sound of interest and wiggled her fingers in the air, typing on a sky blue holo-panel.

“Everything seems to be in order.” The woman said. “You are still cleared to access all planets and classes. I hope you continue to serve Arks to the best of your ability and have a safe trip.”

“Thank you, Ms. Koffie. I hope your day is a pleasant one as well.”

Yoshi traveling to a warp pad to the right of the counter, opened up a mini dossier to ensure everything was in order. Stopping at an elevator like entrance, white doors slid open to reveal a white cylindrical room. Sweeping up from the floor to the roof, green pulses gave a calming hum on every pass. Sucking in a deep breath, he began to prepare for the leap into space. However, before he could take his first step, a metal hand slapped strongly on his backside. A blocky hand on a gray angular pauldron, the cowboy was shaken alongside a metallic voice.

“Long time, no see, eh Yoshi? You’ve been gone for quite some time.”

Turning around, Yoshi stood before a tall CAST in Dista armor. Covered in gray paint and blue highlights, yellow rectangles looked down on the human who replied, “Heh, how’s it going, Enforcer?” Yeah, I guess it has been a while.”
“We’ll, don’t keep them waiting. Get in there.”

The CAST shoving his human teammate forward, Yoshi hesitated, his legs pushing in the opposite direction. Eyeing the green pulses as if he was going to make a leap off a cliff, he started to take a series of deep breathes. Looking back, Yoshi said to the CAST, “Feels like forever since I last used one of these things.” Facing forward, he chuckled weakly before adding, “Alright, here I go.”

Stepping into the several blues rings that made up the elevator’s floor, the human press as a few floating buttons and was off. Vanishing into nothingness, all feeling was lost as he became a spec of light in the majestic slipstream. Somehow aware of everything around him yet holding no physical form; he watched similar trailing lights speed past him in a hurry. In a flash, there he stood in a larger, much more orange version of the warp pad. Having the urge to wave for no reason, the only souls there to greet him were a blind girl, a blond newmen, a giant yellow rappy, and Enforcer who just came in. The room appearing to resemble something of a stage, a raised platform could be seen in front of several rust colored chairs. Behind the platform, a green tree glowed, surrounded by a glass dome that was the back of the room.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/kYTiFMhzcvc)
“I forgot to tell you that everyone is out doing some form of mission.” said the CAST, taking a few steps forward. “Meji, guess who I found spacing out in the gateway lobby?”

The blond newmen lifting his head, sat up and exclaimed, “Ah, you found our hobo. I’m please to inform you that Neona has had a very success track record so far, Yoshi.” Arms wide open, he ventured towards the two, a visible smirk in the corner of his face. “Fewer crashes, yet take longer to reach a destination, but enough about our new pilot. It is good to see you again. Are you ready for your assignments?”

“If these missions take place on Lillipa, then yeah.” Yoshi responded while removing his hat. A Lillipan rolling out from underneath, jumped off the cowboy’s arm, summersaulted in the air and preformed a perfect landing. Yoshi giving the furry critter a thumbs up in approval, Lilliman skipped to the nearest seat, falling asleep immediately after. “That’s Lilliman. He travels with me.”

“I hope you’re feeding him correctly. Anyways, before we send you into anything, you’re going to need to do some retraining first. No, put that relic of a weapon away. You won’t need it.” Meji said as Yoshi drew his gunslash. “It is time you use a real weapon and no buts, Yoshi. Please report to Cornelia whenever you are able to.”

As his leader began to walk away, Yoshi reached out and said, “Wait, you’re not going to ask me about the ship?”

“Easy come, easy go.” The newmen replied as he continued walking forward. “It should go without saying that we value our members more than we do mechanical devices. However, we will need to speak about it later. Enjoy the rest of your day.” Roaming past the chairs, Meji walked up towards the transporter pad Yoshi arrived on and said with a bow, “The ship is on transit to Vorpal and is currently in Trager mode. That said, the hanger, rift, and temporary housing areas are available for use.”

“And if you’ll excuse me, Yoshi,” Enforcer added. “I need to escort Tingle to Naberius. Take care alright?”

“You too, Enforcer.” Yoshi replied. Waving goodbye, Yoshi pulled up a small panel. Scrolling through a long list of names, he stopped at a box displaying the word Cornelia. Tapping on the name, a text box dropped underneath, a blinking line waited for further inputs. Pulling out a keyboard from thin air, he began to type,



Cornelia, you there?


Spending a few minutes waiting for a reply, the cowboy grunted with impatience. Seeking answers, Yoshi headed to the nearby bar just left of the stage. Sitting down on one of the black and orange bar stools, the giant yellow Rappy from across the room, sunk into the floor and arose from behind the bar counter. Placing a wing on the black countertop, it said to him with a deep voice, “What’s shakin’ baby?”

Resisting the need to chuckle, Yoshi replied, “Have you seen Cornelia around?”

“She ain’t here, man. Like roboman said, everyone is off saving the world. But if you’re looking for her, she and the cats are rumbling in the jungle on Naberius; jamming with the Rockbears for their emeralds.”

“Anyone still around to take me to her?”

“Maybe. There’s a cute little girl in hanger fourteen. A new girl from another ship, who needed to make a pit stop before things got bad. Said the ship was melting down something fierce. Help her get that ship back into space and she may give you a lift. Maybe even a little something extra if you catch my drift.” Lifting up a glass from behind the counter, the Rappy added, “The usual?”

“Yeah.” Yoshi confirmed.

“Professor Peps without the sugar rocks; enjoy, my man.”

Working down his dark colored beverage, the human slid the glass to the Rappy and jump from his chair. Heading for the transporter, he waved to the Rappy and shouted, “Thanks for the info.”

The Rappy, flicking its wing from the forehead, shouted back, “It’s what I’m here for.”

Stepping onto the warp pad, the white wall on the other side split into two, revealing a corridor on the other side. Strolling into it, the man counted the signs as he made his way towards hanger fourteen. Going up white stairs, into several rooms, back tracking down stairs, he finally found a gray door with an orange #14 to the left of the door frame. Green text scrolling diagonal on the door, Yoshi pressed at a large glowing white circle with several transparent rings rotating around it. Shining blue for a brief moment, the door opened to reveal a hanger bay similar in appearance to the Arks gateway lobbies. Streaks of transparent flooring helping the eyes travel upwards from underneath, there sat an unfamiliar ship and a girl smacking it with a wrench. Speeding up from a power walk, Yoshi jogged closer to the girl shouting, “Whoa, let’s not get too violent now.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/cCYyjDNFvX8)
The girl, her black hair in a ponytail flopping over her shoulder, reached for a rag to wipe her face and replied, “I know what I’m doing. Just a few more whacks and it will be good as new.”

“I don’t think that’s the best way to fix a ship. Are you sure you know what you’re doing with that?”

“You kidding me, this B-02 and I are two of a kind. She and I were recruited at the same time even.” Spinning the wrench in her hand, she shook it at the ship and continued, “This here ship is a Bastone-02. Based on the specs of the S-57 and her sister ship the T-57, the hull has been strengthened to withstand any Darker attacks, should the shields pop. She’s not as fast as the previous model but she and her kind gets the job done. You’ll know it’s the older model if you see a little stub on the back. Communication doo-dads have been moved, a new Pythagorean shield system has been installed, and even the engines have been replaced with the more powerful Sobolev versions. They tend to burn too hot though and can’t fly for prolong periods of time. They say the engineers wanted green lights on their turret modifications but no one knows how that going.”

“Interesting info. Alright, well I need a ride to Naberious. If I help you fix your ship, do you think you can take me there?”

“Only if you promise to help me find someone I’ve been looking for.”

Reaching for a handshake, Yoshi said with a smile, “Deal.”

“You got a name?” the girl asked, accepting his gesture.

“Just call me Yoshiblue or Yoshi for short.”

“Kerri, Kerri Felts.”

Dropping down from behind the space cowboy with blue large tool bags in hand, a brown Lillipan stood in salute. “[Ready to commence repairs, Yoshi. I look forward to taking apart this ship.]”




[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]

Leaves blowing in the wind, petal dancing in the air, the sun smiled on Yoshi as he walked through the forests of Naberius. Green vines covering every rock in the area, nature ruled this area and was kind enough to provide shade for the man throughout his entire journey. Walking into a few thorny bushes, waiting for him on the other side was a spacious well lit clearing. Birds tweeting in the air, little critters scattering about, in the center of the clearing stood three figures nearby three fallen Rockbears. Little arms waving in the air, they didn’t notice the space cowboy wondering in.

“Connie!” Yoshi shouted, both arms waving in the air. “Hey.”

The three twisting to the sound of his voice, two of them waved back at him. Connie, a proud wire lance hunter, standing at a head taller than her two companions was the first to wave as he jogged closer. Greenish teal hair, long pointy ears and exposed abs burning in the sunlight, she wore a modified green neighbor quartz for maximum flexibility. To the right of her and waving back as well was Techno, another human who also liked to wear the Arks academy outfit. Unlike Yoshi, he preferred guns and sported black hair. Underneath Techno’s futuristic sunshades were a handsome smile and a gun on his shoulder. The only one who didn’t wave was Serizawa, the smallest of the three. Also human, she liked to tie her black hair into a ponytail. Being the only one who chose not to look over, she instead tended to the gems of the Rockbears. All that could be seen was her red themed coloration and bits of the Calrassetic outfit she wore.

Running up to the group, Yoshi immediately stop in front of the green themed newmen and said, “Meji told me to come to you for retraining. Wasn’t sure if you had the time to do so but I decided to come anyways.”

“My my, I’m a sensei now.” She responded with a hand on her chin. “Okay, but let’s make this quick. I promised I’d travel with Mia to the ruins up north. Techno, do you carry a launcher on you?” she asked, her head facing the laid back human.

“That I do.” Techno responded, pulling a large rocket launcher like weapon out of thin air.

“Good, I’m going to need you to load it decoys. Serizawa, please lend Yoshi your sword.”

Shouting from behind the orange gems, Serizawa replied, “Why does it have to be my sword? Tell him to get his own.”

“Hand it over before I make you.”

“Fine; don’t break it like you do the airships, Yoshi.” Serizawa said, throwing a Dio Ardillo, a black and white sword with a red blade, over the corpse of the Rockbear.

“Alright Yoshi, all you need to do is to wait for the decoy to deploy and strike at it. Simple enough, yes?”

“More or less.” Yoshi responded, picking the blade from the ground.

Facing Techno, Cornelia shouted in joy, “Fire.”

With a nod, the human fire a silver humanoid like figure from his launcher. Giving the sword a twirl, Yoshi charged at the decoy, hitting it the strongest swing he could give it. Blade meeting photons, Yoshi dashed past it, turning around with a thumb in the air. Walking closer to inspect the damage, the newmen looked up and announced, “Not a bad strike but not a good one either.” Without looking, Cornelia raised an arm towards Techno with her fingers curling three times. “Techno, could you please hand him your rifle?”

The man wordlessly reaching around his backside pulled off his Steb Weapon, a snow white sub machine gun, tossing it towards his human ally. Flawlessly catching it in hand, Yoshi looked at the iron sights. Giving the cowboy the time to readjust the sights, Connie exclaimed, “Repeat.”

Techno firing once again, Yoshi immediately shoulder the weapon and fired in bursts of three at the decoy.

Watching sparks fly, the newmen held an open hand in the air requesting the cowboy to stop. Examining the second decoy, she turned to Yoshi and said, “Not bad, not bad. I can see why you wanted to be a Ranger. Why don’t you use a rifle more often?”

“I don’t know,” Yoshi said as he continued to adjust the iron sights. “I just liked gunslashes that much more.”

“Well, you didn’t have to fire right away but this will do. Do you happen to carry a rod or wand on you?”

Pulling out a strike broom, Yoshi responded, “Yeah, I always keep one on me just in case my-”

“That will do. Techno, repeat!”

The man with the launcher firing again, Yoshi subconsciously casted a spell before it fully deployed in the air. An abnormally large Rafoie exploding in the air; the decoy bursted into several pieces, causing everyone shields their eyes from the scattering remains.

“What the heck is going on over there?” Serizawa shouted.

“My word.” Techno commented.

“Oh, that was quite the explosion.” Said Connie, with a finger tapping her chin. Unsheathing her wire lances, she sent them flying to retrieve the sword and rifle. Returning them to their respective owners, she then requested for Serizawa to join the group. “Now it is time for the final test. Let us see how you defend yourself. It may allow you to discover what kind of subclass you may need to undertake in the future. Let us know when you are ready to proceed.”

“That’s not cool at all.” Yoshi cried, lifting the rod to defend himself. Taking a moment to find inner courage, Yoshi opened his eyes and yelled, “Alright, let’s go.”

Using her wire lance to force him into a guard, the trio charged at Yoshi in a pincer formation. Confused as to what he should do, Yoshi slammed the solid end of the rod onto the ground forming a barrier of rock to engulf him. Stopping mid-way into their charge, the three stared at the rock bubble in curiosity. Serizawa striking at the barrier a few times, Cornelia caught the blade and said, “My my. You’re a wizard, Yoshi.”

“I’m a what?” asked Yoshi whose voice muffled behind the rock.”

“You’re a force of nature.” Techno shouted.

The wall finally crumbling to the ground, Yoshi stared at the three with nervous smile. “Did I pass?” he muttered, the rod still lifted in case of a second attack.

“Congratulations, you passed the retraining process.” Cornelia exclaimed in excitement.

“Wait, there’s no endurance test or a hand to hand combat test or something?” Yoshi asked.

Walking to the human, Connie replied, “Do you really want to go through that?”

“No not really.” said Yoshi as his head was tapped.

“Then you can report back to Meji whenever time permits it. I’ll fill him in with the details as you make your way back to the team ship, okay?”



[/spoiler-box]

[Sacrificial]

[SPOILER-BOX]THis was a neat chapter, I like reading your "slice of life" style.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

[spoiler-box]Heh, thanks. I just hope the fillers grow more upbeat. No promises though.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Author Junk[SPOILER-BOX]Well, kinda didn't want to start chapter 21 yet, partially because I didn't know how much I wanted to skip. So have some fillers instead! Everyone loves fillers.

If you're here for the music. Well, here you go.[SPOILER-BOX]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojlSfvHy3DM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojlSfvHy3DM[/SPOILER-BOX][/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
Within a less empty gateway, Yoshi stood once again near blocky black reception counters. Wearing the same gray chic jaeger suit, only much cleaner this time around, he leaned against the receptionist counter chatting with Rebecca. Black long hair and a cyan variation of the outfit Koffie wore; her forehead sweated profusely as Yoshi tossed several questions at her. Yoshi simply couldn’t understand why he couldn’t go anywhere; especially Lillipa and was determined to find answers.

“What do you mean I can’t go Lillipa?” Yoshi asked as leaned forward on the counter.

“I’m sorry, sir. The system isn’t allowing you access to that area of the planet either. If you would please wait until this gets sorted out.” Rebecca responded while rapidly filtering through various panels. Grabbing one panel and throwing it aside, new ones popped up in its place. While the worried woman tried to find the solution to the problem, Yoshi jiggled around in impatience. Looking behind him, a small line slowly formed behind him, faces staring at him in confusion and frustration. Shooting back towards the female human, he thought to himself, “Great, just what I needed.”

Silence overtook them. A faint tick could be heard in the distance. A plastic click per passing second, the two grew more embarrassed as a mysterious hand applied pressure them. Windows flying, sounds of urgency uttered through pursed lips. Suddenly, the two bounced in place as a loud bang broke the silence. Echoed did the ceramic slam make, produced by Koffie’s coffee mug, seen firmly held in placed to the right of Yoshi. Originally standing on the other side of the counter’s blocky support beam, the woman of white hair leaned over with red eyes of irritation.

“Look here, kid.” Koffie barked. “Didn’t you just switch to the Force class recently?”

“Yes bu-“

“Then you aren’t allowed in those zones. I don’t care how much you ran around as a ranger or a hunter or whatever you were then; you’re going to have to deal with the fact that you aren’t ready yet. I don’t care if it’s the emptiest, most boring plot of land on the planet. It’s zoned off for a reason.”

“I don’t think that’s the reason though.” Rebecca nervously added, the windows now vanishing from existence.

“I don’t care.” Koffie replied. “I’m tired of these people constantly trying to throw themselves into dangerous zones without the proper clearance. Would it kill them to spend the time to hone their skill instead?”

“It would be nice.”

“Exactly.” Koffie explained with both arms in the air. “You throw them into the scarier parts of the planet and then they wonder why life is suddenly hell.” Looking back towards Yoshi, she continued, “Look, you’re a novice Force. You realigned the way your inner photons work. Doesn’t matter how good you think you are, you got to climb the steps like everyone else. Even the Ace has to do this. Until you can prove that you’re ready for this once again, you’re going to have tough it out and climb through the ranks.”

“That’s not the issue though.” Rebecca cried. “He can’t go anywhere.”

“Then tell him to take the day off.” said Koffie with her mug in the air. “You heard her, boy. Go do something productive. Clean your house, wash the dishes, grab a cup of coffee, I don’t care what you do. We’ll call you when everything gets fixed. Now go on, you’re holding up the line and have a nice day.”

Koffie sending Yoshi off with a convincing glare, the cowboy retreated to the central resting area just in front a nearby medical center. Resting in one the many large curved benches, gray, forming a ring around an Arks emblem; he looked to the sky, staring at a floating orb of advertisements floating just above him. Watching colors mix and match, lost in his own little world, the human wasn’t aware of a dewmen walking up to him. Taking seat next to Yoshi, Kazamir grabbed his human friend by the shoulder, asking with a shake, “Stuck here on the ship?”

Sucked back into reality, Yoshi replied in a daze, “Yeah, how did you know?”

“You’ve been gone for a while now.” said Kazamir, resting his elbow on the arm rest. “They may have removed you from a few lists and must now throw you back in. So for now, you have to get sorted into a new squad before you can go anywhere.”

“How come the receptionist couldn’t tell me then?”

“We all make mistakes, Yoshi. Sometimes people just forget to look in the simplest of places. Either way, you should wait it out and do something else. Like getting your home back. I doubt you will be allowed to bum it out on your team ship forever.”

“Hey!” Yoshi shouted with a serious look in his eyes and a smile.

Lifting from the bench, Kazamir knocked on Yoshi’s hat and said, “Anyways, I have to go. I’ll keep an eye on the area for you. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know.”

As his friend walked away, something about him immediately reminded Yoshi of Kerri. Jumping off the bench after his friend, the cowboy ran after the dewmen asking, “Hey, do you know anyone by the name of Kerri Felts?”

Stopping in place, Kazamir turned around, staring at Yoshi for once with a troubled look. Both arms behind his leathery purple suit, a pale face looked to the side, shifting in place as he did. Rolling his jaw a few times, he regained his stoic look and replied, “Sadly, I do not. Why do you ask?”

“Promised I would help her look for someone; figured you would know.”

“Have you asked this person for whom she sought?” Kazamir asked. An eyebrow cocked in suspicion.

“Come to think of it, no.” Yoshi replied, his hat lifted to scratch his head in thought. “We got so caught up with trying to fix her damn ship that I forgot to ask.”

“I see. Sorry I could not be of any help. However, keep an eye on her, would you?”

Twisting back to his original course, now moving in a much faster stride, Yoshi stared back in confusion; slowly saying, “Ok?” Looking towards the transport room behind him, he said with a sigh, “Guess I better find out if I still live in the same home.”

Navigating the city to his home, he spent some time chatting with the clerk. Learning that he did indeed keep the same room he has always had as well as the current events going on. With a handshake of joy, the space cowboy went up a glass elevator, through the white walled hallways, into the miniature hallway like entrance to fumble for his key without hesitation. Jamming it into the lock, he opened his door with a large smile. Expecting to see the same western themed room his daughter had set up for him; his smile faded to a smaller, much simpler room. Peering into nothing but gray walls, floors, and a large window, the only thing furnishing the room was his daughter’s gray and blue partner machine stand. The corners of his mouth now wavering, he resisted the urge to shed a tear as sadness squeezed at his heart. Slowly reaching down to close the grey door, he refused to believe this was happening. Grasping his hair, he stumbled backwards, bumping into one of the surrounding walls. Thoughts began to race through his mind, questioning what he should do. Why did this happen? Where did I go wrong? How could I have prevented this from happening? Struggling to resist the feeling of a sharp knife plunging at his chest, he didn’t notice a woman appearing from around the corner.

“Oh hey, funny seeing you here.” A cherry voice suddenly said. Turning towards the origin of the sound, Yoshi met with the face of Kerri, her rosy cheeks poking from around white edge.

“Hey.” Yoshi replied, trying to hide his sadness, tilting his hat to shelter his eyes

“Are you locked out of your room?” She asked with a finger placed under her lip.

“Nah, just thinking about what I should eat. I forgot to restock my fridge, heh heh.” Yoshi lied, producing a feeble laugh.

“Oh, that’s a shame. Well, I would invite you to dinner but my place is a mess. Speaking of which, I guess that makes us neighbors now!” Kerri shouted. “Isn’t that exciting?”

“Always nice to meet new neighbors. Don’t worry about me though. I’ll survive, though. But… thanks for the thought.”

“No problem, no problem. Speaking of which, did you know that we are in the same cell too?”

“The same what?” Yoshi asked, raising the brim of his hat.

“Silly, how do you not know what that means?” Kerri replied, roughly poking his head. “Well, if you really didn’t know, you know how you see the same pilots every time you head out for a mission?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, that’s because we work in the same group. We’re ready to go when you’re ready to go. If the ground operative isn’t on a mission, us pilots either spend the day off, maintain our ships or are sent off as temporary replacements for other pilots! Flexibility at its finest. Pilots are also determined by the leader and their party members. So sometimes you may meet someone new! Just please give us time to work on our ships. You wouldn’t want us flying in a heap of metal held together by glue and duct tape.”

“Would explain why I had to save the same guy over and over again.”

“And now I get to save you! When they decide the other pilots, we should all get together and bond. That way we work together as a stronger team. Yeah!” Kerri screamed with fire in her eyes and a clenched fist in the air. Before Yoshi had a chance to respond, Kerri bonked him on the head a few times and said as she left, “We’ll I got to go. My books won’t study themselves. Ciao.”

As her face disappeared, Yoshi grabbed the corner, pulled himself around and asked, “Anything I should avoid, since we’re neighbors and all?”

The woman, stopping place for a moment, began to ponder. Turning her head to look over the shoulder, she replied, “Nothing I can think of at the moment but if you hear loud music or something similar to a wall being destroyed, don’t mind me. It’s just me being me.”

Watching her walk off to her room, Yoshi slowly whispered, “Right.”

Releasing a deep breath of air, his throat shivering, he turned to his gray door, pressing at a button to step inside. The moon’s majestic light dancing on grey checked floors, Yoshi crawled onto the partner machine stand, slouching on the pedestal jutting out of the platform. On a snap of two fingers, the lights turned off. With only the moon to accompany him, he slept in sorrow, hoping his daughter would simply return to say hello, just like she always did.

[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
Click. Click. Click.

Pitch black without a hint of color insight. Faint murmurs could be heard floating nearby. Trying to understand what was being said, fighting against the current of a rock rubbing against plastic, several beeps periodically got in the way. Wanting to see, struggling to move, only weakness was to be found in the darkness. Mumbled words speaking again, white lines of texts magically appeared in the black room. Small, written in odd font and scrolling down fast, gray colors began to flood in from the boarders as these words fell like a waterfall. Suddenly, light. The world shaping into what appeared to be a ceiling made up of six oversized lights, a smiling face focused into view as the world became sharper.

“Hey there, little guy” A man with teal hair said, his silver frames slightly crooked. Pushing off to rise up, the man caught it from the back with a faint giggle. “Easy there.” he said. “I got you. Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself now.”

Words still falling, the text now scrolled in a faded cyan color, shapes now accompanying the screen.

Yoshi, knelling on the floor next to a red metal tool box, held his mag above the floor as it showed signs of life. Holding it parallel to his forearm, the man smiled as he watched his little device wake from its slumber. The two four prong ninja stars on each side, lazily spinning, picking up in speed, flexed and twisted in several directions. Fighting to lift into the air, a giant OK covered its vision and the soccer ball sized mag rocket straight into Yoshi’s face without mercy.

“I’m sorry.” Yoshi cried in pain, as hard metal rammed into his slightly tan face.

Launched an inch into the air, the two fell to the floor and flopped around. Yoshi, trying to get off the floor, had to deal with a great force pressing against his cheek. While his mag squirmed around, trying to readjusting its control over flight. Grabbing his mag with both hands, both palms flat against the spinning objects to avoid injuring himself, removed the mag from his head so that he can stand onto feet.

“Okay, I didn’t mean to shut you off. I just needed to avoid being found is all.” Yoshi said with a weak smile.

Cyan triangle eyes staring back at him, the device silently listened. The mag was not mad about its owner usage of the power switch. It didn’t even remember such a thing ever occurring. However, as much as it wanted to tell him that it wasn’t angry in any way, it couldn’t tell him verbally for mags lacked a mouth to do so. The only few ways it could communicate with non-cast owners was through actions and motions; and with its owner firmly holding on to it, it couldn’t do either.

“I’ll tell you what. How about we get you into a CAST body for a day? Sounds cool right?” Yoshi said with a much more confident smile this time.

While the mag had no interest in becoming a CAST, the thought of being one for a day did sound interesting. Being an object whose origins go hand in hand with the very first CASTs; to the mag, it would be like roaming the other side of the hill for a day. With the decision made, Yoshi put on his ten gallon hat, threw on a coat and was out the door. Hands lifting from the mag, it hovered over his shoulder, following him through the still strange white hallways of the building. Entering into a wood paneled elevator, Yoshi poked at a few gold buttons, the black box up above now saying destination: lobby in red text up above.

“I guess I should update you on what has happened so far, huh?” Yoshi said, both hand in the air as he shrugged at his mag; the elevator now falling. “Well, Lilliman and I left Marean’s ship, the lady with the green hair, and now we’re back on Ur. Still hasn’t touched any of the beer I bought her and I learned that she likes to hug in her sleep. Speaking of sleep, we still own the same room but it seems they actioned all our stuff away thinking I was dead. Home sweet home right? Any who, so I’m waiting to be throwing into some new squad so we can go on missions again but some of the Celestial dudes said they would let me tag along on some of their trips. So that’s always nice. We lost a few ships to Falz, people have been disappearing, apparently Arks has some form of interest in me but they won’t tell me what or why. I’m not alone in that regard either it seems. I got a new gunslash to try out but I can’t use it yet. Already tried to hack into the safety but I got nowhere with it. We also have a new neighbor. Seems the entire row got cleared out. So expect to meet a lot of new people moving in soon.”

The wooden panels now fading into glass, the two watched the sunrise fill their cabin while buildings twisted across the city in a surreal fashion. First drifting down, now sliding across the edge of the building, Yoshi watched as the other side drew near. Sailing closer to the edge of the building, the elevator paused for a moment just at the edge of the other rail. Looking skyward, the two watched as another cabin dropped right in front of theirs, holding a few female Forces who blow raspberries at Yoshi. Ignoring their gestures, the sight of a wand caused Yoshi to lift a finger, turning back towards his mag as if remembering something.

“Oh yeah, I’m a force now. Not very cowboy like, I know. But hey, can’t knock it till you try it. They say I’m pretty good at it but sometime I just think they just say that so I can be their personal healer. I’m told I do things other force haven’t normally done before. But I’m pretty sure anyone can shape the earth and create barriers too, right?”

Listening to Yoshi, the mag shook in place, trying to tell him no. Landing on top of its head, it began to produce yellow lights of caution from its eyes, trying to tell him to be careful.

“Hey, we can be a gilnach when it’s Halloween. Nice thinking there, mag man.” Yoshi said, removing the mag from his head. Looking to the red numbers, a ping rang in the air as the black panel said lobby. “Oh hey, we’ve arrived.”

Moving through a rather homely lobby, the two left the building to venture around various different stores. Wondering the Arks filled areas made up of one story buildings, square, white, coming in random sizes both in width and height; they made up the shopping place people roamed around in. Almost like a bazaar or swap meet, but with solid buildings instead of tents and canopies, Yoshi walked into a building with decorative neon sign displaying the title MAG-CAST. The smell of plastic in the air, blue themed walls, floor and sofas filling the room, jazz played in the background as the two stepped into a dim room. Just up ahead, a cashier stood behind a white counter chewing bubble gun in boredom.

“Welcome to Magcast, where mags evolve into lifelike friends. How can I help you?” The cashier said with a chin buried in a palm.

“Hi.” Yoshi approached with a smirk. “I’d like to try rent a body for my little dude here for a day.”

“Just a day?” the bored cashier said with slightly raised eyebrows.

“Yes.” Yoshi nodded

“Well-endowed or perky?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re here for a female companion aren’t you?”

“Er…no. I’m just here to give my mag a chance to live like a CAST. Do you have a display case or some images my mag can hover over?”

Diving behind the counter without a word, the cashier pulled out a small spiral spine book of images. With a chop to open it up, the cashier said in the same tone of boredom, “Let me know when you find something you like.”

With nod, the two took the nearest seat available. Minutes passing, their decisions made after several assumptions, the two flocked back towards the counter. Placing the book gently onto its polished plastic surface, Yoshi pointed at an image and said, “This one please with options two, five and twenty two.”

“Right.” said the cashier. With a slam, a fist on a nearby black button, a square panel flipped opened revealing a mag shaped slot. “Please insert your mag in here. Here are some papers to fill out while we make the magic happen. You will have twenty four hours to enjoy your new cast companion. When your time expires, the body will disappear and your mag will be floating like the mag it always was. We hope you will have a pleasant experience and will come back soon. Would you like a warranty with that?”

“Not really.”

“See you soon, then.”

Placing written documents on the counter, Yoshi waited patiently on soft plush cushions. Taking the time to check the integrity of his units as time passed by, a door flew open to a blue CAST rolling into the room. Wearing drake parts, robotic parts that also replicate the appearance of a long coat, it posed as Yoshi lifted from his chair.

“I am Cast! I am man! I am Cast man!” the newborn CAST proudly yelled. “Oh yeah!”

“Looking good there, mag man. Ready to hit the streets?” Yoshi said, clapping as he approached.

“You know it, space cowboy.” The CAST said with a thumb in the air.

The sun still high in the air, the two stood outside, hand over eyes, seeking their next destination. Thanks to several passing Caseals, each expressing their interest in the CAST, Castman began to pose in random positions. Yoshi, not wanting to look strange, began to do the same until a few bothered people began to yell at them. Wishing to avoid trouble, the two retreated to a café. Yoshi enjoying the scent of freshly grounded coffee beans, urged Castman to sit closer to the shop. Doing so, the two took chairs under a blue umbrella and sat in contemplation.

“So what do you want to do?” Yoshi asked, his hands clasped in front of his face.

“I don’t know. Normally I just go where you go.” The CAST said with a thumb and a finger on his chin.

Spending a day at various places, the CAST soon learned that there were many rules to follow and many functions to get use to. Getting into trouble on numerous occasions, Yoshi had to apologies for the many mistakes his cast friend had made. Going berserk in the shooting range, J-walking into red lights, pushing aside crowds of people, breaking small figures, the Cast felt more and more unwelcomed as the day went by. Learning that more time was needed to get use to a CAST body, the two returned to the store to return the parts.

“Back so soon?” The cashier said in concern. “Would you like to try another frame?”

“Nah, we’re just here to return the parts. May come back to rent them again for a longer period of time.”

“Are you sure? Did something happen?”

“He kinda littered the whole firing range with bullet holes. For now, I think I’ll just stick with mag support.”

“Alright then. I noticed that your mag is using out of date firmware. Would you like an upgrade, free of charge?”

Cast-man now a mag once more, circled around Yoshi as he moved through the sliding doorway. Pulling his staff out of thin air, Yoshi said to the mag, “Alright, how about we work on support timing and make some spells fly instead?”

The mag floating in front of him began to produce symbol arts of caution, displaying images of “no to meteors”, nooses and “persecution”.

[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]“Every time I run into you, you’re always spacing out by the gateway.”

“What can I say? I’m a man who wonders what’s on those stars out there.”

Having just came from gateway’s left transporter, a dewmen in a purple suit strolled towards a space cowboy wearing a teal punish jacket. Once in front of the human, he stopped in a slant. Arms crossing over each other, the dewmen watched the human as he gazed into the starry sea outside cyan tinted windows. Various Arks operatives passing by, the dewmen sat patiently, waiting for the human to pay attention.

“So what could you possibly be thinking about?” asked Kazamir with a hint of concern.

“Nothing really” Yoshi lied, finally looking at his pale faced friend with a fake smile.

“Why, was there something you wanted to talk about?”

“No, not really. Sometimes I worry that you just sit in this lobby hoping to run into someone.”

“More like I sit in this lobby questioning if I made the right decisions in life.”

“So you are thinking about something.” Kazamir said with a chuckled.

“And what could this bonehead possibly be thinking about?” added Reinhardt as he walked out from the shopping area’s elevator.

Meeting up with the two, the trio preformed various forms of greetings before devolving into punching each other’s shoulders. Dragging it on for a few minutes, it took the angry glances of passing groups to make them stop in embarrassment. Attempting to just laugh it off, they each awkwardly chuckled to themselves before Kazamir finally had enough; shouting, “Alright, enough of this, seriously.”

“Good to know that some things never change, eh Kazamir?” Reinhardt said, scratching the back of his red hair. “So what are you two up to? Scouting the girls? Looking for opportunities?”

“Honestly I feel we are just trying to better ourselves. I as a dewmen. Yoshi as a person.”

“Oh, come on, Kaz. Don’t go on about how you’re a monster and all that ‘I have lost my humanity’ nonsense again. You’re just a pale skinned human, dude. Slap on some spray on tan and you’re good to go.” He said, pretending to spray something on his arm.

“You don’t even know half the issues I have to deal with on a daily basis.” Kazamir responded slowly.

“Oh no, I’m a dewmen. Someone help me.” Reinhardt mocked, grunting as he knotted him arms. “What issues could you possibly be dealing with? A secret love life?”

Retrieving a red box from his pocket, Kazamir tossed it towards Yoshi saying, “That reminds me. Yoshi, can you go get that check out for me? I would do it myself but I forgot to bring enough meseta to cover the inspection fees.” With the box held tightly in his arms, Yoshi only nodded cautiously before walking away. Waiting for Yoshi to enter the elevator, which led to the shopping district below them, he turned his attention back to his red head friend. Without a though, an arm grabbed the newmen’s shoulder in rough manner. Pulling Reinhardt forward with unsettling force, Kazamir whispered to him, trying to mask his frustration, “That is not funny, Reinhardt.”

Fear gripping the newmen, Reinhardt responded in a brave tone, “Hey. Friends have each other’s back, Kaz. Yoshi hasn’t had a clue about it.”

“That’s the part that irritates me the most.” Kazamir replied, pushing the newmen away. “Why must you bother me with this? What makes you bring this up?”

“There’s a new girl in the fleet, Kaz. She’s looking for you.”

“I do not exist then. I died, years ago. “

“Oh no, that’s not how we’re going to play this game.”

“Or what, Yoshi takes her hand in marriage if I’m too late?” Kazamir laughed. Giving his friend a rare crooked smile, an arm flew out into the air as he harshly continued, “That would be a good thing then. By all means, lead her to him. I don’t deserve it.”

“You made a promise to her!” Reinhardt shouted, grabbing the dewmen by his collar. Parts of the lobby growing silent, the newmen unhanded his friend, who in turn, straightened his tie. “And you’re going to keep that promise.”

“Why must you poke your nose into things that do not concern you? We were ten years old when we made that promise. People grow up and change.”

“You’re a lying sack of shit, you know that Kazamir?” Reinhardt replied, pointing a finger at the dewmen’s pale nose. “Saying that to me with a straight face, when you continue to wear the armband she gave you.” Pacing briefly in frustration, he took a few steps backwards and continued, “Just like Yoshi. You two cling on to a memory and never strive to move forward. Only you went and tried to fuck up his life because of her.”

“Unlike Yoshi, my brain can not simply shut off to avoid the painful memories. There is a reason why I do what I do. Do you honestly think I’m proud of what I did?” Kazamir replied with a finger pointing aim at his chest, violently shaking in frustration.

“Hey!” shouted Yoshi, running up the lobby with a weapon in hand. Holding a Naglering Zero, a white revolver attached to an orange curved frame, a blue blade underneath; he raised it up to show Kazamir with pride. “Nice find, Kazamir.”

A hand held out, Kazamir responded, “Hang on to it for me, will you? I have things to take care of.”

“Oh no you don’t, Kaz.” Rienhardt hastily said. “It’s not often we get to relax together like this. Why don’t we grab something to eat? Find something cool for our gear?”

“I would rather spe-“

“I got coupons!” Yoshi interrupted, scattering several little cyan rectangles into the air.

The other two frowning at him with slightly impressed expressions, Reinhardt flung an arm towards Kazamir, asking, “Why does he have coupons? Yoshi, you’re not a poor man scrapping by to make a living.”

“He recently spent his time living among the civilians, remember? Also, you’re going to miss the interruption queue if you keep messing around with us.”

The newmen looking towards a clock, panicked, patting his clothes to ensure he had all of his gear on hand. Finding relief to the fact that he didn’t forget anything, he gave an odd stare to his dewmen friend before deciding to head off. Lightly patting Yoshi on the head on the way, he disappeared into the expansive gray shipyard tunnel. Confused Yoshi tried to speak but couldn’t find the words he wanted to say. Uttering sounds of the lost alongside twitching arms, Kazamir patted his back and said, “Yes, that man is a hypocrite. He says that aiming to surpass the top preforming Arks will bring him a better future for both he and Marean. Really, I just think he’s trying to find his father’s approval.” Stepping in the opposite direction, he added, “I have to go, Yoshi. Maybe next time, alright?”
With the hand in the air to wave goodbye, Yoshi blew air from the side of his right cheek. The rectangles left orbiting his brown ten gallon hat, Yoshi sighed, looking up to the stars. His arm now swinging like a noodle, the cowboy almost poked himself with the Naglering in hand. Uttering a squeak of fear, he placed the gunslash on his backside, patting the weapon a few times to ensure its security. With a drop of his arm, a voice called to him from behind,

“Oh, are those coupons, Yoshi?” said Kerri as she stooped in to examine them.

“Mind if I have some of them?”

“Help yourself.”

Removing Yoshi’s hat from his head, Kerri watch the coupons rotate with interest and asked “You wouldn’t mind if I use your hat as a nacho bowl too would you?”

“I like my hat, thanks you very much. Besides, aren’t girls afraid of germs or something?”

“Excuse me, I am not a girl. I am a woman. We punch faces in; swim in lava and suplex everything that moves.”

“I don’t thi-”

“You don’t get out much do you?” she said, looking to him as if she was trying to contain laughter. Spinning the hat between her fingers, she picked at the rectangles and lifted the hat in the air. With one hand on the brim, she slammed the hat onto the man’s teal hair, her other hand letting coupons circle her fingers. Walking away, she said, “Anyways, thanks for the coupons.” and disappeared.


[/spoiler-box]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX] Inside a rocky gulch, steam, two stories high filled the air as several people ran across the orange rocks their giant team ship rested on. Moving in and out of the hot spring’s wooden changing room stalls, a woman chased after a wolf. A CAST ran from an angry crowd. Out of all the people in the area, only a few decided to do nothing. Ignoring everything happening around him, choosing to be one of those people, was Yoshi. Dressed and lounging on one of the many soft maple benches the hot spring team room had to offer; Yoshi sat in his decorative blue Arks academy uniform with a clear holo-screen in hand. Staring in uneasiness as he read through the latest news, a small media player, the size of a sugar cube, played faint orchestral music nearby. Sitting nearby him, Natsu, who claimed her own bench, laid several cleaning tools upon it before unfolding a small little mat for her parts.

Wearing a black suit, tossing her red scarf out of the way, she unhinged two H44 Missouri Ts’ from her lower backside. Mostly black in color, they came with white grips, a red chamber and a red line coloring the tip of their elongated barrels. Casually taking them apart, Yoshi found it hard to read as she started to hum alongside the song. With a sigh, he scooted to the side, placing his hat on his lap after it fell off. While trying to read, two hands started to run through his hair from behind.

“Nina, your hair feels so strange. Do you wish to wash it in the hot spring?” the voice cooed.

Smirking, not knowing what to say, Yoshi replied, “Sorry, but I think you got the wrong person.”

Hands immediately lifting from his head, the woman responded “My apologies.” before scuttling away as fast as she could.

Yoshi, throwing his hat back on, continued his attempts to read. However, with his tolerance running low, the urge to find a quiet place became too much for him. Slowly sitting up from the bench, he ventured to the team’s Rappy, who stood behind his usual white angular counter. The giant yellow bird, letting him in, continued to filter through the team related documents it has been looking over.

“So what brings you here, cowboy? Not going to join your team, swimming in those warm glorified bird baths?”

“Not really feeling it to be honest. I’d rather just read.”

“Don’t be that way, man. Just think of the killer tan you could be getting right now. Or you can take advantage of being one of the team’s few male members.”

“I don’t think it works that way.” Yoshi replied, raising a hand in the air in a shrug.

“You never know.” the Rappy said, looking at the man with one eye. Lifting its head, it then said, “Hey there, Master Meji.”

Approaching from the transporter pad was their leader. Walking in with a camera in hand, a peppy smile and a small bag on his backside, he strode to the man and bird placing both hands on Yoshi’s holo-screen.

“Hey. How are the team’s reports coming along?” Meji asked, Yoshi standing up straight.

“They’re coming along super fine. And the tree over there is looking better than ever.” said the Rappy, gesturing towards a glowing green tree sitting behind the ship’s stage.

“Good to hear. And Yoshi, why are you here reading this…eh… rabble when you could be out there, relaxing in the sun?”

“Just not in the mood really.” Yoshi replied.

The newmen, wide eye to the response, rubbed his chin in though. Finding a conclusion in his head, he smiled once more, placing a hand on Yoshi’s gold aiguillette. “I guess this would be one of those times where your friend Marean would stop by to drag you off somewhere, wouldn’t it?” Yoshi only staring answered in silence. “You shouldn’t have to wait for anyone to ask you to have fun, Yoshi. Just be your own person and do what you will, as you will. Just as long as it doesn’t cost the team money.” he said before bursting into laughter.
Walking away, he lifted his camera and shouted to the team, “Now, who wants their picture taken?”

People stopped in their tracks, looked to the blond newman and began to crowd around him, leaving Yoshi and the Rappy to continue what they were doing.

“You know,” the Rappy said, sliding a panel across the counter top. “There are a few people who are also trying to improve their trade. If you’re looking kick some can, why don’t you tag along and get those muscles pumping?”

Brown eyes taking in the panel with a frown, Yoshi picked the clear object from its white surface, pondering the contents displayed upon it. His frown moving from cheek to cheek, he finally crushed in his hand, accepting it. “Sure, why not?”

“See you around.” the Rappy said, lifting the counter door.

Beaming down to the gateway lobby, Yoshi immediately ran into two of his team members. The slightly taller of the two was Anna. A tough woman of blond hair, who prefers well armored clothes, hated heels and knew her way around the battlefield thanks to her friend Neona. As a human, she took pride in her physic, handling most of the rough parts of her job. Next to her was Neona. Sister of Marean, also a newmen of green hair, she tended to prefer ranged combat, magic, fancy clothes and doesn’t fare well when the enemy looks to her as their next meal. Relying on Anna to protect her in times of need, she takes pride in the amount of damage she can dish out. Enjoying massive explosions and large amounts of collateral damage as oppose to her sister’s love to slowly cut something in a silent fashion.

In a power walk, Yoshi held up the team order panel saying, “Hey, Anna,” before turning to the newmen to add, “And Neo. Do you two mind if I tag along?”

“Hey, Yoshi. I don’t see why not.” Anna replied, checking the blade of her katana.

“Sure.” Neona added with a smile.

“Is there anything you need to grab before we head off?”

“Nope, I have everything I need.” Yoshi said, patting his pockets.

A finger pointing in the air, Neona yelled, “Let’s go!” and the trio began to travel to the large gray tunnel leading to the shipyard outside. While marching forward, Neona tripped, causing the two to look back with a cringe. Anna instinctively moved forward, holding her hand out for the fallen newman, Neona got up saying with a smile, “I’m okay.”

Some things just never change, was all Yoshi had bouncing in his head.

[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Early Morning Shenanigans -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (https://youtu.be/GctuPoKv79s)

High in the sky did the full moon of Ur shine in a starlit sea. From its throne of clouds, thousands of arms reached out to bless its people below. Of one of these people sat Yoshi, who slept soundly on Marean’s partner machine stand. A week has passed since his return. Having chosen to leave his room untouched, it still remained void of furniture. His daughter’s stand used as his bed. Unchallenged light reaching through large curved windows, the moon caressed his face as he shuddered. The time is two o’ clock in the morning. Displayed on the stand he slept on, it began to produce several bleeps the moment fifty nine hit zero. Refusing to wake up at first, he tried to simply shrug it off. However, it didn’t take long for an arm to start flailing about just over his head. Pawing around the podium surface, he had forgotten that the red button he sought hung far out of reach, resting on the very tip of the reflective display board. Giving up after five seconds, he rolled over, uttering another groan. With nothing to fall onto, his head met grey tile flooring.

Skull meeting a cold surface, he muffled a simple “oomph” on impact. Eyes shot open in pain. Using one hand to lift from the floor, the other rubbed a wrinkled forehead in a synchronous manner. Yoshi’s hand followed the beat of the alarm clock. On the way up, his backside roughly bumped the podium. The back of his head butting into the overhanging display board, it sharply bounced in air on impact. Launched into the air, silver frames landing on teal hair; majestically sliding onto his face as the second hand now tended the back of his head. Up on his feet, both hands grabbed his hips, pushing against his back. Slightly angry, tired of the beeps, he slammed the red button after stretching. Wasting no to time to think, he reached for his hat and made for the door. Midway towards the silvery doorframe, a voice popped into his head to say, “Going outside without taking a shower first? That’s gross, dad.” Producing a soft chuckle, feeling a slight drop in his stomach, he sighed and turned back around.

By four o’ clock he sat in a silent hanger. Spacious, cold, almost spooky, he found it difficult to make out what it actually looked like thanks to the dim lighting the area offered. Yoshi did know one thing though. Very few people occupied this large area around this time. Those who did most likely came to perform maintenance on their ships. Watching them work this early, Yoshi wondered how the fleet’s ships receive their repairs. While knowing how to fly a vessel, he never became an official pilot. So he could only ponder about these things. Did pilots tend to their own ship? Is there a schedule of checkups and inspections made? Would it be more costly to repair a ship or replace it? What happens to a pilot who loses their ship?
Still sleepy, tired of thinking, he shook his head hoping to stop. His chin lifted, he stared at white words painted on the ship he sat by. Being told by Kerri the other day to wait by this ship at four in the morn, the cowboy waited for the woman to make her appearance. She never showed up. Sitting around for a half hour, he opened up a channel and attempted to call the human girl. Hoping to find out what took her so long. While waiting for her to answer, a loud metal clang rang from within the vessel. Curious, he sat up, his hand dropped, from his ear reaching out to open the B-02.

On a touch of a button, pressurized air released as the gray ramp of the B-02 sleepily unfolded to the floor. Poking his head inside, he heard a metallic snore echoed from inside the cockpit. Amused to the sound of this, Yoshi released a puff of air from his nose and walked inside. To his amazement, the interior of the shuttle looked exactly the same as the model it replaced. Two blue black benches on each side covered in the standard Arks camo, various panels glowing on the wall, information feeding into them, both corners of the ceiling covered by two strips of lights. On the wall, directly in front of him, a grey metal door leading into the cockpit itself. So used to seeing his T-57, it feel so strange to see a lack of storage cabinets, a refrigerator and the hidden cargo space beneath the plated floor. Interested to see if the controls were any different, Yoshi sped deeper inside.
Pressing at a dim green button on the side of the doorway, the door slid open as if it yearned for him to step inside. Head first into the room, the light from outside revealed a drooling human girl sleeping in her chair, her arm dangling over the seat and a silver metal band lying on the floor. While she murmured in her sleep, Yoshi looked around the several flashing buttons that made up the cockpit. Unlike his ship, the B-02 showed signs of being modeled after the S-57. A single person transport made with combat in mind. Since luxury ideals and civilians normally never touch these models, it lacked any sort of extra storage space, housing extra firepower instead. Circling around the buttons, it became apparent that Kerri’s B-02 used a similar layout to the pilot side of the T-57. The buttons however were upgraded and looked alien to him. Only guessing that they worked similar to the S-57, or even the T-57, he didn’t want to fool around and test his theories.
Finished with his little tour he returned his attention onto Kerri. Reaching out to wake her from her cute slumber, he stopped as she said, “I did it, Captain Fizzles. I cooked one hundred cakes. Yaaaaaaay...”
Placing a hand over his mouth, Yoshi fought his urge to burst out laughing. “Oh man,” Yoshi thought in his head. “Should I even pass this up?” Wasting no time to think on the consequences, he rested an arm on her black chair and whispered into her ear, “Watch out for the zombies.”
Her arm lifted into a limp. Smacking her lips, she sleepily replied, “No way, zombies. I made those cakes with my own two nose hairs.”
Smiling, Yoshi lifted his chin saying, “Your cakes are dying.”
“Captain Fizzles, nooooo. Eat panzer…faust …”
“What are you doing?” said a voice from behind. Walking in, a Lillipan tucked between his arms, Kazamir ducked in low to avoid hitting his head. The furry brown creature waving back at Yoshi, Kazamir stared down, eyes of ice so cold that it sent shivers down the cowboy’s spine.
“Just messing with someone’s dreams?” said Yoshi in a nervous tone and an awkward smile.
Looming over him closely, he continued to read Yoshi while Lilliman danced in excitement in-between his arms. After what seemed like a minute, Kazamir finally uttered in a flat tone, “Right.”. Placing Lilliman on the floor, the dewmen reach an arm over the leather chair. His hand on Kerri, Kazamir warmly said while rubbing her head, “Kerri, it’s time to wake up.” Not use to Kazamir speaking in such a gentle manner for quite some time, Yoshi’s eyebrows lifted in amazement. Catching Yoshi’s expression in the corner of his eye, Kazamir quickly looked to his human friend and shot, “You didn’t hear anything, got it?”
“Got it,” Yoshi responded, his head nodding slowly.
“Kazamir?” Kerri asked. Waking up, brown eyes laid upon Yoshi. Widening in fear, she screamed in ear. Wreathing in pain, Yoshi closed an eye. Instinctively ducking down, he narrowly avoided a fist meant for his face. In a panic she started to flail at him, an arm held over her chest. “What are you doing in my ship?” She screamed. “If you did anything to me, so help me-”
“He didn’t do anything, ma’am,” Kazamir interrupted. “We simply just got tired of waiting for you outside”. A finger pointed to a nearby clock on the grey dashboard. Green numbers glowing in the shaded room spelled four fifty five. “Now if you will excuse us, we will be outside so that you may put something over your tank top.”
A pale hand now on gray collar, Kazamir pulled at Yoshi, hinting for the human to follow him out. His gray boots stepping off the ship, Yoshi and Lilliman caught up on lost time. While they spoke of Lillipa and how the village faired in their absence, Kazamir tapped at a panel on the right of the transport frame. Three presses on three gray buttons, the ramp lifted up to a close. Leaning on the edge of the ship, Kazamir stared in confusion since both the critter and his friend spoke a foreign tongue. Suddenly feeling insulted when they started to point in his direction, he pushed off, walking forward asking, “What are you two talking about?”
Yoshi, a little bit embarrassed by the sounds he recently just produced, calmly replied, “The colony got their water towers up and running and have now begun to build water cooled lifts and slides for transportation.” Letting Lilliman add in something else for a moment, Yoshi continued, “We also wanted to know why you came along.”
“Out of a recommendation, I decided to become a Fighter and have decided to tag along. Also, someone else will be joining us as soon as we reach the planet.”
“Anyone we know?” Yoshi asked in earnest curiously.
“Most likely no one you know. However, she may prove to be an interesting person. So be prepared for anything.” Kazamir replied.
“Not going to be a Ranger?” Yoshi smirked.
“Yoshi, you of all people should know I would never become a Ranger.”
“Dude, just because a few rifles blew up in your face doesn’t mean they all will.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I’m-a Yoshi,” he said, a thumb pointed at his large smile.
Upon finishing, the ramp door suddenly opened up in a hurry. Before it had a chance to touch the floor, Kerri stormed down the ramp shooting a glare Yoshi has only seen Marean give him. Tackling Yoshi, shoulder to shoulder, she caught the startled man by the collar whispering, “How the hell did you get in?”
Yoshi trying his best not to laugh answered, “The lock code is similar to the S-57’s. A.K.A. factory default.”
“Don’t you ever come in without my permission again,” she continued, gripping his collar even tighter. Her other hand up in the air, balled in a fist.
“Relax; all you have to do is change the password, sheesh.”
Shoving him away, she turned around uttering a “Humph” before marching up to Kazamir. “And you are?” She asked looking up at him imposingly.
“Oh this is-”
“She didn’t ask you, Yoshi. She asked me,” Kazamir barked. His glare gliding away from the teal hair man, he bowed to Kerri and said, “Malus de Melpharia, at your service.” Grabbing her hand in an attempt to kiss it, she pulled away while giggling awkwardly.
“Right, nice to meet you.”
“He’s coming with us by the way.” Yoshi added, lifting the Lilliman off the ground.
“What kind of name is Lilliman by the way? You didn’t name him that did you?”
“Actually, I kind of did; now that I think about it,” Yoshi said, he words trailing off, Lilliman nodding at him.
“Tisk tisk,” said Kerri. “From now on, your name is Mr. Fuzzims”
[“Aw, gross. No way.”] Lilliman rejected; his paws in front of him.
“He doesn’t like that name.” said Yoshi after laughing out loud.
“How do you know? You don’t speak his language.”
“Actually, I do,” Yoshi said, his smile shaping into a frown.
A finger poking at Yoshi’s chest, Kerri replied, “Bullshit.”
“He do though,” Lilliman finally added.
Tired of the conversation and hoping to avoid an argument, he swatted at the air and said, “Anyways, why did you want me to come here at gosh dang four in the morning?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/Q-VtH8-dxBQ)
“Oh, right, well, if you haven’t looked outside, we are right in front of Lillipa.” With an arm held outward, she continued, “So I figured that since we were here, I’d take you there as promised.”
“Couldn’t we just warp there on a camp ship?” Yoshi said, mimicking Kerri’s actions.
“Ew, warping,” Kerri cried. “If I’m the one flying, we’re doing it my way. Which is good old fashion take off and fly until you make it.”
“Did something bad happen to you in the past?”
“No, I just don’t like to warp, okay?”
“Look, don’t worry about it. I understand. I had my own share of near death experiences with warping as well,” Yoshi responded, his hands bouncing in the air. Kerri, trying to hide any trace of shame, looked away, her arms folding once more. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Yoshi added in an assuring tone, “So how about we get this show on the road, alright?”
“Would you two stop wasting time?” Kazamir intervened. “If it weren’t for your antics Yoshi, we would have been on Lillipa a long time ago.”
Yoshi, his mouth opened a gape, watched Kazamir walk into the ship immediately afterwards. On Lilliman’s lead, the two shrugged at each other, offering warm smiles and followed after. Taking their seats on the ship, Kerri stopped at the doorway to say,
“You guys better buckle up. We’re going in as fast as this thing can go.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Yoshi asked in concern. “Didn’t you tell me the engines burned too hot?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/M_-zCrN-MX8?t=2m30s)
“Relax, scarf boy. We’ll be in space where it’s too cold to overheat like that.” Spinning around, she shut the door and started the ship. Not sure what to expect, the B-02 violently shook upon waking up. The engines outside roaring to life, Lilliman and Yoshi looked to each other , fear screaming in their eyes. This ship proved to be at least twice as powerful as the T-57 they knew and love. Lifting into the air, they could feel every adjustment made as they leaned from side to side. Flying over rows of ships, Yoshi opened a small window on the wall so that the two can see the world they left outside. Looking into the hanger once again, they realized that this place boasted more space than they had originally thought.
Laid in several rows of thirty, stacks of twenty on several floors, each level was occupied by different variants as far as the eye can see. Almost like a beehive, transports and shuttles of unique models flew back and forth from gray floor to sliding doors. Some vessels loading into camp ships; shuttles returning, their parts clinging on to dear life, each one seemed to have its own story to tell. Skittering around from underneath the flying mechanical beasts drifted a sea of pilots, officers and workers. Loading, refueling or even cleaning what they can; there may have been more to the pilot life than Yoshi first thought.
Past a blue barrier, the two gazed at the stars surrounding the edge of Lillipa. Now in space, the B-02 weaved between incoming vessels. Shooting past the many camp ships, Kerri flew in and out of traffic lanes. Evasive maneuvers pulled around insane pilots just wanting to go home, Yoshi thought he saw angry faces stare back at him for a moment. Kerri’s gray undercarriage almost touching the Titan’s glass dome on a detour around the fleet, it seemed that the Ur wasn’t the only cruiser stationed at Lillipa. Five blue domes evenly spaced out; something must have been going on the planet’s surface. Finally clearing wreckage drifting in orbit of the sandy planet below, the ship increased in speed. Nothing to get in Kerri’s way, she pushed the ship to its limit. Orange engine glows painting the window, both the lillipan and human clung onto their seats for dear life, diagonally positioned like bent nails in wood. While Yoshi and Lilliman resisted the need to fly off their seats, Kazamir sat in a casual manner on the other side. His pale lavender eyes slowly scrolling over floating text. Poking at a cyan holo-screen, as if nothing ever happened, his foot simply tapped on his leg. Stars moved slightly faster. The planet grew larger. The ship swirled to avoid rouge chunks of metal floating by. Checking to see if the nose of the ship burned red yet, Yoshi noticed a faint blue shield protect the front of the B-02. The ship wasn’t heating up at all. Plunging even faster than before, details of the planet’s landscape became much clearer. Being one of the few times Yoshi has entered a planet this way, it amazed him to see how everything seemed to move so slowly. Having seen enough, he sat normally in his seat. Trying to smile, he noticed more glowing colors on a wall. To the left of Kazamir, a black monitor displayed the ship’s current status and speed. Red numbers rapidly changing, Yoshi watched as glowing digits transform into an error sign. The ship accelerated beyond the expected limit. He wondered how fast it could go before losing control. The awe of space flight wearing off, he began to feel the vibrations and jerks of the ship’s movements on his legs.
[“What is she doing?”] Lilliman scream, the ship violently shaking in the atmosphere.
“I think she’s doing aileron rolls,” Yoshi shouted over the critter’s screams.
[“Make her stop!”]
“I can’t!”
Tears fell from Lilliman’s face. His little paws unable to hold on much longer, gray nails scrapped against the hard seat after he lost his grip. Flying into the air, he landed on Yoshi’s face, who uttered a muffled cry of pain. Lilliman hugging the cowboy’s head for safety, everything suddenly got better. Turbulence subsiding, the error sign returned to normal as numbers counted down to zero. Upon touchdown, the queue given by Kazamir, Yoshi grabbed Lilliman by the back, pulling him off. Lilliman placed back on his seat, the brown creature ran outside to kiss the hot sandy floor outside.
[“I will never frown upon advance technology ever again. Please teach me the ability to warp.”]
Yoshi laughed. Stepping off alongside his friends, he looked to Kazamir, his smile as proof that he had a good time. “Well, that was exciting.” Wondering how Kerri took the flight, he peeked over his shoulder to see if she stood close behind. To his disappointment though, the door remained closed.
“It was interesting to say the least,” Kazamir replied. His hands clasped behind him.
“Now if you would be so kind as to follow me. Our guest is waiting for us just up ahead.”
“No problem,” said Yoshi. A finger zooming to his ear, Yoshi looked to the ship. “Kerri. Are you alright in there?”
“Sorry but I have to head back. I’m getting chewed out for flying without an accompanying camp ship. You owe me.”
“Name your price, I can take it.”
“You’re going to regret that,” Kerri responded, before laughing. Dropping their connection, the ship lifted off the ground. Sand blowing in the wind, the ship twisted in the air, kicking off its journey into space. A dot in the sky, Yoshi and Lilliman waved goodbye to the shrinking shuttle. Unimpressed, Kazamir walked away with a lack of interest in the vessel. Taking notice, Yoshi picked Lilliman off the ground and ran after the dewmen. Catching up to his purple themed friend, he asked,
“So what are we going to do first?”
“We’re going to head to the site where you found Ijiraku,” Kazamir replied, not bothering to face his friend.
“Have you spotted anything while I was away?”
“Only traces of darker movement but those are far away from here, somewhere else on the planet.” Lifting his hand, the panel he viewed earlier reappeared. Interested to see what Kazamir read, Yoshi leaned inward but found it hard to make out anything in the burning sunlight. Moving up a sand dune, Yoshi resorted to looking underneath the panel. It didn’t help however. Everything seemed to be written in a strange manner and the ads didn’t help much at all. Moving down the slope, Yoshi continued to walk sideways, trying to find a good position, until he bumped into someone new.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/bmatItacEvM)
“Oh, going for the dessert without even taking me to dinner first? How bold of you,” a female voice cooed. Spinning to the direction of the voice, Yoshi stood before a female newmen of black hair, hanging freely down to her waist. Taking notice of the black Ursula replica she wore, much like Marean’s open coat; it also consisted of large pants and a small shirt. He couldn’t help but be bothered by black trims and belt she wore compared to the normal pink he was used to seeing. The only other distinctive feature being the sunglasses hugging her head, she looked oddly familiar to Yoshi as she smiled in a sly fashion. However he couldn’t put his finger on who she reminded him of.
“I’m very sorry about that. I should have been paying attention,” Yoshi said, bowing to emphasize his sincerity.
“Oh no, keep going. You may be surprised to find out what happens next.”
“Would you quit toying with him,” Kazamir said in a slightly annoyed tone. “Yoshi, this Marisa Kinjal. Marisa, this is Yoshiblue.”
“Yoshi Blue? You’re joking right?” Marisa asked.
“Eh, sure,” said Yoshi slowly, hoping they would move on.
Shaking of her head, Marisa sighed and said, “Parents name their kids anything these days. Well, it’s nice to meet you anyways.” Looking at Yoshi in the eyes again, she pinched his cheek, gave him a warm smile and continued, “So I’m told you’re a squishy force. Well don’t you worry your cute little head about thing because this person is a Hunter. I’m going hug you so much, you will never feel anything but my warmth.”
After having to listen to more of Marisa’s rambling, Kazamir stepped into to finally put an end to it. Both hands placed on each of their outfits, he pulled them away saying, “Can we please move on with the plan?”
“Kazamir, you’re such a downer,” Marisa said, a hand flapping in the air. “But alright, I’ll humor you. Let us go find some relics, hmm?”
“Please stop.”






[/SPOILER-BOX]
-Filler-[SPOILER-BOX]
They were alone. The place was scary but they were finally away from the troubles of the worlds. Under the shelter of cold rocky walls, two figures sat on a rainbow brimmed stone. Broken, chipped away by years of waning tides, there was more like it everywhere. Ruins of a civilization long past. The two didn’t ponder who built it but they did worry about their safety. Vorpal has proven to be a strange planet but a planet some have always dreamed of. On the surface, a large body of water, several pillars spiraling into its atmosphere and islands scattered across the planet. Underneath the surface, mysterious breathable air, ruins of blue highlighted by colorful bands, monsters hiding from the sun and quiet spots of beauty.
What could be stalking them within these sands, they wondered. One of the girls, tired of sitting around, jumped off the stone. In a 180 hop to face the woman sitting on the decorated rock, she began to stretch. Showing signs of discomfort.
“Why do I have to wear this dumb suit, mom? It looks silly and really doesn’t help me at all.”
The girl spoke of her outfit. The Guardian’s Replica, this version in a sage green shirt, a paler skirt, white boots up to the thighs, white sleeves that became pauldrons around the neck and a yellow tie. She didn’t understand why she was forced into this outfit over the simpler navigator dress. Her hands constantly readjusted her cuffs. Her mother wore a similar outfit as well. Only it reflected blue instead of green. Subtly injecting fluids into her thigh, a syringe in hand, she dropped it into the small pile behind her and said,
“It is a symbol of how I wish to see you, Arethusa,” the woman warmly replied.
“Who?” the girl asked, halted in movement to look up in confusion.
“Marean,” the woman said, rolling her eyes.
“Got to say mom, that’s a pretty silly name you gave me.” Marean smirked.
“Would you rather use the name force onto you and shared by many others. Your name is a subtle hint of reformation. They aim to reshape Arks and maybe even the whole fleet. How much they wish to change is another story but you were born for a reason. A reason I don’t like.”
“What?”
“I don’t like it!” the mother screamed. Her soothing demeanor regained, she continued, “Your outfit is a gift from the past.”
“Ew, I’m wearing old people clothes.” Arethusa interrupted.
Smack. Arethusa rubbed her forehead with an eye kept on her mother. “It is rude to interrupt those who are still speaking,” said her mother. “As I was saying, they were people with ideas. Warriors who chose to become teachers. Teachers Arks could use because psychology seems to be a dead profession. Anyways, Arks are so dead set with using a certain method of combat that they have lost sight of the benefits of using other styles of combat. For example, mother nature and all things natural for the Forces. They rely too much on their weapons and not enough on what’s around them. The photons that float on Neubarius. The very ground you walk on. You will not need you pitch fork for this. It is time you seek to evolve as the Guardians did so many years ago.”
“Alright, I can do that. I think. What’s psychology by the way?”


[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Author Junk[SPOILER-BOX]Had a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with this entery. Wasn't sure if I wanted to cut it up as filler. It all takes place on the same planet but I didn't really want to write the transitions between the areas. More or less goes Desert > Quarry > Desert.

May throw in a filler later.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- You Can Still Find Excitement in the Desert -[SPOILER-BOX]
“Rawr, you can’t defeat me, Arks scum.”
“You wanna bet, Gwanahda? Eat my amazing rubber bands.”
“Your rubber bands are nothing to me. They don’t even tickle.”
“I see through your lies, you evasive fiend. Your retribution shall be slow and painful like the burning sun above.”
“The only pain that will be felt is you when I begin to devour your flesh. Mu ha ha ha.”

(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/0LfAcKnDYWQ)
Sand splashed in the air. The sun burned in the sky. Yoshi and Kerri played in the distance as Marisa, Lilliman and Kazamir sat far away in the shade. Shielding the group from the desert heat, the B-02 laid buried in the sand. Like another rock on an even surface. Sitting on the ramp to cool off, a little brown creature who lacked a protective line shield watched his friend play around. Drinking juice from a Sippy cup, Lilliman constantly fought the urge to fall asleep. Doing the same as the lillipan, only he decided to lean against the ship with arms cross, Kazamir’s eyes furrowed in seriousness while he watched his two friends stomp around in the sand. He wanted to act, to stop them, but fought back, even if the sight of them ate away at his insides. Normally he would read something to keep him mind off his problems but everything that was to read has already been read. So instead, he shuffled in place miserably.
To the side of Kazamir leaned Marisa who chattered away the whole time. So caught up in her rant, she didn’t realize that the dewmen she’s been speaking to for a few hours now had ignored her the whole time. When she did however, she tackled his shoulder so that he would pay attention to her. To keep him mind off of Kerri; in hopes that a crisis could be prevented.
“So what do you think? He really needs to get over the past because he’s really starting to piss me off. I’ve been trying to get a rise out of him for hours now.”
“Yes, I know. I was there,” Kazamir replied in boredom.
“I made tons of perverted comments, made several attempts at romantic talk, a show of the leg and I get nothing. All he gives me is a blank stare and a cold shoulder. If he were like Yaotl, he would have gone crazy with just a slight show of my breast. Then again, he would have reacted the same way for any woman who did.”
“Who?” Kazamir asked, his head tilting so that an eye focused on the black haired woman speaking to him.
“His grandfather,” Marisa replied flatly.
“Does he have a last name?”
“Xol. Why?”
“So he does have a name.” Kazamir responded. His chin nodded while he looked away.
“How can you call yourself his best friend and not know his name?”
“He never mentioned it. I don’t understand why it never shows up on his dossier either.”
“Why tote around the name of a family who abandoned you at birth? Granted his father didn’t even know he exists. But that doesn’t matter. I believe I’ve already told you that both his father and his grandfather were murdered for possessing the same ability our friend Yoshi.” Shaking her head, she continued, “To think that his grandson would be so different from him. The only thing they have in common is their looks and a similar ways of thinking.”
“Then whatever you are trying to do should be working if that’s the case. If he holds similar interests, all you need to do is find a way around his walls. Also, I do think that you should start acting your age.”
“I am acting my age, you dweeb. I’m a twenty two year old newmen woman whose fire burns brighter than the sun.”
“Yes, well it disturbs me. I don’t care if you used cream to reduce your age or used some sort of Newmen magic; would you, for all that is holy, please cut it out.”
Hands lifted in the air, Marisa shook them at Kazamir and said, “What I’m trying to do is prep him to become attracted to Si…Marean. You know, to find her appealing.”
“So you want Yoshi to love her for her body.” Kazamir replied in a sarcastic tone.
“Yes and no. Look, don’t argue with me about this. Yes, I want him to cling to her. No it’s not for simple attraction.”
“And if it doesn’t work out the way you want it to?”
“It will work, Kaz. Trust me. There is more in store for them than just mere priming.” One of the hands flew to the dewmen’s shoulder. Gently grasping the purple leathery material, she shot a smirk at him and said, “And would it kill you to smile every once in a while? I hope you aren’t confusing joy for affection. Let them have their fun. You two will be alone soon. Now if you will excuse me, I have plans sift through. See you in the ship, or not.”
Marisa walked away. Without bothering to check, he knew she had entered the ship by the faint bouncing of the hull. Kazamir now left alone to sit against the side of the B-02, he begun to replay the words she had said in his head, looping them around more than twice before lost count. Losing focus of his surroundings, he twitched to snap out of it, finally grunting on response. Thinking to himself he whispered “Isn’t that a mother figure’s role? And why do I put up with this?”
“I got you now,” Kerri shouted from far away. Her arms spread wide in the sky.
Grasping Yoshi from behind, he cried, “No no no no no,” as his body lifted helplessly into the air. Arching backwards, Kerri performed a suplex, violently slamming Yoshi into the ground. Giving the sand no time to settle, she moved. Pushing off the ground Kerri entered into a roll. Yoshi now in the air once again, she flipped, chaining into a second suplex.
“That’s what you get for messing with me in my sleep, Yoshi.”


-

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/uBkQ7vS6jv4)

As they poked around the corner of a two story cylinder, Yoshi and Lilliman surveyed the quiet pocket of empty space that lie ahead of them. Like a maze, the quarry held several twists and turns. Made up of large metal tubes, structures ranging from reds and grays, the area has proven to be quite different from the desert outside. Some paths came with options. Others never gave you a choice. This was one of these paths for around the giant red cylinder; a circular room with dark gray metal floors awaited them. Its white walls towering high in the sky holding many fans within. Carefully stepping across the sand powered floors of the quarry, gray boots alongside fuzzy paws tip toed towards the end of the room. Carefully keeping an eye on the holes in the walls, they noticed that circular room wasn’t a dead end most tend to become. As if something punched its way out several years ago, dim light glowed from the other side of a large cavity.
The two curious as to what made it, stared in wonder. However, they also forgot to remain vigilant and stepped onto an alarm. A large tile the size of a book now sinking into the ground, three Vinto Vargrs, silver wolf like robots wearing strange blue electric shields, surrounded them. Eyes on the intruders, they rotated in a circle formation, unevenly spaced out from each other. Slowly pacing with them, holding Lilliman close, Yoshi calmly drew his broom like rod from his backside, preparing for a fight. Yoshi wasn’t scared of the wolves but he was scared of what could arrive afterwards. Could he handle something like a Tranmizer and protect his friend at the same time? Alone? The thought of it made him sick to his stomach.
[“Wait!”] Lilliman cried, his arms flailing in the air. [“I know what to do.”]
“What did you have in mind, Mini man?” Yoshi said in a low tone, taking a quick glance at his friend.
[“Let them come. When in arms reach, I want you to lightly zap their necks. Lightly like a static spark, nothing more.”]
Yoshi nodded. An eye still kept on the wolves, he let them approached. The circle grew smaller. Slowly placing the broom back onto his back, Yoshi enter into a grappling stance. Though he wasn’t sure why. Yoshi was never one for hand to hand combat. Always losing to his friends every time they decided to spar, he never held an interest for it. Wiggling his fingers, his gaze flew to the corner. A wolf made a jerk and began to charge at him. Letting it leap at him, Yoshi caught the robot midflight, hugged it as they fell to the floor. Moving his protected fingers over the wolf’s multi collared neck, they started to tap the sliver metal, sending light sparks to stroke the robot’s neck. At first it fought for freedom but it didn’t take long for it to calm down. Soon after, its metal nose rubbed against Yoshi’s cheek. In celebration of his small victory, he made a quick chuckle before realizing that the other Vargrs didn’t get the memo. Repeating the process two more times, Yoshi sat on the floor; now with three wolves licking his face with what appeared to be rubber tongues.
[“I knew you could do it,”] shouted Lilliman, his eyebrows lower in concern over the pain Yoshi may be feeling right now.
“How did you know find out about this?”
[“As a scout, you learn how to survive the harsh environments of your homeland. My tribe doesn’t really know what to do with these things but it was handy to know that we could umm… what’s the word?”]
“Domesticate?” Yoshi said quickly.
[“Yeah, tame them. I also have this but I don’t know what it is.”] Lilliman finished, holding a translucent cyan chip in his claws.
A shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight. Appearing at the entrance of the room, Kazamir drew a katana and shouted to the surrounded space cowboy,
“Hold still, Yoshi. I will take care of them.”
“Would you put that thing away?” Marisa cried, quickly placing a hand on his katana with a glare. “Can’t you see they aren’t trying to kill him?” Looking back at Yoshi, she gently added, “Nice job, kiddo.”
“I fail to see the point in taming robots when they will only slow us down,” said Kazamir, sheathing his blade.
“I may have an idea but you may want to look at this first.” Yoshi said, holding the chip in the air. On a flick of his wrist, the chip shot into the air and into Kazamir’s hand. Taking the time to quickly examine it, he slotted it into a device embedded in his wrist. A light began to flash. A screen pop up before the dewmen. While examining its contents, Marisa and Yoshi chatted by the wolves, commenting on their appearance and overall design. Please with the fact that they are having a normal conversation for once. Yet he frowns when they no longer have said normal conversation. Breaking their small talk with a burst of mumbled grunting, Kazamir removed the chip from his device to pocket it.
“A lot of the data is corrupted but I did make out a few things. These wolves are all based on a model a scientist made for his daughter. Suffering the loss of her favorite pet, her father worked to create the ultimate pet that would last her a lifetime. Seems it was so successful that they either asked the man to create armed variants of the dog wolf things or stole the blueprints. Judging by the nature of these wolves, the man did not know how wolves really functioned in life. Seeing as they are leaderless and act in strange ways, they continue to function as man’s best friend rather than killers. This may be the reason why Yoshi was able to calm it somehow. Regardless, this is all useless information.”
“Nonsense,” Yoshi interrupted. Throwing a leg over the wolf he continued, “Come, we ride.”
On a shrug, Marisa looked to Kazamir. Strolling to the nearest free Vinto Vargr, she hopped onto its back and said, “Can’t say no to a free ride.”
“Free does not guarantee efficiency.”


-

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/bQuFA_x7-rg)

Traveling within the sandstorms of Lillipa; Yoshi, Lilliman, Marisa, and Kazamir continued their journey to the crash site of an evacuation preformed long ago. As each of them braced the rough sand blowing through their hair, each of them rode upon the Vinto Vargrs Yoshi tamed by mysterious means, taught to him by Lilliman. The sun, blocked out by thousands of angry minerals, still loomed high in the cloudless sky. Scorching heat still present, Yoshi clung to Lilliman in hopes that his line shield would envelop his little friend and protect him from the harsh nature of the environment. In case line shields refused to work in such a manner, the cowboy conjured a photonic facemask to lower over the face of furry little friend. Although the line shield protected his face from the harmful sandstorm, Yoshi still felt the need to cover himself with the yellow scarf he wore. Lilliman on the other hand only wore his pale yellow cloak and a pair of googles given to him by Kerri.
To the side of Yoshi, Marisa made several attempts to chat with him along the way. From casual conversation to flirtatious remarks, the only thing received in return was Yoshi’s bored expression. It was almost as if Kazamir has rubbed off on him. Wearing a face made of stone, similar to Kazamir who strayed farthest from the group, Yoshi kept his gaze away from the flirty newmen. Keeping his mind focused so he may better spot the ruins buried somewhere ahead.
Meanwhile, gaining distance from the others, far away to avoid Marisa’s antics, Kazamir chose to act as the scout. Gray oversized goggles placed over his eyes, sun shielding lenses displayed on them a map of the planet on one lens and the latest feedback provided by Arks on the other.
As they ventured deep into what felt like an endless sandstorm, little did the four know that they were about to step into a large bubble. This bubble covered a large area of the landscape, invisible to the naked eye even without the sweeping sand. Darker in nature, aided by technology, it blocked any data Kazamir received the moment he passed through. Words became scrambled shapes. Voices went silent. Even Yoshi, who kept an eye on Lilliman’s vitals, noticed his HUD go haywire. The two men turned to each other, shrugged and stopped. Unsure of what was going on. Kazamir patted the Vinto Vargr. Placing his hand on the robot’s head, the dewmen guided it back toward the group. Marisa, taking notice, did the same. Gather together in a tight group, Kazamir shouted to the two,
“I think we should stop here. I would rather we not get lost in this area.”
Marisa twisted her head in confusion. Checking to see what he meant, she noticed that the map had broken at some point, displaying only “No Data” in static. Having nothing to say in response, she puffed her cheeks towards the dewmen.
“Yoshi, you said Lilliman needed to take care of a few problems right?” Kazamir asked, his arm gesturing in circles around Lilliman.
“Yeah,” said Yoshi. “He needs to intercept a message and eh-remove some traitors I guess you could say.”
“Hand him to me. We’ll take care of the issue and head back to figure out what is happening here. You keep moving forward towards this abandoned area you spoke of.”
“You sure that’s a good idea. Only I know how to communicate with him and in case you didn’t know, you would also be leaving me to wonder the desert alone.”
“Only you know where this place is, Yoshi. Besides, you taught him our language have you not?”
“Here, Yoshi,” said Marisa, handing him all of her supplies. In a soothing voice, she continued, “Just give us some time to crack through this issue. If you get lost, we’ll find you. Don’t worry, alright? We’re coming back for you.” Snagging Lilliman from his mount, the two rode off without saying another word. Yoshi attempted to chase after them. The robotic wolf refused. After several attempts to get it to move again, it would not budge. Choosing only to sit in the spot they rested in.
“But I found it by accident,” he shouted to the two shadows in the sand, groaning in defeat. “Hey, are you guys even listening to me?”
He punched the air. Slowly turning with the Vargr, it continued on without any given orders. Hunched in despair, Yoshi said to himself, “Great. Just great. Not only do I have to look for a place I’ve only been to once, but it blew sky high on my escape. How will I know if it’s the right place to be at?”
Yoshi sighed in deep thought. Sad to the thought of “Yoshiblue; Destroyer of Ijiraku’s Kin.”. Treading alone in the dying sandstorm, minutes seemed like hours. Unsure where to go, he decided to just let the wolf walk where it pleased. Oddly enough, it never took the time to pause. When it did, it was to avoid any nearby Darkers, which must have worked because they never seemed to notice the two. Half an hour later, the wolf jumped into an unexpected sprint. Like a bull rider clinging to a charging bull, Yoshi clung to his hat, trying not to fall off. Unsure where the Vargr wanted to take him, he kept an eye out for anything in the calming breeze. The wolf jumped over crevasses, past stacking rocks, around sinking structures and over sand pits.
Right when Yoshi turned to look behind, the Vargr halted into a stop. The rear of the robot lifting in the air, the cowboy flew off with his arms scattering in the breeze. Crashing ont eh warm sand, he smoothly skid on his armored chest plate. Spitting sand from his mouth, Yoshi looked up to see a crying newmen. Wearing extravagant clothes, alone in the middle of nowhere, Yoshi noticed a rifle’s muzzle held underneath her jaw. Kicking off the ground immediately, the man rushed to the newmen who spoke muddled words in her tears.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/H-CoiKl_SZE)
Yoshi, unsure what he should do, halted. Knowing that his presence could trigger an unpleasant reaction, Yoshi s approached slowly, his hands held in front of him. Regardless of whether or not he could handle the situation, he felt he had to take the risk. He had to act. Speaking from a distance, Yoshi said to the newmen, “Please, whatever you plan to do, please don’t pull that trigger.”
Looking towards the teal hair man, the woman’s eyes widen in fear, pointing the gun him; shouting, “Stay away!”
“Relax, I’m a friend. Just tell me what’s wrong. We can make it through this together.”
Oddly enough, the tears died quickly. Eyes now narrowed, the woman changed from a state of sadness to a state of hostility. “Away from me human swine,” she screamed at him.
Yoshi’s hand now on his face said under his breath, “Must every newmen I meet come from the Melchior?” His foot moved backwards. Slowly retreating from the newmen, he responded, “Alright, I won’t come any closer. Do you need any food or water?”
“So you can drug me, you pervert? I think not,” the woman replied.
“This woman is an idiot,” said Yoshi in his mind. Removing his hand from his face, Yoshi replied “Why would I come out in the middle of the desert to poison someone?”
“Humans are not to be trusted.”
“And newmens are any different?”
The woman fired. Feeling the bullet graze over his shoulder, Yoshi tried to understand why she missed. Her hands were perfectly still, yet as he continued to back off, he noticed her showing signs of a breaking down again. “Hmm…,” Yoshi thought to himself.
“Look,” Yoshi said in a calm tone. “Lets…if you need someone to talk to, I’m heading further out in the desert. You can come with me if you want. If you have any friends out there, we can still find them.”
“Out of my sight,” she replied.
Yoshi’s back now pressing against the robotic wolf, Yoshi mounted the Vargr. Keeping an eye on the newmen, Yoshi rubbed the neck of the creature. Moving forward, he adjusted his hat and looked to the horizon. “Maybe this was the best choice of action?” Yoshi thought to himself. “Why trouble myself with an unstable woman the whole time? If she’s faking it, then it would be an even better reason to just walk away.”
It didn’t take long for the woman to scream “Wait”. Running in the sand, almost tripping midway, the man and the wolf watched the woman approach them. Stopping in front of the cowboy, her eyes constantly darted away from his eyes and back. Looking as if she was going to hate herself for saying what she wanted to say, Yoshi lifted his hat in amusement and waited for her to speak.
“If you want this friendship to work, I’m calling the shots. Got it?” She said with a serious gaze. “And don’t you ever speak of this to anyone.”
“I… sure,” said Yoshi, not wanting to think further on it. “Mind sharing how you got here in the first place?”
“No”
“Okay then. Got a name?”
“Would you stop talking?”
“Hi, would you stop talking. My name is No.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Sacrificial]

So it is a "sequel" to the main serie right? Since its not a filler,not sure what part couldve been a filler....

[yoshiblue]

How I tend to write the story is that I go with the main part, the part that moves the story, and then throw all the inbetweens as fillers. So everyone chilling by the B-02 in my latest entry would have been filler because they weren't really moving anywhere. It was just backstory stuff and sub plot. But I was iffy about it because it was all happening in the same day in the same general area as oppose to the previous fillers where they would take place on another day or planet.

For example, this.

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] Reinhardt sighed. Tired, wanting to go home and listen to his tunes. The newmen walked out of the room with eyes redder than most others. Some wondered why. He just shrugged it off. Figured he was allergic to something. This baffled people. Allergies shouldn’t exist thanks to the advances in technology. But despite the best efforts of scientists, a mother can still die in child birth, crashes still occur, and greed still motivates people in what would seem like a world of endless material.
Reinhardt walked out of a well lit room. He and the rest of the pilots finally done retraining for the new line of aircraft, the room filled up with all sorts of pilots. Forming an uncountable number of single filed lines, everyone one of them had a director leading them to their new ships. Having already gone through the process of receiving his ship, Reinhardt sat by his. Cross-legged by a gray vessel much like the one Kerri flew, he looked out towards Lillipa. Watching the many new pilots fly their new born birds. Slightly blue in hue thanks to the blue hexagon patterned shield separating everyone in the hanger from space, the red hair newmen shook his head in disappointment, waiting for his shakedown call.
“Reinhardt, why the long face?” a male voice called from out of nowhere.
Looking up, the newmen flinched to a hand held out very close to his face. Taking the hand with his own, the white hair man in a blue and white version of the sharp order, a well armored flight suit, pulled Reinhardt from the floor, following up with a secret handshake. “I got paired with a B-01 is what’s bugging me. This thing is a hunk of junk. I don’t even understand how my friend could stand flying the T-57. All it has is armor, a flying tank. We don’t need flying tanks. That’s not our job, Eito.”
“Hey, look at it this way, Red. If your thrusters ever go out, at least you’re well protected. Besides, it could be worse, just ask Miwa. She got stuck with the 03,” Eito said in a comforting voice.
“What’s wrong with the B-03? And I told you already, Red is such a lame nickname.” Reinhardt asked.
“Its better than flying ears. Anyways, the B-03 is the scout ship of the fleet. Armor made of tin foil with speed being its specialty. I hear medics will be thrown on those things. But we both know those Darkers are going to rip that thing up.”
Arms thrown into the air, Reinhardt shouted, “Why in the world would they give the medic ship such cheap armor?”
Holding back a chuckle, Eito replied, “Who knows? All we’ve been flying are the B-02s. Maybe it will have really nice shields? All of these space crafts are experimental after all. We’re just the unlucky volunteers.”
Walking up to the two, an orange transparent clipboard floating nearby, an officer gave a stern look the each of them before asking, “What’s going on? Why are you two still here?”
“I haven’t been given the green light, sir,” Reinhardt replied. “And if I may ask, why are we given a floating hunk of metal? We don’t even have any turrets on this thing.”
“That’s because the space for any turrets have been used up by the bombs it has,” the officer responded.
“What bombs?”
“How did you get out of training without knowing what this ship’s role is? The B-01 is a bomber. It comes with three kinds of explosives. All which can level an area in a 15 meter, 800 meter and a 1 kilometer radius. We can’t afford to send cruisers to bombard planets anymore. The Darkers will find out and take advantage of the fact that they came alone.”
“I mean, this thing doesn’t have any bombs on it, sir.”
“It doesn’t? Damn it, I told them to load these things a week ago,” the officer shouted. He turned to Eito. “You to your ship, now. You don’t have that excuse. I know that for a fact.” Turning back to Reinhardt, he continued, “As for you, head to floor four. There you will be reassigned to a properly loaded B-01. And don’t look at me like that. Does it suck? Yes, I feel these ships were pushed into production far too soon, but if you fly this thing well and prove that these ships can do the job as is, consider yourself guaranteed to receive the newest bombers that are currently being worked on. Now I don’t know everything it will come with but I’ve been told it will have three times the load, seven turrets and the best armor the fleet can provide.”
“That sounds a bit excessive to me, sir,” said Eito.
“We need every weapon we can get. If we want to win this war against the Darkers, we need to use everything we got.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]
Same day, only its on the ship rather than the planet and doesn't move the main plot.

[yoshiblue]

Author Note into Extra[SPOILER-BOX]Firstly, I wish to apologize if this entry is lackluster. Having been stressed out all week, it was hard to focus on the chapter. So because I don't have anything else for anyone to read, I will provide the original version of the entry. A tad bit modified because of my evolving writing skill I guess you could say.

I ultimately decided not to go with it because it characterizes Persona. This Persona was how I wanted to envision him but instead chose to stick with the mysterious blank slate of PSO2's Persona. I also decided not to go with it because it may have made his sound rather lame and also gave him a motive that may or may not be in line with the actual story. For the record, Yoshi is not the hero of the game's main story. The "Ace" is. Who that "Ace" may be is up to you.

In the end, I'm happy to present this extra bit. Its interesting how much a scene can be influenced by the personality of the cast.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Delving Steps To Heaven -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional Music* (http://youtu.be/01hlTBxM6cA)

“Oh my, look at you. What happened? You’re so stiff; so broken. This isn’t what you wanted to become and yet, in the end, you still did. Worry not. All is not lost, for I am here. Well, I guess you could be afraid because I can’t actually do anything for you but what really matters is that I am here. So rest well, it will all be over soon. Like someone once said, a new future awaits.”

-

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/909C5k4PMdc)
It didn’t take long for Yoshi and his new companion to find the ruins they sought. In truth, it didn’t even take an hour. Though it felt like one to the black hair newmen, who agreed to follow for reasons unknown. Led by a Vargr the newmen now rode upon, it stopped by a waterfall made of sand. Round like a bowl, a dry ocean flowing over the rim. Specks of sand slowly trickled down a large slope and into a rib cage made of metal.
Yoshi looked into the sink hole. To him, it was quite a sight to see. When he first found it, nobody would know the vessel even existed. For several years, it laid hidden in the sand until a Lillipan dug up an entrance searching for an energy source. At times it still amazed him to think that in only four decades, an entire ship had been completely buried by sand. Sometimes he just wondered if he underestimated the sandstorms of Lillipa. Thinking back on it, he could still remember the pure white hallways, the sky blue lights and rubbery paneling. Cyan lines glided on the walls, disappearing when overlapping a just as white doorway. For a ship that had been buried for an unknown number of years, it still proved to be very much alive with the several electronic sounds echoing in the hallway. The people however weren’t so lucky. When Yoshi walked into its air conditioned hallways, dry blood had covered several rooms and corridors. Machines of all sorts had been dismantled or destroyed.
Today, as a relic cradled by sand, the ship is a shadow of its former self. No longer did it have an entrance that barely touched the surface. Instead, the ship now held a porch. A metal slab in an orange sea with its only feature being a blacken door, bent and covered in sand. Leading up to the lonely door, a stairway made of rock and foreign material. Engine parts, a faceplate of a gold robot, a slab of hull. Even with the falling sand, the staircase did not move; locked into place by something underneath. To the newmen, it was just scattered junk. To Yoshi, it was a majestic sight to behold. While not perfect or symmetrical in appearance, the very sight of convenient steps seemed very amusing to the cowboy. As if it wanted him to come inside once again. Pass and beyond the door, a giant rib cage of silvery metals, each point glittering in the sun. The floors within exposed to the outside world.
Yoshi hopped multiple times by the rim of the sink hole. Trying to see what lay hidden inside within saddening darkness, all he could make out were the several floors the ship had been built around. He couldn’t tell his newmen ally what it contained on those floors. Everything seemed like such a blur now that he thought back on it. Memories of running for his dear life didn’t help much either. He had forgotten what he had seen in this ship.
“So this is the place you sought?” the newmen asked.
Moving forward, Yoshi replied in a low tone “Yeah, it is.” His guess confirmed by the reflective head his foot hovered over. Similar to what Ijiraku use to look like, buried in the slope, its face staring back at him with a blank expression. Awake yet at the same time still sleeping to this day. Throwing an arm behind him, distracting his mind, Yoshi added “Watch out for Darkers.”
The newmen made a cruel laugh. “The lowly caveman attempts to appeal to me, ha.” Noticing that he didn’t bother to wait or react, she made a quick cry of panic before following him down the sand covered steps. “I know it may be too much for your tiny little brain to handle but may I suggest you start thinking about the consequences of your actions. Going in alone isn’t much of a good idea.”
“Only when you learn to stop being such a perpetual frowner,” Yoshi shot back, examining the half open doorway of the structure.
Yoshi placed a hand on the door, planning to push it aside. So that it would provide just enough space for him to slide through. He figured it would have been an easy enough task to achieve. It wasn’t. The door fought against him. Wanting to close but got caught halfway in. Amazingly, power still surged through the building. Yoshi could hear a motor tick in the distance. Sparks flew out of a console inside. Bored of watching the human struggle, the newmen shouted to the cowboy,
“Oh move over you oaf.”
In the Newmen’s hands, a primed Vardha Cannon, glowing at the muzzle, pointed at the door. While simple in shape, a white rectangle with an angular yet easy to hold handle on the back, it looked rather advanced. Black lines danced across the launcher to give it a well layered mechanical appearance, embedded yellow lights glowed on the muzzle, in front of the handle and on the very back. Frowning in fear Yoshi jumped out of the way. On a click a large ball of energy shot out of the launcher. At an amazing speed, it collided with the door, blowing it up into smithereens. Unimpressed, a chunk of metal landing on his hat, Yoshi shrugged.
“See, was that so hard?” the newmen said with pride, shouldering the cannon.
“Damaging ruins is one thing. I’m actually more impressed with the fact that you aren’t using some fancy top of the line launcher.” Yoshi replied with a smirk.
“Look, this was all they had, alright?” the woman cried.
Walking inside the dimly lit room, Yoshi responded with a laugh. “I never said I had a problem with the launcher.”
Now inside, Yoshi noticed black scarring on every gray wall. All the cyan lights that survived the crash certainly were broken now. So he believed anyway. The room was simple, a box with two escalators leading in opposite directions. The one that use to scroll upwards no longer moved but the one rolling down still functioned, moving slowly with signs of damage becoming more apparent as each step appeared. Inspecting how far he could go before having to do some fancy footwork, Yoshi ignored the newmen complaining behind him. He didn’t care for her complaints; about how messy the place was or any residue she would have to clean off. Feeling satisfied with that fact that he wouldn’t have to do much, he patted his mag, signaling to turn on flash light mode and looked back.
“Coming with?” Yoshi asked.
“I call the shots, remember that human,” she replied, looking towards the entrance with concern. “You first, go on.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/CDGhEgL78Ac)
Yoshi shrugged in response. Sliding down parts of the railing, jumping a few gaps, Yoshi reached the lowest level of the ship. Upon landing, black powder flew in the air, shaken off walls and ceilings. It was a depressing sight for the cowboy, who dusted the ashes off his gear. All that seemed have been destroyed before the explosions were the rooms containing machines. Those like Ijiraku and other models. As if raider only came by to destroy the machinery out of anger or spite. Now, everything and everywhere looked like a mess. Walls blown apart, panels dangled by wires, any light that survived had to fight the black scars the surface bared. If any lucky machine survived, chances are they aren’t alive anymore; but Lilliman said a mysterious man came here. He came to this location for a reason and for whatever that reason may have been, Yoshi wanted nothing to do with it. All he felt he had to do was find the man and take back what he stole. When the newmen female finally joined him on the bottom floor, they agreed to venture further into the ruins.
For the both of them, it was a strange change of pace from the outside world. No longer did the sun accompany them in their journey. Everything felt so dark and spooky. A lonely place, cramped and cluttered in every hallway, but there was yet a darker to be seen. Doors refused to open, rooms were caved in. Faint beeps made a sort of harmony along the way. Yoshi almost hummed to them before the newmen slapped him upside the head. Every so often the newmen girl freaked out to a few skeletons here and there. Yoshi would trip over buried material. Most of the time, the two just got lost trying to find their way around the ship.
When they finally entered in what seemed to be a large storage room, Yoshi had to pause. This was where he tripped an alarm. In the past, it was well lit and full of destroyed cargo. Today, sand leaked from the unseen ceiling, forming small piles in heavenly light as he walked by. He could remember being chased by a large robot and the explosions that followed after. Reaching the doorway on the other side, he froze. Chills ran down his spine. Yoshi looked up. Staring at him from above, an oversized robot, a giant humanoid, its large eyes wide open. Something seemed off though. Its ape like frame looked so lifeless dangling from several wires. “Is it asleep or broken?” Yoshi wondered to himself. Afraid that it might fall on top of the two, he reached for a half scarred button on the side of the doorway.
Two pulse waves later and the door opened up. Light flooded in from the other side. The human, now peeking inside, found it oddly unsettling to see everything in perfect conditioned. Even the door remained untouched. Clean white walls, a flawless white door, cyan lights and paneling. Yoshi even noticed a convenient map embedded on the side of the wall, its glass layer protecting the screen behind it. Thinking on it, the room reminded Yoshi of the entrance. A simple room that only led to somewhere else; only instead of escalators, the room boasted a seemingly endless hallway.
“Huh. A map. Neat,” said Yoshi, running up to the glass panel. Placing a finger on it, he traced around red lines hoping to find their current location. “A legend would have been nice though.”
“Move over you fool, I’ll find out where we are,” the newmen said in a condescending tone.
“Good luck with that.”
“If you knew how to use your eyes, all you would have to do was look for a large square.”
“And how many large squares are on that map, hmm?”
“I require silence.”
Taking the time to observe the map, Yoshi noticed simple grey shapes at every corner of the screen. Without words or any coloring, it was hard to tell if they were there for scrolling text or décor. Unsure what they were for, Yoshi couldn’t help but poke at the shapes. His first attempt got him a swat to the arm, the second a shove. On his third attempt, he managed to press a square button, which revealed all sorts of words and icons. Baring teeth at the teal hair man at first, the newmen couldn’t help but stare at the screen in awe. Pressing at a triangle button, the newman flipped through the currently displayed floors.
“It appears we are here,” she finally said with confidence, pointing at a lone square on the map. “This leads us down a long corridor to the largest room in this…thing.”
“How convenient, now to find out what’s on the other side of that hallway.”
“Did I say we were going in there? No. I wish to go home,” the newman demanded.
“Go ahead without me then. I want to see what’s in that room,” rejected Yoshi, his arm pointing into the hallway.
“Rooms like those contain only death. I suggest we leave before you get us both killed.”
“Then I’ll die alone.”
Yoshi felt a rifle press against the back of his head. Pausing for a brief moment, the two stood in silence. Both of them tried to predict each other’s next move. The newmen applied more pressure on his head but it felt odd. The muzzle was made for breaching doors yet he couldn’t feel the many pointy ends it had. Then he felt like an idiot, resisting the urge to cover his face. Just because he lost communication with the outside world doesn’t mean everything had shut down. He still had a line shield and his mag still functioned, though it didn’t do anything to stop her. Yoshi chuckled to thought of what his mag could be thinking right now.
Yoshi walked into the hallway. Confident that she wouldn’t try to stop him, he said in a calm voice, “Doesn’t matter what you do, the result is going to be the same.”
“Don’t you walk away from me, you filthy liar.”
“If I’m such filth, then why do you bother dealing with me?”
She didn’t answer. Instead, she watched him grow smaller and smaller and smaller as he walked into a white corridor. After he finally vanished she dropped her rifle, sat in the corner of the room and began to cradling herself hoping someone would stop by and lead her out of the place. For several minutes she didn’t move. Sitting in the same corner, she continued to rock in place until she heard footsteps. The newmen looked towards the sealed door. Faint murmurs echoed on the other side. Jumping onto her feet, the newmen ran to the door and opened it. White doors slid open allowing two people to let themselves in. They were Marisa and Kazamir, both who argued to each other while they moved around the girl. Angry with the fact that she went ignored, the newmen said to them,
“At least, my rescuers have arrived. Servants, I wish to leave this dreadful place. Afterwards I want to be taken to a spa where I can cleanse myself of all this soot and a man’s barbaric germs.”
Looking to the girl, a finger placed on Kazamir’s lips, Marisa replied, “I’m going to assume you’re a girl from the Melchior?”
“I am, lead away by a dirty human who is probably already dead walking down that dreadful hallway,” the newmen replied.
“I see. So you followed him,” Marisa said with a lowered head, pointing at the newmen with her eyebrow. Before the newmen female had a chance to respond, Marisa kneed her in the stomach. Caught off guard, the newmen bent in place gasping for air, allowing Marisa to swiftly ram her head against the wall. The newmen dropped to the floor in a daze. Unsatisfied with the newmen’s still present consciousness, Marisa knelt down, slamming the newmen’s head once more on the padded floor.
“That was highly unnecessary. I can see where Marean got her violent nature from,” said Kazamir who struggled to retain a stoic demeanor.
“You don’t know her family like I do, Kaz.”
“There are several Newmen families on the Melchior, Leanna. You can’t possibly know all of them.”
“I know a Boga when I see one,” Marisa shouted. “Self-obsessed, using anyone who isn’t family as a pawn, as cannon fodder for their ambitions.”
“You don’t even know why she followed Yoshi.”
“Oh, I have a good idea as to why she followed him. Yoshi kept her sane.”
“You are not making any sense.”
“That’s because you never had to live like we do. You weren’t born on the Melchior like us. A ship of experiments”
“Then how come you fail exhibit any problems, or your granddaughters?”
“I fixed my problem. And while I may be free, my grandchildren continue to suffer, Kaz. Why do you think the marriage happened after Yoshi got lost the year before, hmm? Granted it was my fault that Yoshi vanished. Unintentional of course, but I can’t deny that I was the cause of it.” Glancing down on the unconscious newmen, Marisa continued, “Treat her, leave her or bring her. We can’t waste any more time here.”
Over on the other end of the hallway, Yoshi’s mag cracked the code to a reinforced door. On a press of an oversized button, large doors creaked, metal split into four. Slowly spreading open, only darkness awaited the cowboy and his mag. Unfazed, they stepped into the mysterious room. With all the lights turned off, it was hard to make out anything. All they could do was walk along a trail made of spotlights, a person standing in the last one. Trying to make out who it was, Yoshi instinctively drew his gunslash, running closer to the figure. The person seemed to be minding their own business until the T-57 glowed to life for reasons unknown. Looking behind, Yoshi stood nearby. The person ignored him, turning back around.
“Of course, it had to be one of Elder’s toys. I still don’t understand what he sees in you,” said the figure before walking away, opening a dark and red hazy portal to escape through.
“Wait, don’t you run away from me,” Yoshi yelled. His gunslash aimed at the mysterious man’s backside.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/P6ZSbBSpb3A)
“You destroyed so many of us. Do you realize how much of a mess you’ve made?” Ijiraku’s voice asked from within the darkness.
Losing focus, Yoshi quickly looked around. Staring down his sights soon after, he realized that the man had got away. While he grunted in anger a metal door creaked again. Yoshi spun around to see the light of the hallway vanish.
“You do realize that you must be punished now, don’t you?” Ijiraku continued. Spinning back around, Yoshi stood face to face with Ijiraku, her features cracked and broken. The gold plating she donned no longer shimmered in the light. Ijiraku swiftly lifted her hand before saying, “I did not say to kill him just yet. Human, you know what must happen now, do you not?” Yoshi refused to say a word. “Your death will be slow. Your screams record for future use. Maybe we’ll start with the peeling of your skin. Or we could start breaking your bones first? What do you say?”
“There’s no need for violence, Ijiraku. I don’t want to hurt you,” said Yoshi, sheathing his gunslash.
“Oh but there must. If I were alone, I would have cut you in two by now, but I’m not. Four others want a piece of the action as well. I said wait.”
“There is nothing to be gained by hurting each other,” Yoshi cried, his eyes furrowed in concern.
Lifting a finger to her partially broken lip, Ijiraku replied, “I’ll tell you what. If you hold still, I’ll think about it as we share with you our warm motherly embrace, okay?”
Ijiraku stepped forward. Ambled in her movement, she looked to Yoshi with a corrupted smile. Ten gold blades protruded from her backside, detached themselves and floated in the air. Out of the ten blades, eight of them combined forming a half circle. Eight blades connected by green photonic webbing. Eight green eyes opened wide on the hilts. Yoshi want to move but at the same time, wanted to give her a chance. It felt like a dumb risk, a risk he shouldn’t take, but he felt that there was truth in what she said He wanted to believe that truth.
Yoshi stood in place, afraid of what might happen. Even if he ran away, would he not be flank by the four other mysterious figures? Did he really stand a chance? Now surrounded, he noticed that four figures approaching him. They all looked similar to Ijiraku and the face found outside. Yet, at the same time, they were different. Each of them held a different weapon. A robot with a pair of guns wore the blades as a skirt; another as a cape holding a mace. Drawing near, Yoshi kept his hand on the wooden handle of his gunslash. He gritted his teeth. His body urged him to use it but mind held him back. His eyes locked on Ijiraku’s gold eyes, noticed them suddenly dart to the side and her smile softened. Suddenly, a voice called out.
“Manual override, authorization code Omega 5856. Initiate program delete.”
Lights fades, swords fell, Ijiraku dropped her weapons. Yoshi watched four bodies drop like weights on the floor while Ijiraku slumped onto Yoshi. If she was still awake, she would have felt the shivering of Yoshi’s body.
“The deed is done. There is nothing more we can do here. Let’s go home, Yoshi,” said Kazamir in a sorrowful voice, his gloved hand firmly gripping his friend’s shoulder in hopes of providing comfort. On a shake, Yoshi moved forward. Holding Ijiraku in his arms, he almost faltered on his way to the T-57.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. He was a mercenary once. You guys have seen plenty of deaths already,” said Marisa watching Yoshi with arms crossed.
“Killing strangers is one thing, being the cause of death for your friends and family is another. You should bring Yoshi with you into the cockpit. He wouldn’t want to see it degrade in front of his eyes.”
“Good, I refuse to share a room with a Boga anyways. I take it you will be treating the girl?” Marisa asked, looking towards Kazamir with a cocked eyebrow.
“I’m not a doctor but I will do my best to tend to any wounds or trauma you may have caused,” Kazamir replied.
By the time Yoshi reached the ship, he slumped onto the frame, supporting the gold cast with a leg as an arm swooped over to open the ramp. After slowly dropping to the floor, Yoshi rushed his friend inside, resting her on one of the two bare benches. Grouping behind him, Marisa and Kazamir glanced around, more focused on remembering which button did what. Breaking the silence, metal squealed. Ijiraku’s eyes flickered in the darkness. Lifting her arm, it produced several sounds similar to gears grinding against each other until her hand rested on Yoshi’s moist cheek.
“Do…not cry…for me, Yoshi. This is the way…things must be. I could never…never hurt you. Do not…”
Ijiraku went silent. Her eyes faded. Filling the silence were the sounds of faint crumpling. Almost as if a fire burned inside. Gripping Yoshi by the arm, Marisa forcefully dragged Yoshi away into the cockpit. When the shuttle doors closed, Kazamir silently said to himself,
“It spoke to him while retaining a personality. Fascinating.”

(*optional end note*) (http://youtu.be/J6sIP10n05Y)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]A purple mask peeked over a black shoulder. “Of course one of Elder’s toys waltzes in. I fail to understand what he sees in you,” Persona said before he turned to greet the human. “Judging by the fact that you’ve found me, I’m going to assume you caused this mess too? Tell me, what brings you all the way here to an abandoned facility?”
“I’m here to right what you have wronged.” Yoshi replied in a brave voice, entering into a battle stance.
“Oh, so you fancy yourself a hero. And how do you plan to do that, hmm? What are going to do? Shoot me? With a gunslash? Ha! I’ve received better threats from little girls half your size; and guess what happened to them afterwards? They died.”
“An even better reason to put you down.”
“Sure sure, I guess this is around the time where I bring out your motivation. Ijiraku, come into the light so your little hero can see you,” Persona commanded, gesturing at something to come forth from the shadows.
A figure obeyed. Stepping out into the light, Ijiraku stood sternly by Persona’s side. Gray eyes pierced Yoshi’s soul. So much so that he didn’t know what to say to her. She looked torn apart and rebuilt; a broken machine held together by scraps of gold metal. It made his stomach sick. He couldn’t stand it. How Persona could mistreated her in such a way. So that she wouldn’t greet him again, in the friendly manner that she used to. “You caused me quite a lot of trouble, you know that? I had to dig pretty deep to find a workable group of war robots. But I can’t form an army out of this. There are too little of them to wipe out a fleet, but all is not lost. At least I can still kill you with the very thing you called a friend. I don’t care what Elder says.”
Yoshi summoned a pillar made of earth in hopes of impaling his foe. At the same time, Persona launched a dark sonic wave. Both of them aimed to end the battle. They didn’t want to engage in CQC combat, throwing as many ranged attack at each other as they could. Persona’s head lifted upwards slightly. “And speaking friends, I see you brought more for her to kill.”
Running in from the door way Yoshi came through, Kazamir and Marisa rushed to the cowboy’s side. Nodding to each other, they quickly looked around to get a grasp an idea of the situation before prepping for battle. Marisa, positioning herself closer to Kazamir, summoned a bulky great sword to plant it into the ground. While at the same time, Kazamir dragged Yoshi behind it.
“Falling apart already?” Persona shouted. “You see, this is the problem with heroes these days. They believe they’ve tapped into their wellspring of resolve or courage, charging into everything headstrong and thickskulled. Then when they reach their destination and the villain puts their will to the test, they crumble apart like the desert sand, scattered, becoming either useless or an emotional sandstorm. Eroding at everything; be it good or bad. Arks aren’t heroes. They don’t care about life outside their bubble. How their action affect their surroundings. They only destroy and it makes me sick to my stomach. That is why you should all be exterminated.”
“You would kill millions for the same crimes performed by your lot?” Marisa asked.
“You misunderstand me. I wish you, Arks, the source of all problems who strong arms their way into everything that doesn’t pertain to them, to die.” Looking around, Persona turned to summon a small portal. “I’ve wasted too much time already. Ijiraku, would you be a good girl and take out the trash for me?”
“Extermination order confirmed. Activating code Heaven’s Mother.” The gold Caseal replied in a cold metallic voice.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Why Must I Have to Meet With New People? -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music* (http://youtu.be/01hlTBxM6cA)

“Self-proclaimed mother of the grown man you call your child, I ask you this. Why? What drove you to take on such a title when there were so many others titles you could have chosen instead? Could it have been that you were programed that way? Did you have the capability to expand past what made you a robot? Or are you the epitome of what any AI strives to become? Allowing you to become not only a mother, but a friend, a mentor, a leader, and even a warrior? What is he to you? Was he a child lost in the darkness and you his guiding light? One who still needed grow up so that he may undertake a much larger task unforeseen? Or were you merely trying to make a statement? Ah but look at me, speaking to what is nothing more than silent data…”



-

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/lj5RxT1YA88)

“Kaz, it’s been months, maybe even a year. How’s it going, man? I came as soon as you rang,” Yoshi said while walking into a bright room devoured by technology. He looked around the grey and silver room he had stepped into. The room proved to be very bizarre, one he had never dreamed he’d ever see. If any wall was to be seen, it would have been bare and white. Gray tile floors were coved by wires and cables of many colors, all sorts of machines hugged every inch of the room, even the ceiling. There were so much blinking machinery filling this room, Yoshi would have spent hours guessing what each one did.
Now inside and the door closing behind him, Yoshi turned to Kazamir, eager to hear him say, “I wanted to show you something.” Kazamir turned to the side and lifted his arm parallel to his body. Yoshi’s eyes trailed along. Before the hatless cowboy laid a golden CAST sleeping on a plain steel bed. At first he didn’t know who or what it was. Almost brand new in appearance, he would have never guessed it was the relic of a robot he found in the ruins of an abandoned ship until he noticed a pulse of green light glide across the seams of the Caseal. A gold machine with emerald highlights the original color scheme of the robot. Yoshi couldn’t help but stare in awe over her transformation.
Kazamir briskly walked toward the Caseal and continued, “Taking the robot that you have found, I have managed to restore it, giving it new life.”
“You mean I managed to bring her to life,” a man in orange overalls interrupted. A wrench in hand casually wiggled in the air.
“Right, anyways we, however, have run into a slight problem. Since you were the first thing to be seen by her, she will only answer to you. So I believe anyways. I’m still trying to research what I can about her model. So, all I believe you will have to do is make a command and she will wake.”
“Alright, I think I can do that.” Yoshi replied with an awkward chuckle. “Shouldn’t be too hard I guess.”
Nervous, he didn’t know what to say. It was rare for him to speak to any CAST or robot. He didn’t know what to expect or think. For a few minutes he stood there, staring at the sleeping Caseal. His fingers fumbled around above his waist. He searched for words but only remolded his mouth every time, never making a sound. How should he treat her he wondered? Should he greet her as a friend? Or should he treat her like a child? What if she turned out to be a mean person? Yoshi shook his head to shake away the thought.
“Come on man, I ain’t getting any younger.” The mechanic complained.
“I-eh heh. E-uh, he-hello. Resting well I-I hope?”
“Oh my lord, get on with it already,” the mechanic cried. Kazamir shot a glare in response.
Yoshi took a deep breath. “If you would be kind enough to wake up, I-I would like to know what….. Would be the first thing you would like want to do.” The mechanic slapped his own face. “Do-do you have a name?” Yoshi asked.
Gold eyelids shot open. In a few blinks, she shifted her head towards Yoshi. Taking a moment to see his weak and confused smile, she smiled warmly at him and sat up. “My name is complex and difficult to say but I do have a name. In short you may call me Ijiraku Maza,” she warmly said. As she lifted herself off the bed, Yoshi skipped backwards with a hint of fear. Seeing this, she lifted her hand over her face instantly, eyes wide open. Reaching out to grab the teal hair man’s rosy cheeks, she said in an endearing tone, “Oh, look at you. You’re so adorable.” Yoshi winced in pain but tried to maintain his smile. “So what is your name?”
Yoshi was speechless. He still didn’t know how to react. He didn’t expect to meet a CAST this friendly. “I-I, my name is Bi-Yoshi Bu-blue; Yoshi Blue.”
“Gee, it’s almost a gosh dang family reunion. Hey dewmen. When am I getting paid?” the mechanic demanded. With a hand in the air, he curled his fingers several times.
“Ah yes, the fees,” Kazamir replied, roaming past his friend and the Caseal. He shot an arm into the air and used his other hand to remove a small black card from his sleeve. He then firmly hand it to the man. “Is there anything I should know about the robot?”
“Yeah, she’s made with an odd material. Bio-degradable, like she isn’t meant to live long. I reckon she may be one of those prototypes or military weapons. So I’d keep an eye on her if I was you,” the mechanic replied, his wrench shook in the air again. “I also couldn’t get into most of her inner workings. Seems to be locked together real tight. Not sure what that’s about but whoever made her didn’t want anyone to reverse engineer her. Either way, all I care about is my payment. Whatever he does with her is his business. Just don’t make a mess in my workshop, ya hear?”
“Anything I can go off of?” Kazamir asked again, watching the calling itself Ijiraku dote on his human friend.
“She isn’t Arks made, that’s for sure. Seems to be a private company’s doing. A cheap job at that too but she’s built to do a job and that job may or may have not been done by now judging by how damaged she was. Old tech though, maybe sixty years or older and covered in sand too. May want to look into that first if anything. May also want to make some false papers for her or something though.”
“Already taken care of.”
There was a beep at the door. Everyone in the room froze. “That’s odd,” said the mechanic. “I’m not scheduled to see anyone else for hours.”
“I’ll get it,” Yoshi said, leaving Ijiraku with a much happier smile.
“No, let me,” the Caseal responded.
“Don’t worry, I’m closer.”
“Why don’t we go together then?” Ijiraku asked while holding her elbow out. Locking her arm with his own, Yoshi replied, “Alright,” allowing the two to walk along side by side. Stepping closer to the door, the beeps began to echo.
Light flooded his vision. Groaning, Yoshi woke up to the sun peeking over the balcony outside his room. He glanced around his room without moving an inch and felt his heart drop. It was just a dream, a memory replaying in his head. Wondering why he even bothered to wake up in the first place, the beeps from before became clearer with every passing second. For a moment, they confused him. The beeps weren’t produced by his stand. Was there fire? When his vision regained focus, and his hearing clearer, he realized that the beeps came from his door. Why the door, he asked himself. With a groan, he got onto his feet and dragged them all the way to the door. Slapping the button in a careless manner, the door opened to reveal what at first thought was Marean, but after looking for a few particular features, he realized it was really Leanna, Marean’s grandmother, who wore a sage dress and gloves.
“Oh hey, Le-“ Yoshi tried to say before he was grabbed by his neck, lifted off the ground and pulled into his room.
“How dare you leave her like that,” Leanna screamed at him. “Crying, drowning in depression, even on the verge of suicide, thanks to you she has been worried sick; about you, about everything. Fix it, now.”
“As much as I want to, I just can’t leave my job. I’ve spent too much time away already.” Yoshi choked, cringing before she made her response.
“Oh, you will leave whether you like it or not. Have you forgotten who you are speaking to?” Leanna shouted.
“No, I haven’t,” Yoshi said, dangling in the air.
“Good,” she said before throwing him to the floor. “I didn’t want to meet with you like this but you have forced my hand.”
Sitting up, Yoshi asked, “What if she doesn’t want to see me again? How would I even cheer her up?”
“Oh, she’ll want to see you again, I can promise you that,” Leanna replied, smirking at Yoshi with a smug face. “As for your apology gift, use your imagination. After all, you should know her by now.” As soon as Yoshi got up, the green hair newmen hugged him and left saying, “Until we meet again, stay well and I hope to see you in a much happier setting. Hugs and kisses.” and shut the door behind her.
Awaken by this recent event yet still in a daze; Yoshi rubbed his forehead in fatigue. Tempted to go to sleep, he swerved to his stand, but before he made his second heavy step, the door beeped again. Yoshi groaned in irritation. “Who could it be this time?” Yoshi said in his head, banging it against his hand. His hand dropped with a heavy sway as he turned back around. Punching the button this time, the door opened back up. This time it was the newmen girl from the desert. Like Leanna, she also wore a dress only black in color, long, collapsing along the floor as she bowed.
The cowboy, not wanting to deal with her, banged his head on the doorway asking, “How in the world did you find out where I lived?”
“I stooped low enough to ask your dewmen friend.”
“Damn it, Kaz.” Yoshi thought to himself in frustration. With a sigh, he lifted his head off the doorframe and asked, a hint of regret in his voice, “How can I help you?”
“I’m here to move in with you,” She replied with both hands on her hips.
“No,” Yoshi quickly replied, shutting the door in front of her. Unfortunately for Yoshi, the door stopped to an umbrella stuck between the door way. A brown eye stared through the crack. Her eye narrowed. “I’m not giving you a choice,” said the newmen in a dark tone. Yoshi wanted to bang his head on the wall again but at the same time didn’t want to wake Kerri.
“Isn’t there someone else you could spend the day with?” Yoshi asked before getting hit on the head with the newmen’s umbrella.
“No, I don’t and I refuse to spend the day with another newmen.”
“Okay, now you’re messing with me. You look down on us non-newmens and yet you refuse to stay with one. What sense does that make?”
“Don’t question my decisions and just accept the fact that I’m staying here,” she shouted.
“I’m not in the mood to be toyed with,” Yoshi shouted back, closing the door on her again. Ignoring any muffled comments made behind him, the sounds of stomping echoed outside. Two people then began to scream at each other. It was Kerri and she sounded mad. Upon hearing the sounds of Kerri getting physical with the newmen, he began to smile and returned to his makeshift bed.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/zx7K2uyOGUk)
During the daytime, Yoshi did his usual morning routines before heading out for the team ship. Though he would rather stay home to sleep some more, today was a day he couldn’t miss. As he stepped into the elevator, he didn’t bother to make a light conversation with his mag for once. Instead he stared into the mahogany wood, expecting it to turn transparent any moment now, so that he could just look into the cold and tranquil city. Concerned, his mag rested two of its four pointy prongs on his shoulder. For once, Yoshi didn’t wear his hat or his scarf. Instead, he wore a white navigator outfit. Like the female variant, it leggings were black but his was top white instead of the normal green. Gold trimmings decorated the suit and eight gold buttons, which served no real function other than to fulfill a tradition held since the days of old, lined up in two rows. A bit on the fancy side, Yoshi thought it would be a nice suit to wear for an event he had to attend. For it was the day he would meet his new navigators and pilots along with any other Arks operatives paired with the group.
When the elevator became glass, everything looked so peaceful in Ur. Not many vehicles roamed the city today and those that did moved at a casual or slow pace. If it were anymore empty, Yoshi would have begun to question if it was a holiday or not, though he wouldn’t care in the end. He didn’t feel like celebrating anything with anyone today. Not after what happened recently. He felt dead inside. He didn’t want to think about the pilots or the new navigators. Since he came back from Lillipa, the T-57 was stripped from him for becoming emotionally compromised. Meji claimed that he didn’t want Yoshi to use it risking the chance that he could have used it in a suicide attempt. Yoshi could understand this decision with him losing Ijiraku and all, much to his dismay. As for Lilliman, he was sent back to the Arks landing pad colony to live amongst his kind. So that he wouldn’t become an alien to his people and protect his cultured lifestyle. Lilliman didn’t put up much of a fight when the call was made. In fact this is what he wanted. So that he can continue his mission to assassinate rouge Lillipans who embrace the Darker ways, believing that technology is the work of evil and that the Darkers were divine punishers there to bring justice to the heretics.
Several minutes later, and many steps worth of travel, Yoshi finally stepped onto the well cleaned grounds of Celestial’s team ship. When Yoshi came back, he learned that the team had held a party that same day. He didn’t know what it was for nor did he care much either. All he knew was that it happened and he decided not to attend. Not that many of his team mates noticed anyways, a plus to Yoshi, due to them enjoying themselves far too much. As usual, everyone bounced around in the team ship, busy doing their given tasks. Only this time their tasks were ship related. Everyone was taking a day off it seemed. Going around, picking up their colorful mess from the day before. Watching everyone do work and quickly slacking off, Yoshi ended up feeling bad for the oversized Rappy who got stuck with cleaning duty. He was the only one who didn’t take a break and did his job naturally. Some of the team members tried to use photons and techniques to speed up their job. For some it worked, for others it only caused a bigger mess than before. Not everyone had to do work on the team ship though. Some of Yoshi’s team mate passed by, on their way for missions outside the ship. One of those people was Enforcer, who happened to be there to greet him by the transporter, a translucent clipboard in hand.
“Yoshi, what are you doing here?” he asked with concern. “You should be at your meeting by now.”
“I came to check in before doing anything else,” Yoshi replied with a shrug.
“While that’s all well and good, you could have checked in at a later time. You know this, Yoshi.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll be on my way then.”
“Have a good one.”
Yoshi turned around. Then turned around once more, giving Enforcer a look of honest sincerity. “Hey, Enforcer. Take care of yourself, alright?”
Unsure what Yoshi was going on about, he replied, the clipboard waving in front of him, “Don’t worry about me. Hurry up and get going.”
So he did. Stepping back onto the transport pad, Yoshi vanished in a blink of an eye. Swimming through the blue corridor of surreal consciousness, he reappeared in the Arks shopping district of Ur. Looking around, Yoshi noticed plenty of people roaming about. Some checked their gear, a few bought items, others talked to the chef Franka, and everyone seemed to ignore a man with crimson hair, who seemed to be waiting for someone. Yoshi felt a bit bad for him but in the end, ended up doing the same. Walking past the unit shop, Yoshi traveled along a corridor in the back, behind the shops, to a single gray door near a waterfall which fell into a small pool surrounded by an assortment of flowers.
“Yoshi,” a voice shouted from behind. Yoshi looked around. It was Kerri; running in a scarlet ball gown, almost tripping in her ruby heels, she waved with one hand while the other held her dress up.
Yoshi stopped to wait for her, hoping she would stop running. “Looking lovely there, Kerri. You should wear a dress more often,” Yoshi warmly said, his arm held out to help her slow down.
“Oh stop,” Kerri bashfully replied. “Anyways, look at you, having women bug you so early in the morning,” smiled Kerri, giving Yoshi a punch to the shoulder.
“Heh, sorry about that.” Yoshi sheepishly replied. “It was just the oddities that come with the job.”
She tugged at his arm. “Strange times indeed,” said Kerri with a finger aimed at the door. “Well, let’s not keep them waiting. We’re already twenty minutes late.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/asgELTWi2R0)
Stepping inside a red room, a small group of people chatted in a half circle. Some sat down, others stood next to each other. Those who did not take part in the circle chatted somewhere else nearby. In the end, all the guests stood by a blue virtual waterfall column surrounded by benches and flora, a few ads fell with the water. Due to large use of formal attire, Yoshi felt strange coming in with nothing but a mere navigator’s uniform. Regretting his decision, he feared one would now think that he was a navigator instead of a soldier. Looking back to Kerri, hoping she wasn’t giving him an odd look, he watched her shrug before letting go of her arm. As Kerri skipped away to join the others, a woman in a uniform swooped in from the side and shouted in Yoshi’s ear,
“Wonderful, everyone is here. Welcome, Team Zelatus. I hope you all get along well because in an ancient language, zelatus means jealousy and I hope that this team becomes the envy of every squad in the fleet; the epitome of what Arks and Oracle strives to be. Get to know each other well for each and every one of you will learn to rely on each other from here on out. Now shall I introduce every one of you or do you all wish to do it yourselves?” The woman asked with a smile. Everyone mumbled in response. Some looked to each other. Others looked away or to the floor, Yoshi being one of them.
“Honestly people,” the woman cried.
Kerri stepped forward. Pointing to herself with a thumb, she shouted, “Hiya everyone, I’m Kerri, your new pilot. I hope we get to bond so well that nothing bad will ever happen to us! Woo!” As she waved her arms in the air, she glared at Yoshi to follow up with his introduction. Yoshi sighed in despair.
“Hi, everyone. I’m Yoshi Blue. Your infantry dude. Take care of me all right?”
“Come on man. You got to have confidence in yourself. Show a little pride,” an older man said. “You say it like this. Hey, I’m James Fraser. Don’t let my white hair fool you because I’m also your team pilot and a good one at that. Let’s kick as much darker butt as we can, yeah?” Cupping his ear he added, “I can’t hear you!” Everyone made a weak and mixed cry of cheers. “Bah, you guys are no fun.”
“Hello,” a tanned man with dark green hair calmly said. “I am Elm Qusay, also a pilot. May your soul stay calm and the light smile on us all.” Having nothing more to say, he looked to a woman near him.
“Hi, I am Saburo, Aiko.” A black hair woman said with a bow. “I will be our navigator in charge of our kill and avoid operations. May our pray die swiftly and our aim precise.”
“The name’s Rio Actaeon, your navigator in charge of capture and collect missions. I’ll only ring in if I see something important,” a man with blond hair sternly said.
“And I am Mable Anacreon. The navigator who handles the odd information such as escorts and protection based ordeals,” a human with blue hair finished.
As everyone looked around to nod and shake hands, James shouted to the corner, “Hey you, boy. Get over here and make yourself known.”
“Why should I?” a man quietly said from behind a counter.
“Come on. Where’s your team spirit?”
“I have no team spirit. I don’t need any of you. Look if it makes you happy, I’m Arron. Don’t get in my way.”
“There is always one,” the woman in the uniform said with sorrow. “Anyways, in this room, you are fee to mingle around and get to know one another. Drinks and snacks are on table in the back, music will be play in case you wish to dance and you may return here if ever a conversation is needed. Through that blocked off door, operatives and crew members may make a request should your team need anything to improve their performance. You can switch around your roles, modify your ships for future missions or request a completely new craft. However, you will need to provide identification to enter. I am sad to say that there has been sabotage attempts made in the past and have forced us to up the security. If there any other question, please do ask them now. Should you have any in the future, my contact information can be found in the other room. Have a nice day everyone.”
With the introductions concluded, everyone returned to their circles. Watching Kerri join the women who chatted to each other earlier, Yoshi stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to walk outside. Just as he was about to go out the door, James stopped him with a hand firmly gripping his shoulder.
“Hey kid,” James said. “Would your real last name happen to be Xol?”
“What makes you ask me that?” Yoshi asked, his eyes looking over his shoulder.
“Nothing really big, you just remind me of someone I knew. A punk who wasted his life in clubs drinking and flirting with women. Not that I’m saying you do that. Heck, the fact that you got involved with Arks in the first place would have been a sight to behold for someone I knew”
“Can’t say I know anyone like that.” Yoshi responded, trying to hide his curiosity.
“Look if you’re an earth-diga-whatever you call it user, watch yourself alright? Seems both sides want that power but don’t want to admit it. Claims about balance and sealing things but the only thing I can think of is plumbing. And I doubt Darkers use toilets.”
Yoshi turned around filled with questions. Questions he was afraid to ask. “Did something happen to someone you know?”
“Yeah,” James said, looking to the floor. “He wasn’t a friend of mine but I saw some strange people asked a man about loyalty and sides. When he refused to answer, they killed him; left quite a bloody mess too. I don’t want you to end up like that guy, got it?”
Eyes tossing in thought, Yoshi looked to the man with a smile and replied, “I think we should look out for each other in general. I’ll try not to go crazy with the missions. Give you time to repair your ship.”
“Aye, that would be nice. Thank you. Though, you would be keeping the lasses waiting. Not something you would want to do.”
Laughing, Yoshi left the room. Back out into the hallway, into an elevator, he made his way to the city streets below the shopping area so that he may return home for a change of clothes. Or so that was his excuse. Taking the time for a soda break, he noticed a crowd of people cry in fear of something. Wondering what was going on, he sat his cold can on a nearby bench and ran into a large crowd. It could have been a Degan or something worse and with Ur being an Arks ship, he figured he had the authority to respond to the situation without any needed confirmation. Pushing through the crowd, he reached the center of the formation to notice a newmen male holding a familiar rifle under his chin. Much like the female he saw in the desert, he also had jet black hair.
“The hell is going on with these newmens?” Yoshi whispered under his breath. Just as Yoshi was about to repeat what he did for the woman on Lillipa, the newmen immediately sat up with the rifle pointed at him. “Oh, come on, not this again.” Yoshi cried.
“You there, who are you?” the newnem male demanded in a shaky voice.
“Just an Arks operative trying to handle the situation. Are you alright? Do you need to talk to someone?”
“Are you a newmen pretending to be human?” the man demanded.
“No.”
“Were your parents born newmen?”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t remember them.”
The newmen rushed to grab Yoshi, pulling him away from the crowd. “You, take me to your place. We have matters of importance to discuss.”
Before long, the two entered Yoshi’s room. Looking around, the newmen showed several signs of disapproval. “I knew humans were cavemen but I didn’t think they would be satisfied with living in bare rooms. I guess they don’t waste any money on trash.” About to kick the partner machine stand, Yoshi blocked the newmen’s leg with a leg of his own and said in a threatening tone,
“No one…touches the podium.”
“As you wish,” the newmen replied. The newmen placed a hand in his pocket to pull out a lint brush. Lowering it near his leg, he waved it back and forth as he said, “I’m curious about your aura.”
“Didn’t know I had an aura and if I did, I don’t see anything special about it.”
“It is an aura normally reserved for newmens but can also be provided by others highly proficient with techniques. A rather powerful force if you will. Highly sought after by those who wish to not to be followed by fellow newmens. I laugh that such a thought would ever cross our minds. Tell me human, have you seen a female newmen by any chance; black hair and language of the most refined? Beauty of which you have never seen before?”
“Maybe,” Yoshi responded. He wanted to say no but instead said, “She may come around looking for me.”
“Good I shall wait here than in thing you call a room. Really, if they are going to give you a room like this, they may as well stick your lot in kennels. Human, fetch me a glass of wine. I thirst.”
“Eh, sure,” Yoshi replied, holding back his urge to punch the newmen in the face.
As Yoshi made his way to a panel on the wall, so that he could summon a glass, he paused to a well timed beep at the door. “I got it,” Yoshi said. Opening the door, a shivering newmen stood outside. Her eyes wide open, as if asking for his help. The newmen male, leaning to the side for a better view, kicked off his chair, shouting, “Yvonna!”
“Oh no,” the female newmen replied. She closed the door. Making several stomping sound outside Yoshi’s doorway, the cowboy was ungratefully pushed to the wall by his guest. Angry, Yoshi shook his fist, tempted to chase after his so that he could give him a real good punch in the jaw. Placing his fist on his forehead to hold himself back, he sighed and looked to the ceiling. His eyes turned into serious ones. The newmen girl called Yvonna clung to the ceiling, using the surrounding walls to support her. She dropped, Yoshi freaked out, arms held out to catch her.
“The heck is going on?” Yoshi cried to the scared newmen female.
“Let me in and I’ll tell you. Please put me down,” she nervously asked.
He did. Walking her into the room, Yoshi handed to her a glass of water and a wooden chair. “Alright, what do you wish to tell me?”
“As you already know, I came from the Melchior. A ship of privilege newmens who’s social status are normally determined by hair color and actions. Each striving to produce off springs of various unknown abilities I guess you could say. I don’t know what my family’s ability is and don’t care either, but I wanted no more to do with it.” She stopped, coiling a little in fear. “Can I trust you? Do you promise to never speak a word of this to any other soul?”
“Not like I talk to many people, so I guess,” Yoshi sighed.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/vJKy3T7vuFU)
“For generations, my whole family linage, we have never been known to travel far for love. Because of this, I fled. I no longer wish to be a part of my family’s tradition. To be married off to someone I don’t love in that manner. They say that newmens don’t last long outside the Melchior; that they are punished by divine retribution. But they were wrong. They were right about not lasting long, but they were wrong about holy death, about how the holy light will smite you from the heavens. I thought I could handle it, that I can best my punisher; that I could defy fate and live a new life away from the madness. But in the end, I learned that it was me who I feared. I was my own executioner. One moment, I’m fine, the next, I’m filled with thoughts of killing myself; regrets, loss, rejections. Just when I was about to pull the trigger, you came. You saved me. Yes, I wanted to kill you, for being a human, a stranger, someone who just came up out of nowhere. But I didn’t. What honorable and proud newmen would I be if I were to kill the very person who kept me alive?”
“So I’m going to assume that’s why you wanted to stay inside my room?” Yoshi replied, taking a sip from a coffee mug.
“Indeed. So, for saving my life, I am willing to give the chance of a higher standard of living. I want you to become my servant, my butler if you will. Think of all the things you could be doing. You can go to the same parties as me, sample the same foods and even wear our fancy clothes. A fair deal if I do say so myself.”
“Thanks but no thanks,” Yoshi responded in an instant. “I’d rather not abandon everyone I know, let alone live life on a leash.”
“A small price to pay for nobility and honor, I assure you.”
Yoshi lifted both arms in front of him. “Look, this isn’t the Melchior. Things don’t work the same way here as they do there.” As the newmen was about to complain, Yoshi pressed his coffee mug against her lips. “Living in my room is one thing, being a servant is another. If you want this friendship to work, you’re going to have to settle with just the room.” Yoshi reached into the air to summon a plastic ticket, black with cyan lights shining on the edges. Flicking it towards her, he continued, “I can’t believe I’m saying this but here’s your room pass. Stick in the wall over there; get a room all to yourself. Otherwise I have nothing more to say to you.”
“I can’t believe I’m doing this just to understand newmen girls…”


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]“You gave to her his address?” Leanna screamed, at the top of her lungs, to a man calmly sitting with tea in his hand. She moved about furiously. Paced behind the usual sofa she sat on. Staring into his drink, Kazamir sat on an identical sofa across a regal coffee table. Sipping his cup of tea, he quietly muttered a happy hum as he did. Spending a minute or two going back and forth within the dimly lit room, the female newmen tug her silky white curtains closed, hoping to relieve some of the stress she felt. She clapped loudly the next moment. Regal lights from above glowed to life, shining over a white coffee table and two sofas. Her emerald floral patterned carpet slightly glowed underneath it all.
“I didn’t see any harm in doing so,” Kazamir replied in an innocent tone, refusing to look at the newmen.
Leanna stopped to furiously beam down on the dewmen. “What in your right mind made you think that was a good idea?” she said, holding back her anger.
“I figured she would move on.” Kazamir took another sip.
“You fool. You should already know full well that she won’t. I wish I could have seen into your mind so that I can properly punish you for thinking that was a good idea.”
“If it’s Yoshi, he may be doing his best to avoid her at this moment. After all, he did leave her behind in that room.”
“Yes,” Leanna thoughtfully said. “Maybe, you’re right. She will be a nuisance but I have faith that he will do good.”


– One week earlier –

“Kazamir, I can’t help but notice that you tend to treat others with little regard. As if you never care whether or not they survive,” said Leanna sipping a cup of tea while smiling at the dewmen in front of her.
“What makes you bring this up?” Kazamir asked with raised eyebrows.
“I’m curious. What is Kerri to you? Is she just another person? Someone you can easily replace should she parish?”
“And what if I do?” Kazamir gently placed his cup on the table.
“I wondered. What if Yoshi succeeded in winning her heart? They would make a lovely couple don’t you think?” Leanna responded in an endearing tone.
“Surely you are joking,” the dewmen chuckled. “I know full well that you would not allow such a union.”
“Is that so? Did you know some families believe in polygamy? I think she would bring much excitement to his life. Spunky, fully of life, willing to drag him anywhere on an adventure; she would make for a great wife if not an exciting one.”
“Please stop,” Kazamir quietly requested, feeling sick to his stomach.
“Oh and think of the children. I think she would pump out at least two, maybe three, even four by the time they’re done. And they would be the cutest little things.” Leanna wore a sly face and wiggled her clasped hands for added effect.
“I said enough,” Kazamir shouted, lifting from his seat, slamming on the table with hesitant anger.


– One Week Later –

“I’ll try not to let it happen again. Anyways, I am confident that Yoshi will choose Marean in the end. After all, you did say you knew what you were doing,” Kazamir concluded. Finished with his cup, he lifted from his chair, picked the tea set from the table and left to wash the dishes.


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]“Why are you dragging me all the way to the city’s shopping center?” Yoshi asked.
Roaming about in an enclosed building, he and his companion passed by many energetic stores, each decorated with unique and colorful signs. In their journey, Yoshi noticed that some came with plain entrances and some were built with extravagant ones hoping to lure in a customer. Complementing these shops, the building itself. Towering high above their heads, a stain glass ceiling colored the floor below. Many odd shapes dangled from the roof, adding to the effect, swinging to the current of artificial breezes. Thanks to this, the people and the floor experience a kaleidoscope adventure as they passed through the well-lit area. Tugging at Yoshi arm was Kerri who brought him to this establishment. With the two wearing casual clothes for once, it made Yoshi feel odd being in a crowd of people. Going out in public without any reason for doing so isn’t something he normally did. While Kerri dragged him around for most of the time, sometimes Yoshi had to be the one to tug Kerri’s arm when she got too distracted by objects of awe and beauty. Waking to the sound of Yoshi’s voice, she looked to him before leading the way once more.
“Because you need to get out more, Yoshi,” Kerri replied. She stopped at a map. As she traced the map with a pen, she stuck a piece of paper between her fingers. Yoshi, who took the time to observe the map as well, noticed that this was only the one of four themes the building had. Guessing by the images presented on the map, he learned that the right wing was the glass hall; the hall they were in. On the left side of the building, opposite to their current location, an underwater themed hall. North bound seemed to be a steampunk hall and the south seemed to be a hall of media. At certain points of the building, there would be ports to underground shuttles that drove people in between halls, while giving a sense of space flight during their trip. Yoshi silently nodded in approval. He was a bit impressed by how much effort was placed into this shopping area. Taking a short glace around, every glistening store in the hallway seemed to be entirely of glass, with nothing but decorations and fancy entrance pillars and gateways to define themselves. Thinking on it, a glass hall seemed too risky to have. Yoshi guessed maybe it wasn’t glass after all. Maybe everything came in something stronger, such as transparent metals and fibers. He didn’t think too hard on it though. Having his fill of the map, Yoshi replied,
“But I do get out. I’ve been out of the field doing Arks stuff and keeping track of the times.”
“Oh, look at me,” Kerri responded in a mocking tone. “My life is so exciting working alone. I shoot things, wear cowboy stuff, ride wolves to get places, fly all the ships, eat all the food I want and save lives. My life is too great for anything else.” Kerri spun around. Her hand fiercely gripped Yoshi by the collar and began to shake him. “You need to get out with your friends. You know, become stronger through team bonding. Make connections and maybe even find a girlfriend.”
“Then why didn’t you invite anyone else?”
“Everyone said they were too busy,” whined Kerried. “Rio had paper work to fill out, James had his grandson to take care of, Elm had some spiritual meeting he couldn’t miss, Arron is a downer, Mable hung up on me, and Aiko was filling in for another navigator. But you, you don’t have an excuse and that’s why you are here.” She said with a smile, letting go of Yoshi.
“Gee, I’m feeling more loved by the minute,” Yoshi said sarcastically, his head leaned away from her. As soon as he looked back at Kerri, he flinched to a finger almost going up his nose.
“Hey, I want to make this very clear to you. Just because it’s just us two doesn’t mean anything, okay? Keep in mind that I’m already taken. So no funny ideas, got it?”
“I think I got the memo since day one.” Yoshi replied with rolling shoulders, his hands sinking into his pockets. “Anyways, let’s go into that shop then,” he added, pointing with his nose to a two stain glass columned store.
“Glass World?”
“Yeah.”
So they did. As they entered, Yoshi attempted to stray away, pretending to be distracted by something. It didn’t work. Kerri was faster. Spotting something she liked, she grabbed Yoshi by the arm and dragged him away against his will.
“Stain glass furniture, pretty cool huh?” Kerri asked while she loomed over a table.
“Would be nice to own,” Yoshi commented without paying attention. Distracting him from all the furniture, he believed he saw a pair of eyes watching him from behind a tornado simulation tube. Cautious, Yoshi become more alert of his surroundings. Though it was hard to do when harshly tugged at everywhere he went. Throughout their visit in the store, he continued to feel a presence. Yoshi didn’t like it. Finally free when Kerri had to use the restroom, Yoshi kept an eye out pretending to look at the lava lamps nearby. Several minutes went by and he no longer seen those eyes. However, the thought that a presence of somebody was still nearby continued to bug him. After a while, Yoshi began to think he was just being paranoid, believing that Kerri was right all along. That he did need to get out more. He tried to relax. He dropped his guard, staring into a multi-tubed lava lamp with extreme focus. Almost to the point of day dreaming, he jumped in his skin as soon as a voice said,
“Lava lamps, huh? Lame. Obviously aquariums are the way to go.”
Almost feeling insulted, Yoshi replied quickly with, “Lava lamps are the cheaper option though and are therefore better.”
“Who needs cheap lava lamps when you can get a stain glass aquarium?” Kerri countered. An arm rose, pointing at the tanks of fish behind them.
“Wouldn’t it be kinda hard to see the fish?” Yoshi asked with arms crossed.
“Okay then, how about a disco ball? Get your groove on by your fishes,” said Kerri, dancing in place with arms rolling over each other.
“How about I do you one better? That.”
Pointing behind her, a giant tank of water holding schools of fish occupied the back wall. Cleverly blocked off by wooden beams and glass signs, one would never have seen it from the front entrance.
“Wow” they both said at the same time. Looking towards the ceiling, they wondered if it went into any higher floors. They wouldn’t have been surprised if it reached the roof of the building. Mesmerized by the life within it, Yoshi began to imagine him swimming with the school of fish. Shifting and swirling at high speeds. Meanwhile Kerri imagined her punching sharks and other sea life in the nose.
“So are you going to buy me that?” Kerri asked.
“No.”
“Aw.”
Lurking in the shadows, Kazamir sat behind a glass sign with a white notepad in hand.
“Note to self, Kerri has a thing for colored glass.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/V9h8kFjz4Hs)
It took a while to get use to the name, but eventually she came to accept it. It was unique. The name gave her a strange sense of uniqueness. From time to time, she would scribble her name on various places, on rocks, in sand, onto metals and in the starry sky; hoping to remember it. She even tried to make a fancy signature to call her very own. Now was one of those times. On her knees, carefully etching her name with a stone pen, she hovered closely over a blue rock. Holding her breathe, she tried to stay as stiff as possible so she wouldn’t make a mistake. For this time, the etching of her name held importance. A finger on gold plate the size of a nail clipper, she dragged it across the rock when her hand hit the receiver of a disassembled gunslash.
The moon aided her in her task. Blessing her with a spotlight from high above, it made sure to make every part sparkled in the moonlight. Sorted in a way that resembled the weapon it original came as; wands, rods and gunslashes decorated the blue rock as Arethusa scribbled in between them all. She laid her etching tool down and smiled. Rising away from the rock, she lifted the gold plate to see her cheery ace reflected behind a name. Satisfied with the work, she placed it down on a wooden hilt nearby.
“What are you doing?” A voice asked from behind.
Arethusa turned around. Standing closely behind was her mother, Tuhina. The girl looked down, saw a bag of syringes, grimaced, then quickly looked up with a smiled.
“Dad taught me how to take apart and clean gunslashes. So since I’m a force, I figured I could modify one to shoot elemental bolts instead of whatever lame bolts we normally shoot.”
“Why a gunslash though?” Tuhina asked, overlooking all the parts. She froze. Her stomach twisted upon seeing a gold nameplate on a wooden handle. “Surely you could improve a rod or a wand instead,” Tuhina said, slowly returning her gaze onto her daughter.
“But I want to be just like dad.” Arethusa cheered. “I want to be a gun slinging cowgirl who takes down the bad guys and leads a team of pretty cool people. But with magic.”
“No,” Tuhina spat. “That weapon is far too dangerous to use.”
“But mom, I can handle it. If Dad were here, he would have let me.”
“Dad is not teaching you how to handle techniques,” Tuhina scolded. Moving to her daughter’s side, she knocked all the parts off the rock and said, “You are a force, Arethusa; not a swordsmen, not a cowgirl. When you have mastered your use of techniques, you will use a proper weapon that will better suit your way of combat. Your father would have said the same.”
“How do you know? You’re not him,” Arethusa cried. Her rebellious eye pierced into her mother’s soul.
“I just know!”
Tuhina stormed away. Water splashed everywhere. Any creature who peeped on the two ran in fear or sorrow. Walking a good distance away from her daughter, Tuhina rested her head on a wall nearby and looked to the starry sky. Wondering what Yoshi would have really said and what future they could really have had.
“Mom,” said Arethusa quietly. “You keep saying how you want to see dad. Why haven’t we ever left this boring place to go see him? You have enough of those things to keep you from going into a rampage for weeks, don’t you?”
Tuhina didn’t answer. After hearing her daughter’s words, blood began to drain from her tear soaked face. The screams of the dead echoed in her head. She didn’t want to be reminded of the disappointments of her past. Watching her mother walk away, Arethusa stood up with an arm reach raised but didn’t follow. So she turned around, to see how far everything scattered in her mother’s rage. To her relief, the name plate still floated on top of the wooden stock. Shrugging, she thought to herself, “Well, it’s a good thing I still have a prototype.” Roaming around, picking up as many part as she could recovery, she imagined what her dad would have really said.
“Hey dad,” an imaginary Arethusa said.
“Yeah, sweety?” An imaginary Yoshi asked.
“Mom says I can’t use my new gunslash. You think that’s dumb right? You think it’s okay that I use a gunslash, right?”
“Hey, your mother is only looking out for your safety, but I don’t see why not? You can use your gunslash whenever you want.”
“Absolutely not,” an imaginary Tuhina interrupted. “What makes you think it’s a good idea for her to use that thing? What if it blows up in here face?”
“Then I’ll try it out. I mean if it blows up, the line shield would just soak up most of the damage,” Yoshi replied.
“You are not going out to get yourself blown up using her contraption, you hear me? What kind of role model does that? Arethusa, give me the gunslash this instant.”
“But mom,” Arethusa cried.
“No butts.” Tuhina scolded. After sounds of an imaginary gunslash being handed off were heard, imaginary footsteps followed after, growing more distant with each step.
“Don’t worry,” imaginary Yoshi said in a comforting tone. “I’ll get it back so we can shoot it planet side, okay?”
“Yay, you’re the best dad.”

(*Arethusa's New Theme*) (http://youtu.be/gJq6rSJOeIo)
[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Author Note into Extra[SPOILER-BOX]Out of all the times I felt I could have used a better song instead, Arethusa's battle music is probably the worst case i've had.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Hunting Beasties: Part I -[SPOILER-BOX] “I am perplexed. Thanks to the data you have provided me, I now struggle to find a connection. Records have shown that roughly 380,000 confirmed diga users have been executed in the past four months. For crimes that would never have seen the call for the death penalty. Yet in the end, they all perished for their petty crimes. Looking further into your report, it says that they were incarcerated. How can they be imprisoned if they are all dead? Your findings intrigue me. Some of these trials lack recordings and evidence. Some even have failed to record when and where these trials took place. Is there an error on your part, or theirs? What have these diga users done to deserve this fate? Why did you isolate data for only those particular people? Is the boy one of these people? What did you seek to gain from this information I wonder? To wonder, ha ha. Sadly, that is all I can do.”



_

(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/EpkCuN4vFBs)

She was hesitant at first, almost outright refusing the offer, but Yvonna decided to take Yoshi’s offer in the end. When the newmen removed the ticket from Yoshi’s gloved hands, he redirected her to a console attached to a wall. Gray, a large green orb embedded within its sleek and shiny frame, she nervously watched the reflective orb absorb the blue ticket that she poked it with. As she did, a pulse rippled through the orb as water would when disturbed by a finger. Unsure, a little scared as to what happens next, Yvonna turned to Yoshi for guidance; who sat behind her with both legs wrapped around a minimalistic back rest. A coffee mug held in one hand. Using his free arm, Yoshi guided her vision to the door on the right, his palm held immediately open after when the newmen stepped forward. Paused, muttering sounds worry, she watched as the door glowed to life. A faint humming sound followed after until what seemed to be minute or two. By time the humming died down, the door’s lights flash green three times and returned to its dormant state, returning to its gray hue behind the clear plastic.
For the rest of the day, Yoshi allowed her to remodel the room how she saw fit. Eagar to leave, he hastily showed her the extra features her room offered; summoning the kitchen, the bathroom and the window’s shutters all at once. After which he left as soon as he could. He didn’t want to bother Yvonna in the designing of her room. He didn’t feel like getting his ear chewed off either. So to take his mind of his troubles, Yoshi returned to the teamship, where he did what he could when requested work by the team. When no more work could be found, he aided a few people in their quests. That didn’t last long either. Desperate to keep himself from thinking of the events of yesterday, Yoshi grabbed an exploration mission for a quiet stroll in the breezy forest of Naberius; hoping to find freedom and inner peace. His freedom didn’t last long however. Just as he was finally beginning to enjoy the carefree feelings and warm sun rays, Yvonna soon arrived to follow Yoshi around for the rest of the day. She bossed him around, complaining about so many trivial things that Yoshi began to ignore her. From time to time she would ask him to buy her furniture after she had found out that her funds were cut off from the family. By the time to two returned home, Yvonna immediately locked herself in her room, leaving Yoshi to sit in the moonlight like he always did. This seemed familiar to Yoshi. He felt odd inside and didn’t like it. It made him wonder why she would do this. Too exhausted to think on it, Yoshi instead attempted to sleep, trying to ease the pain he felt in his heart.
The next morning, Yoshi was rudely awakened by the shouting of his roommate’s muffle calls. “Human,” Yvonna’s muffled words said from the other side of a grey wall. “Human! Human, I require your services. Human.”
“Ugh,” Yoshi groaned. Rubbing his eyes, he rocked his head against the podium he slept on. Waking up, he stretched his arms, pushed off with his back, jumped onto his feet and stumbled towards the door. Upon reaching the doorframe, he crashed against the wall and slammed a weary fist on a green button. The door split open. Swinging inside, a hand clutching the protruding frame so that he wouldn’t fall, he glared at the newmen who stared back at him, tucked in neatly within her sheets.
“Can I help you?” Yoshi bellowed.
“Human, I hunger. Prepare for me a meal this instant.”
Yoshi opened his lips but paused, a finger held pointing in the air. Thinking for a bit, he smirked and walked to the console in her room. “Alright,” he said, "but you’re going to regret it.” A few minutes later, after cooking something in a frying pan, Yoshi turned, walked to the newmen and handed her a plate of French toast.
“What is this?” Yvonna cried. “Human, I asked you to make me breakfast, not a peasant’s snack.” Unhappy with the simplicity of the dish presented to her, she tossed it aside.
“For the last time, its Yoshi, I warned you and that’s torrija. Enjoy.” Yoshi said, his arms in the air as he walked away.
“Where are you going?” Yvonna cried, her twisted in a knot. “I demand a real dish.”
“Make it yourself,” Yoshi responded before shutting the door behind him.
Ignoring any further demands, Yoshi went on to perform his usual morning rituals. Clean, stretched and clothed, he sat at a small and brown plastic table looking at a newspaper. As Yvonna stepped inside, she first thought that he was simply reading a transparent panel filled with words, but what he was really waiting for was for someone to pick up a call. After what seemed to be his third attempt, someone finally answered. The person wasn’t very happy however as Yoshi cringed for the next few seconds.
“Marean,” Yoshi said, trying to end the screaming in his ear. “Marean, I’m sorry, okay? Yes, I know. Marean, listen to me….. Don’t worry abo-….. I’ll make it up to you. If you need me for anything, let me know and I’ll-….. Okay….. okay. It was nice talking to-…..”
Marean ended the call. Saddened, Yoshi placed a hand on his forehead, resting an elbow on the table. Feeling as if he got nowhere in his brief conversation, he let off a large gust of air before sinking his head into his arms. Seeing this, Yvonna felt tempted to make a joke. To kick him while he was down, but she couldn’t. Something within her told her not to. Obeying her inner voice, she receded back into her room without a sound.



-

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/1L9ExQg8QOI)

“You said to meet up with you in the hanger. Was there something you needed help with?” Yoshi asked, walking towards a man standing behind a purring B-02. Turning around, the man revealed himself to be James, now wearing the standard Arks blue and white pilot uniform. A suit Reinhardt would normally wear only in a different color. As James turned, their other pilot, Elm stepped down the ramp, a black tool box bouncing in hand.
“Nah, the ship is all set to take off at any time,” waved James. “We’d do the usual load up the camp ship, pick up the operatives later routine but this case is a special case. You been asked to- do some field training. But because you aren’t just another new cadet, we got to fly you in separately.”
“And because this is just a simulation run, you will only have one navigator assisting you for the time being. I believe it is Aiko who will be accompanying you.” Elm added. He looked to himself, sinking his right hand into a pocket. Upon pulling his it back out, a necklace dangling in hand, made of wood, bobbing from a thin piece of black rope with all sorts of markings carved into it. Now held in the air, Elm walked toward Yoshi. “Here,” he said, presenting the necklace to the man, “a good luck charm to ward away evil entities. When you are in need of aid, do not be afraid to seek the guidance of your ancestors.”
“Thanks.” Yoshi replied, taking the gift. Showing his gratitude, Yoshi immediately placed the necklace around his neck and nodded.
“So, who’s your lady friend?” James asked with a smug face as Elm handed another necklace to her. Yvonna however was not so happy receiving his gift.
“James, Yvonna Boga. Yvonna, James Fraser,” Yoshi greeted the two in a reluctant tone.
“I will be accompanying him on all further missions.” Yvonna imperiously added.
“I see,” James frown. Scratching the back of his head with one hand, James gestured the two to walk up the ramp using the other. “Well, let’s get this show on the road. Elm, you take care of yourself. Wouldn’t need the kids to rescue you on their training run as well.”
“Is there something bothering you, James?” Elm asked, giving a slight bow. “Inner peace is important for maintaining a healthy body.”
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. Maybe I’ll tell you about it later though. In the meantime, I’ll be seeing you planet side.”
Before James headed off to leathery pilot chair, the two gave one finally farewell. When the vessel’s doors sealed shut, James lifted off the reflective ebony floors and headed to a camp ship waiting outside in space. It bay doors held wide open, welcoming them inside. Sitting snuggly next to another transport of a different model, the camp ship closed its bay doors and dissented into a water portal, heading on its way to the lush planet Naberius. Yoshi, now stuck in a ship within a ship, couldn’t see what was going on outside. He had forgotten the codes and tricks that would have allowed him access to the cameras and windows of other vehicles. Having nothing to do, all he could do was sit back and enjoy the ride. Bored however, he leaned forward to see Yvonna applying make up in front of a glowing mirror.
“Couldn’t you have done that back home?” Yoshi asked, eyes rolling and his back resting against the unusually soft space craft interior. “It’s not like we’re going to a party.”
“Ignorant rat, I would have if you weren’t so keen on leaving so soon.”
“Hey, those insults aren’t getting you anywhere. You got to learn to relax.”
“Me slapping you is what you’re going to be learning soon.”
“Go ahead and see what happens.”
“I can still hear you two you know.” James butted in over the hidden speakers. “If it makes you feel any better, we’re already inside the planet’s atmosphere. May be a good idea to start stretching or at least sort out your equipment."
“Oh I’ll be stretching alright. Stretching this peasant’s tongue so he knows when to hold it times over.”
Yoshi chuckled at her insult. Wiping a tear from his eye, he smile and asked, “So are we going to land in a separate location as well?”
“In one of our safer routes, yes. While it is our job to take on Darkers, it would be best to steer clear of them for this mission. Just keep in mind that if anything shows up, you’re on your own. So stay alert”
“A strange way to prepare a team for something. Shouldn’t Arron be with us for this trip?”
“As you may have guessed, Arron requested a separate mission; which is why you had the pleasure to see Elm today.”
“Right.”
“Alright, we’re approaching the landing zone, prepare for dispatch.”
Now on their feet, they began to shield their eyes from the sun that now flooded their small room. Gaps increasing in size, looking past the brilliant light, they could faintly make out details of the forest outside as the transport’s doors lowered to the floor. The ship stopped to hover just above the dirt floor. Moving to step off, Yoshi felt the B-02’s very faint sway as he walked forward. Looking back, Yoshi offered a hand to his newman teammate only for it to be slapped away shortly after.
Waving his hand, Yoshi shouted to the B-02, “Alright, you are clear to take off.”
“You two stay safe now,” James responded, taking his airship up and over the thick forest. “I’ll be watching from the skies.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/OsRwyyg5cN4)
“Hello again,” a female voice said shortly after. “This is Aiko. Your first objective is to enter a nearby cave and clear anything that may prove to be a threat. Nice, simple, easy to do. If nothing appears, then think of it as a jog to get the heart pumping and continue on.”
“Alright, heading into the cave,” Yoshi replied with two fingers pressed against his ear. Yoshi turned around. Facing Yvonna, Yoshi smiled and asked in a light tone, “You ready for a walk in the park?”
“Ugh, just what I needed. A jester to accompany me,” Yvonna groaned.
“Hey, if we’re going to be working together from now on, we may as well start to get along, right?” Yoshi asked with a weak smile, fingers tightly pressed against his palm.
“Would you stop talking and move already?”
Taking the lead, Yoshi treated the trip as if he was on his own. Speedily entering a moss covered tunnel, Yoshi knocked the rod off his back, twirling it around his arm as he would with a pole staff. Poking an eye around a rocky bend, he peeked into a clearing which lead to yet another cave on the other side. Between him and his next destination were a few patches of tall grass and a few trees growing within a gulch. Moving forward like an assassin creeping against the wall, Yoshi held his rod forward to blast anything that tried to get the jump on him, but as he strayed into the sunlight, nothing showed up. The clearing held nothing for him to fight. Only a lone Nab Rappy sleeping behind a bush. Waking up suddenly, Yoshi awkwardly waved at it, crouching, trying not to make another sound hoping it was just half asleep. Amazingly to Yoshi, it waved back, got up and waddled away.
“Why didn’t you burn it with fire?” Yvonna whisper with irritation, smacking Yoshi’s arm.
“I’m not going to kill a dude trying to chillax in the shade.” Yoshi whispered back, tapping the newmen’s forehead with his staff.
Angered, she grabbed Yoshi weapon, raised a rifled with her other arm and whispered, “Do that again, I dare you.”
“Please refrain from harming your fellow squad mates.” Aiko monotonously interrupted.
“He started it,” Yvonna cried.
“And you are a grown woman who is capable of making thoughtful and wise decisions,” Aiko shot back. After a short pause, she then alerted the two. “Careful, something large is approaching your position. Prepare for an ambush.”
Soon after, a large Banther, a wolf like creature with purple dagger sized claws, yellow stripes decorating it gray fur and a large yellow mane flying in the wind, jumped from over the rocky wall and into the clearing. While as menacing as the rest of its kind, something seemed off to Yoshi. Its frame and mane were too small and its claws didn’t seem as sharp as they should be. As it roared, Aiko shouted to Yoshi,
“Initiating Emergency Code: Dual. As Elm would say, may your ancestors guide you to victory.”
“If I didn’t know any better,” James snidely interrupted. “I’d say you and Elm have known each other for a while now.”
Yoshi scuttled to Yvonna. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her close to his head and whispered, “I’ll distract it and you deal the damage.”
“What are you stupid? I’ll draw its attention, you dish out the pain,” Yvonna whispered back.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/fhqXwZ4CRfk)
Pushing Yoshi aside, she began to open fire. Allowing her to do as she wished, Yoshi ran off to gain an ideal spot to attack from. However, he slowed down. Distracted by Yvonna’s choice of wasting all of her ammo, Yoshi felt compelled to say something, but he chose not to. He didn’t want to risk caching the beast’s attention. Soon after, the rifle began to produce clicking noises, causing the newmen to panic in fear. She needed to reload. Resisting the need to hit his own face, Yoshi threw a flurry of hot foie bolts at the beast’s head. It worked. The predator glared at Yoshi with its glowing yellow eyes and made a dive for him. Ducking just in time, Yoshi watched the creature slide across the dirt, uprooting the grass underneath it. Entering a prone like stance, chunks of rock flew in the air as the Banther leaped for a second pass. Still knelling on the ground, Yoshi rolled underneath but still felt something hit his head. He watched his ten gallon hat launch off his head. Checking to see if the Banther prepared for a third strike, Yoshi made a mad dash to recover his hat.
“Try to stay calm,” Yoshi shouted while passing by. “Reload and fire in bursts of three to five. Make sure to aim down the iron sights.”
“I know that you imbecile.”
“Then get it right. You got more than just bullets you know,” Yoshi said, dodging swipe after swipe. Tired of the beast’s hit and run tactics, Yoshi drew his gunslash and blasted his way into the air. Gaining enough distance between him and the Banther, Yoshi swapped his weapons once more and blasted the air to gain more distance. Angered, the Banther roared in rage, not know that this would prove to be its fatal mistake. Because it chose to roar at the two, it had allowed Yvonna to land a weak bullet on its head. These types of bullets increased the power of photons used on the area where the bullet made its impact.
“Its head is extra sensitive now. Wail on it!” Yvonna shouted.
Yoshi began to charge a namegid on it. Watching the purple mark glow from purple to white, it exploded in a beautiful glow of dark energy, causing the Banther to collapse on the floor. Inching forward, Yoshi poked at the downed creature to ensure that it wasn’t playing dead. It no longer budged. Yoshi checked for a pulse, to see if the Banther still breathes. It didn’t. Slumping onto it, Yoshi said in relief, “Well, that went smoother than I thought it would have. Nice work, Yvonna.”
“Careful,” Aiko interrupted. “There is another large creature nearby. Initiation Crossover: Dual.”
“Yoshi, that thing is a Bantha Donna. Do not let that her escape alive. There are still cadets in this area. You got that.” James pleaded.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Yoshi replied. “Strange that the Banther went first then.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/Dahouf9kw3c)
As Yoshi raised his rod, a creature crashed into the dirt behind him. Frightened, Yoshi scampered away from the area. Running away, Yoshi turned to face the creature in fear that it may slash at his back. The Bantha looked furious. Breathing heavily, it began to scream at Yoshi. Producing a roar so powerful, it shattered the ground underneath it. Pushing off the dirt, the Bantha seemed to dive for Yoshi, only to sharply twist halfway in the process, redirecting its path to Yvonna instead. Caught off guard, Yoshi tried to regain its attention by unleashing another barrage of foie. He failed. Unfazed by the balls of fire, the Bantha continued its earthshaking dash towards the female newmen. Diving in fear, the newmen tried to escape but the Bantha continued its attack. In short leaps and slashes, scratching at Yvonna, the Bantha dragged the newmen across the dusty floor with a paw. Knocking the rifle out of her hands, it quickly crushed the gun under its foot, snapping it in two. As if the Bantha planned this from the start, the beast glared at Yoshi and charged towards the cowboy who threw fire at it.
Yoshi didn’t trust his skill as a force to keep him safe from the Bantha. Instead he whipped out his gunslash to repeated the same tactics used against the Banther. The Bantha was ready however. Mixing up her approaches, the Bantha leaped from one spot to another until Yoshi bumped into a corner. Having nowhere else to run, Yoshi let the Bantha dive at him, sliding underneath, shooting a hail of bullets at the beast’s red striped underbelly, until he faced the creature’s backside. Kicking away, Yoshi tossed his gunslash at Yvonna, switching back to his rod in the process.
“Yvonna,” Yoshi said, “Use the gunslash. Hit her with a weak bullet.”
“I can’t,” Yvonna cried. “It’s not a rifle.”
“Woman are you a ranger or not?” Yoshi shouted under a paw. “Is it still not a gun?”
Upon seeing the newmen pick up the gunslash, The Bantha rushed towards Yvonna once more. Scared of being attacked once again, she threw the gunslash to the side and dashed towards Yoshi crying, “Yoshi, help me!”
“Oh for the love of…” Yoshi said as he watched. Without realizing it, Yoshi lifted an arm, his other arm catching Yvonna, and upper cut the Bantha using a pillar of earth sprouting from the dirt. Following up so that it wouldn’t recover from the shock, more pillars knocked the Bantha into the air and quickly formed into spears as hard as dimonds. Screaming in pain, the beast lifelessly hanged in the air, its blood coating the spikes that penetrated its belly.
Yellow eyes growing dim, Yoshi walked to the beast. Staring into its dull gray eyes, he felt a knife stab at his heart. They reminded him of Ijiraku. Sadden to the verge of tears; Yoshi’s head jerked away while he placed a hand on the Bantha’s cheek. As Yvonna walked to Yoshi’s side, she noticed the Bantha’s skin slowly turned to stone, its entire head now seemingly made of dirt.
“What are you doing?” she asked in fright.
“Easing its pain,” Yoshi replied. Shaken up, Yoshi continued, “She was a mother teaching her son to hunt by himself.” Looking forward, the beast’s once soft body had now been overtaken by stone. He leaned closer. His head just above the Bantha's, he tapped the Bantha’s forehead with his own, making its entire body crumble away in the wind.
Shouting from the communication channel, James yelled in a slightly concerned tone, “Aiko, if you value the safety of our team, do not put that last part in the report. And you, boy; never use that ability unless your life seriously depends on it, you got that? I’m warning you. No one must know you have that ability.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Good. Now if you don’t mind, would you be so kind as to come over here and protect an old man while he repairs his ship?”
Giving Yoshi’s head a few shakes, Yvonna pressed two fingers against her head and shouted, “We are on our way.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Part II -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/8hb1PujDDNc)
Tonight was the night. Tonight had to be the night. Arethusa, while protected and taught the way of the Force, grew tired of sitting in her water fill dungeon. She wanted to escape. She felt a burning desire within her telling her to carry out her plan. While it wasn’t a well thought out plan, she had to find Yoshi. If mother wasn’t going to see dad, then she will be the one to bring dad to mother. No matter what stood in her way. By the time she finished her training, perfecting the art of striking an object with ice from several angles, she wished her mother a good night before merrily skipping her way to the enclosed corner she called her room. Kicking over the rock she used as a workbench during her stay, she pulled a makeshift bag from a dug up hole in the moist sand and snuck her way out outside.
Having run a good distance away from home, Arethusa now focused on the second stage of her plan. It was also the most difficult part of her plan; Getting off the planet. For a long time, she had managed to avoid being spotted by the bird like Darkers. She didn’t trust them. While she wanted to hop into their dark portals for a long time now, she felt it was best to wait for something else. If there was anything she was sure of, it was that Elder was looking for her. She knew he would send his minions to search for her. So she waited.
Looking back, she felt something tug at her heart. As if something wanted her to stay in her watery home. Where it was safe and she could better hone her talents. She fought these urges. Feeling that nothing will change if she sat around waiting for something to happen, she pushed on forward.
Peeking around a rock, she almost uttered a cry of joy at the sight of a lone Ga Wonda, a bulky large humanoid like figure with a shield as large as its body attached to one arm, roaming the open area alone. While it seemed to be an odd sight, she decided to sneak behind it, following it around until it opened a portal of hazy red and black darkness. Lucky for her, it didn’t take long to see it happen. In determination to avoid making any mistakes, she jumped onto the back of the Ga Wonda, causing it to stumble into the portal. In a blink of an eye, she reappeared in a beautiful area on Naberius. Unlike the usual forest she would normally patrol in, this area proved to be quite different. A landmass made of metal, surrounded by a shimmering lake and a luminous crescent moon shining over pink flowers. Hoping off the Darker’s back, she posed as the Darker turned to stare at her. Uttering something she couldn’t understand, it spun back around and continued on.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/9QURpQtVGFY)
“And where might have you been, my elusive lamb?”
Arethusa froze, her body stiffened. Forcing her torso to twist around, she noticed someone tower behind her. It was Elder in the combat form of HUnar. While she questioned why he was here and why he took on this form, she chose not to ask and instead stared in fright. “You seem to be going somewhere. Mind telling me where you intend to go?”
“I-I need to find my father. I need to take him to mom.” Arethusa said, her voice quivering, fearing that he may be angry at her for hiding from him for so long.
“I see,” Elder said in a calm manner. “Then allow me to assist you.” Elder snapped his large fingers. Falling from a hazy portal, behind the purple humanoid, was a small round darker. Walking on four legs, a red orb embedded on its backside, it stepped forward until it sat in front of Elder. As the small creature moved around the figure, Elder raised an arm over it, his palm wide open, and said, “Allow this Micda to accompany you. Tell it where you wish to go and it will take you to an area near your desired location. I should warn you however. I am only going to give this one soldier. Use it wisely.”
“I understand,” Arethusa said, forcing a brave tone in her voice.
Watching the girl whisper something to the creature of darkness, Elder watch the two walk into a portal with arms crossed. Soon after, walking in from out of nowhere, Persona stopped by Elder’s side.
“You have been giving her too many handouts. I’m beginning to wonder if you have you gotten too soft.”
“Nonsense, I only seek a rematch with her father. I desire to see how much he has improved since out last encounter.”
“And again, you allow your pets to roam free to accomplish this. Shouldn’t you be more concern over the consequence of your actions?” Persona scolded.
Elder gave a hearty laugh to the man’s question. “It should be obvious that I have nothing to fear. Do you want to know why? It is because she is accepting and is likely to never think of attacking me.”
“You sound so sure of yourself when her very kind wages war against us.”
“Here these words,” said Elder. “There are those who seek domination, claims, or even total extermination of one side. And then, there are those who seek balance, equality and peace.” Elder turned to face Persona. “Imagine this. Two factions are at war. One side fights only with what they have; with only the brave men and women who enlisted and nothing more and the other with a much larger army. This side has forced their people and their enslaved into service to fight for their cause. Logical, sure; those with the stronger, much more capable army could easily win a war given that they are lead competently. However, they don’t stop there. They continue push their limits, seeking to find power beyond what they could only hope to achieve. And when that side starts to become far too powerful, they suddenly find that their very own people have begun to rebel for reasons unknown. They begin to wonder, where have we gone wrong? How can we stop it? Civil war now plagues this faction. The people, no longer repressed by their leaders, have forced their faction to face a two front war. Her kind seeks balance, as is the nature of her kin, between both sides; and the light doesn’t like to be balanced. The light refuses to be limited. It wishes to expand, to grow, blinded by its own righteousness, believing that they could do no wrong. The light is growing in power and they know it. They have learned the history of Diga and have thus worked hard to put down the resistance before it became a threat.”
“So a few people start to attack this ‘stronger faction’. Big deal. What do we have to gain from a mere rebel?”
“Oh, she and her father are more than just mere rebels. They are people who can shift the tides of war in our favor.”
After Arethusa had left an area labeled ruins, she fell from the portal created by the Micda and landed on her feet. As she hit the floor, she rolled to absorb the fall, but as she rolled, she noticed something odd about the ground. It was cold yet moist, movable yet solid. It felt like dirt and the area continued to be lit by an overbearing moon covered by towering trees. With one knee on the ground, she looked around. She was still on Naberius.
“Why are we still here?” she asked herself. Arethusa looked to the Micda but didn’t bother to ask any more of it. While it did spoke, as if attempting to answer her question, she couldn’t understand a word it said. Producing a sigh, she watched her escort spin in place. As she watched its shadow gracefully flex under the moonlight she noticed it clash with a more human like shadows.
“It seems we have found a missing partner machine,” a voice said in the darkness.
“Yep, she’s one of clones, sir,” another voice added.
“Kill her,” a third voice said flatly.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/Bdrp3pO2jco)
Four figures leaped from the shadows. Having no time to draw her weapon, Arethusa rolled away, catching a glimpse of newmen ears. Dodging an explosion of ice, the human girl let off a burning wave of safoie with her hand to light the area. The grass and shrubs instantly caught fire. In the flickering light, Arethusa realized that she her attackers were all newmens of various hair colors. Catching someone closing in from her left, she dived out of the way, witnessing the spot she previously stood on become a crater under a purple newmen’s fist. Hopping back onto her feet, she drew her prototype magislash, a gunslash like weapon made to shoot techniques instead of energy bolts. She dragged her gun upwards, blasted the purple hair newmen in the face with a gifoie and leaped away; avoiding another explosion of ice. Looking to the direction it came from, Arethusa noticed a newmen of blue hair preparing for another attack. She wasn’t sure if the newmen was holding a charge or underestimation her, but she wasn’t going to give him another chance. Redirecting her gun to the other newmen, she kicked a large amount of dirt into the air and followed up with a bolt of zan. Satisfied by the cried of pain utter on the other side, she was knocked off her feet by a third newmen, a newmen of fiery hair. Watching the newmen close in for the kill, Arethusa shielded her face with her weapon until she saw the Micda tackle the newmen between the gaps in her blade, saving her life.
Blinded by unexplainable rage, Arethusa threw her weapon to the floor. With both hand in the air, she grasped for the purple hair newmen. The newmen smirked and laugh, but his laugh was cut short. Spurting out of the ground, a mound of dirt shot up to engulf the newmen’s head. The human’s hand now balled in a fist, she slammed it into the ground, forcing the newmen to follow after. When the newmen hit the floor, the dirt muffled sounds of cracking bones and bled many streams of blood. With her first target dead, her leering gaze now shifted to the newmen of blue. Fighting magic with magic, counter acting effect after effect, she tripped the newmen and impaled him with a spear made of dirt. The man hung horizontally in the air screaming in pain. Ignoring his poor attempts to draw breath, she finally turned to the newmen of red hair who fell backwards in fear. Knowing that he was next, he pleaded for mercy. Scared for his life, he cried like a child.
Arethusa was now hyper ventilating. With no intentions to show him mercy, she held out her palm and turned the man to stone. Picking up her magislash from the floor, she aimed it at the newmen statue and blew it apart. All her attackers are now dead and she had survived. Eyes wide open; she looked to her shacking hands and began to utter a deranged laugh. Then it hit her. She fell onto her knees. She murdered them without mercy, without hesitation.
“What have I done?” she cried. “Why? Why did it have to be this way?”
Slowly walking to weeping girl’s side, the Micda lightly bumped into her waist and pawed at her bag. As the bag opened, the Micda dragged out a photo of her and her dad in front of her. Slightly comforted by the Micda’s efforts to keep her focused, Arethusa grabbed the photo off the floor with a smile, wiping the tears off of her face.
“Right, let’s go find him.”

(*optional end title*) (http://youtu.be/HwkGsyaU-co)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Good Old Bait and Switch -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional music) (http://youtu.be/VwIDdmUczqM)
Blue bulky boots stepping down a drowned metal ramp, blue pitted gloves bouncing in the mist, a sweaty pilot removed his orange helmet in relief. Combed back gray hair bouncing in the breeze, the man watched a dark grey transport descend from the air and land near a similar looking spacecraft. Shaking his head, his teeth visible in a smile, he tucked his helmet under his arm and walked towards the second vessel. Trending through the rapid water, climbing over an angular rock which lays embedded in the overflowing river bank, James watched a ramp unfold down onto the dark dirt floor the B-02 rested on. James hunched over. Interested in what the ship held inside of it, he peered into the shaded ship and saw Elm walk out, his own blue boots stepping over the water and on moist green grass, removing his own bulbous helmet. While he approached his fellow pilot, Elm jerked a wire out of his helmet. He then gestured James to do the same.
An arm resting on a knee, James asked in a lofty voice, “Something wrong, Elm?”
“Can you tell me what kind of relationship you have with the boy. You seemed very concerned over something he did. Do you know his family, who he is?” He paused and reacted when the old man jerked up straight. Before James could respond, Elm shot an open palm up in the air. “Don’t worry; this will just be between the both of us.”
James sighed. He spun in circles, unsure of what he could share with his fellow pilot. James didn’t think about sharing this information with Elm, but he made a choice. Cracking his neck, James looked up and said, “In my old man’s time, there was a guy who looked just like the boy. I don’t know his entire family history, I don’t really care to know either, but I do know his grandfather was a violent smuggler who liked to start bar fights, kill people, and knew how to avoid capture every time someone tried to capture him; including my father. For several years, my father kept a photo of him and a newmen girl on the wall. Her name was Lea, Layna or something, I forget. Anyways, my dad couldn’t find him, made him spend many nights locked in his office.”
Two hands shot up in the air. This time James kept Elm from talking. Wanting to finish, James sat on the rock and continued, “One day, my father found out the man had a son; a trouble maker just like his father. We also found out that he hate his father. He was a drunk, a womanizer, left home and became a drifter; more or less some punk on the street. So my father felt he could use him to find this man he’s been hunting all his life, took me with him during the ‘take your son to work day’ nonsense, and when we arrive, he insisted we park and wait for the son to leave the bar he was in. He did eventually leave and I remember it to this day. I saw him get pulled into an alleyway. I watched newmens brutally murder him in front of our eyes. Nobody seemed to care. They walked on by as if they never noticed it happening. My dad did and eventually find this man soon after. Took me with him to see his proud moment of ‘history in the making’, he called it. When we arrived, all I saw was a shadow of an old man sitting in a cluttered home filled with all sorts of old trinkets and personal treasures. Shriveled up and sitting on a chair, he clutched onto two photos. One of his partner, the other of his dead wife. Then pops closed the door on me. I don’t know what happened between the two but when he walked out, the man was dead with someone covering his head. I asked my father what happened but all he told me was that he left behind a man he now pitied. He also couldn’t get the whereabouts of the newmen woman.”
“So how does this make you feel? Do you seek to help the boy or find revenge for his grandfather’s actions, for taking away time from both you and your father?”
“Honestly, I don’t know how to feel. If it wasn’t his grandfather, it would have been someone else. The funny thing is the boy is with Arks, something his family has been said to despise becoming. Something his grandfather would have killed him for doing. It’s happened before. So I’m told anyways. But that’s not the thing that bothers me. What really concerns me is the newmen who follows him.”
“Why is that?” Elm asked, his voice seeking knowledge and his eyes narrowing in sympathy.
“I feel history may be repeating itself.”



-

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/abZDgtTAACc)

Yoshi felt lost. He felt like a limp body drifting in warm space. No longer aware of his surroundings, Yoshi stared blankly at the floor. Feeling drained away from his body to the point where the sun ceased to exist and the forest breeze could no longer be felt caressing his pink cheek. The floor no longer felt like a floor, but a distance prop, blurry and falling. In the silence came a memory of Ijiraku, her voice reverbing in the blur. “Remember what I taught you. Even if they bring back painful memories, don’t let the past hold back who you are.” Her lessons danced in the blurred background. Yoshi floated in front of it all, witnessing it all in action. Out of body, he saw a miniature version of him spin in a circle of dirt. While he spun, the earth flowed with him. It bended to his will, dancing in sync with his hands as trails of slip. While seem familiar but something about the mini Yoshi felt off. It felt like it wasn’t him at all. He had things Yoshi had never owned before. Now dancing between several darkers, he donned armor of earth, something Yoshi had never worn at all, and held several blades, each made of stone. He recognized the swords. First starting with clay nubs on his back, they became edges protruding in opposite directions. He remembered preforming this spell before but not on a scale the miniature him had achieved. Yoshi could barely hold two at once while his miniature version carried twelve.
“Is this what Elm meant”, Yoshi wondered in his head. “Could this be one of my ancestors showing me what I could do in the near future? Or am I just having a strange illusion?”
His eyes narrowed and focused on the details. Yoshi watched for more. He wanted to learn where he had failed. Paying close attention, he watched, the armor took many blows, caused by dark figures he had never seen before. Being made of stone, large chunks chipped away after each swipe, only to then be replaced by a fresh slab of brown earth. Watching the original piece of armor fall, the mini him raise a sword and launched the chunk at his foe. Before impact, the broken slab became a spiked object, greatly injuring its victim.
“Yoshi,” A faint voice called in the distance. “Hey!”
Yoshi regained focus. His head pounded. Turning to face the angered Yvonna, who wore a face of worry, Yoshi gave a faint smirk and then frowned. The pain began to set in. A hand on his head, Yoshi asked, “What did I miss?”
“The hell do you mean, what did I miss?” She repeated in a mocking tone. “We are on a mission,”
“A training mission,” Yoshi interrupted with a fingertip gently waving in the air.
“Whatever, a training mission, we don’t have time for spacing out. For all we know, we could be timed for this.”
Yoshi’s smirk suddenly came back in greater effect. “Never stopped me before,” he shrugged.
“I am going to hit you.”
“But you already did.”
“Stop it!”
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop.” Yoshi placed a finger on his ear and looked up into the sparely clouded sky. “Aiko, what is our next objective?” Waiting for a response, only met static fill the air. “Aiko?”
“Yoshi,” James said in the static. “I could use you help right about now.”
“What’s the situation?”
“Ship down……Darkers……require immediate…..”
The static died. Communications had halted. After many vain attempts for a renewed link, Yoshi quickly grabbed Yvonna by the arm and dragged her deeper into the forest. They hopped over moss covered rocks, leaped over unreal tree roots, slid through damp tunnels and around sparkling lakes. While they traveled, everything felt odd. Meeting no resistance along the way, Yoshi couldn’t help but feel it was all a test, a clever setup. His guts told him nothing. He didn’t feel anything. As if they had tried telling him, everything was fine. That he had nothing to worry about. His brain said otherwise. Scenarios rushed through his head, playing worse case scenarios so he would panic. Calming down, taking in what he knew, he questioned why nothing showed up. If Darkers were really in the area, shouldn’t they be swarming him as well, he thought. Holding out an arm in front of the newmen, he halted. His hand waved in the air and summoned a map. Worried eyes scanning around his mini map, Yvonna pulled at his sleeve and said, “Look.”
In the air, Yvonna pointed towards a smoke trail in the air, trailing in the blue sky like a snake trapped in a small hole. Baffled, Yoshi asked himself, why didn’t he see it sooner? The sky had been crystal clear all day. Even if it wasn’t, an explosion would have been heard. Could it have been a soft landing? Nodding at the newmen soon after, the two dashed for the crashed ship, hoping that James remained out of harm’s way. Scaling a small bush covered hill, the two leaped across a small gap in the rock wall and into a river bank. Out in the distance, they saw a lone B-02 buried deep in the river bed. It engine dead and the ramp door still seal shut, the only signs of combat seen were only a few faint scratches on the hull and gray smoke fuming from the nose of the vessel. Yvonna taking the lead, the two crouched and inched forward for a closer look at the fallen vessel. Extreme caution painted on their faces, a serious aura in the air, their hand on their weapon at all times, they huddled closely around the fallen B-02, looking for anything hiding in the lush flora.
Yvonna’s thumb rubbed the small gold plate on the handle of Yoshi’s gunslash. Eager, hoping something would leap out in the open, she fought the urge of whip out her and destroy the first enemy she saw. To her disappointment, nothing jumped from the dense forest leaves. Not even a flock of harmless birds or a tiny critter searching for its new meal. “See anything strange?” she whispered.
“Nothing too out of place,” Yoshi replied, his eyes squinting at the hull of the ship. “I don’t think there was a darker attack. These marks appear to be made by something else. Then again, I could be wrong; since we’ve just recently improved our tech.” Crawling around the backside of the B-02, Yoshi punched in a series of buttons that would open the transport ramp. Stepping backwards, Yvonna now by his side, the ramp door dropped on floor and reveal a man sitting in a slouching position on a bench.
“The hell is this?” a voice whispered in the darkness.
“Arron, is that you?” Yoshi asked. “The heck are you doing sitting down at a time like this?”
“You idiot, can’t you see the pilot is repairing the ship?”
“What repairs?”
Yoshi entered the vessel. Alarmed, Arron shot up expecting a confrontation with the cowboy, believing Yoshi would pick a fight with him, but was pushed back into his chair instead. Yoshi had no quarrel with Arron. Instead, he made his way forward, aiming for the gray protective doorway. Yvonna followed after. approaching the metal door, Yoshi entered the usual codes. Three sounds of rejection beeped in rapid succession. The codes didn’t work. Grunting in frustration, Yoshi entered an emergency override code. This time it worked and the welcomed him in, there sat James in the darkness, his chair spun 180 degree around so he could beam at the hostile human in front of him.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/5ViwOTq4kL0)
“Nice work, Yoshi. I didn’t know you trained in the ways of the Bastone series.”
“I wasn’t,” Yoshi replied with a face of anger and confusion.
“Now, now, don’t blow up on me yet. It was just a simple…nope.” Quickly leaning on his side, James poked at a button. As he did, the ramp door shot closed, trapping Arron who was almost home free. “We knew Arron wouldn’t agree with the working with the team and everything. So we crafted a plan so he would be forced to work as team instead.”
“Seeing as you finished off the unexpected event sooner than we expected, we figured we would have to stall you somehow. However, your daydreaming bought us enough time for phase two of our plan.” Aiko added over the com channel. “Thank you for working in our favor, Mr. Blue.”
Shocked, Yoshi stumbled backward, falling with great force. Like a mysterious person forced him on the bench behind him. Producing a sigh of relief, he rested his head on the seat’s dark cushioned backrest.
“Your next assignment is on Lillipa. There, you will be tested on your team coordination skills. Assign a team leader if you must. You will be timed as soon as you arrive at your destination.”
Arron looked away in disgust. “I don’t exactly trust any of you with my life. Count me out.”
“Hey, if I could work alone, I would, but I can’t. So you’re going to suffer with me.”
“You suffering? I’m the one who’s suffering. Now I have two morons surrounding me instead of one.” Yvonna frowned. “Order is needed if we are to survive this war. That said, only the qualified should lead and that is me.”
“Go ahead,” Yoshi said with a shrugged.
“I am the more qu– wait what?” Yvonna gawked. She couldn’t believe the words she had just heard. Yoshi, of all people, allowed her the role of leader. After all the times he had avoided her. She didn’t know how to feel. She expected a feeling of superiority. She yearned for such a feeling. That he had admitting she was the better of the two. But she couldn’t. The moment of Bantha surfaced in her mind. How fast he killed the creature sent shivers down her spine.
Snapping her from her moment of pondering, Yoshi said, “You’re calling the shots.”
Yvonna’s jaw dropped. She felt frustrated. She believed it all just a trick. “You better not be playing games with me, Yoshi. If you are, I’m going-,” she shouted, her finger shacking over his face.
“I’m not,” Yoshi interrupted. Supporting his head with both hands, Yoshi continued, “I just don’t feel like being the leading man for now.”
“Quick and easy. Very nice. Welcome, Yvonna.” James over the speakers. “When we arrive on the planet, you will be regrouping with another member of the team who couldn’t come to the party earlier. I was informed that he was still undergoing rigorous testing in the factory or something. Or so I’m told at least. Also, Arron, you’re no longer allowed on any further missions without a partner. So you can get over your fears. I got orders from the higher ups and everything; if you want some proof that is.”

(*optional music/ end title*) (http://youtu.be/-jU9EFTMhbY)
Over in the distance, a little girl looked up through the green leafy trees and watched an airship shrink in size while it left the planet. As she stared, her hands knotted and waved over a small flat rock. Gray in color, warmth provided by a happy sun, it carried a large chunk of dull gray fabric on top of it. At first glance, it looked like a fold of clothe held together by long black velcro like straps and a large hole cut in the center. However, using her mother’s teachings, she sewed on two portions of gray fabric, one for each side, to complete her craft. Having done so, it soon became a backpack of some sorts riddled with many holes. Beside her, a lone gulf, a gray wolf that normally travels in packs, sat next near the human girl, panting in excitement.
“There we go,” Arethusa said in approval. “A backpack made of fancy fibers and stuff so we can hide the fact that you are a Darker. I even left a hole for your cool red orb!” Stuffing the Micda into the bag against its will, its little arms sticking through convenient holes on sides, she swung it over her back and got onto white blocky boots. Breathing in the clean forest air, she smiled with a hop. “Now, how to keep Arks from detecting our form of transportation? Hmm. Ready for an adventure, doggy?”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] Yoshi had returned to the mall Kerri had taken him to a few days ago. Dressed in a white and green sweater along with a pair of blue jeans, he felt more comfortable in his attire this time around. Excited, his gaze flicked between the walls of the hallway in all directions, looking around to see what had changed. Since he was eager to come this time around, he felt much more interested in the building than he had before. While different people filled its stain glass halls, the building was still just as colorful and vibrant as he last remembered; even with the artificial moonlight shining through the stain glass roof. Bright lights glowed and bounced off of every wall. Colored glass windows bounced colors onto the floor and pillars. Lost in their beauty, he watched the colors flow and sparkle, like a flowing river’s reflection in the sunlight. Curious, he looked to the light inside the store to see the cause of this effect, but there was nothing special about them. Was there actual water running under the floors, he pondered. Was the floor even made of transparent material and he never noticed?
A purple arm bumped into his side. Aware of his surrounding once more, Yoshi looked to his friend, Kazamir, who walked closely beside him. To the other side of his dewmen friend, people Yoshi leaned forward to smile to, Reinhardt and Marisa. Both newmens of seemingly similar age, though it was hard to tell thanks to their prolonged lifespans, one was of burning hair and the other of jet black; though sometimes Yoshi thinks he sees traces of green in Marisa’s hair from time to time.
“Chivalry this, chivalry that,” Reinhardt complained, Yoshi unsure if it was to himself or to the others. “I’m tired of being taught this pointless stuff.”
“Well you are the heir of your family,” Kazamir replied in his usual stoic tone of voice. “Your family seems to feel that it is best you act like one. Noble, wise and fair; they believe you should be one who is worthy of only the best of brides.”
“That’s just my mother, Kaz. My father on the other hand...”
His interests piqued, Yoshi jogged in front of the group and asked, “So what’s chivalry?”
Halting in front of the human, Reinhardt gawked. Kazamir shuffled in discomfort. Marisa however stepped forward to place a hand on Yoshi’s shoulder. “Chivalry is a concept that no longer continues to exist the same way it did several years ago. Now a day, you will find that some families will teach it the proper way, in a reversed fashion, never at all, or even chose to teach it in a very warped manner. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”
“Doesn’t really answer my question but alright,” said Yoshi.
“Long ago it was said to be a sort of code for men to follow. Dealing with worldly issues, how to treat those like you and the opposite gender. Think of it like a warrior’s code only it dealt with aspects beyond simple rivals and warfare.”
“Man, how could you not know this and still find someone to love you?” Reinhardt mocked.
Marisa spun around with both arm spread wide in the air. “Simple, a naive girl fell in love with a naive man. Judging by how Yoshi currently is now, I say they both learned from their mistake.”
“Hey!” Yoshi shouted.
“I kid, Yoshi, I kid.” Marisa curtly smiled.
After patting Yoshi’s shoulder, Marisa spun back into the group while Reinhardt drifted to Yoshi side and leaned onto his shoulder. “One thing is for sure, something has to change. So who’s willing to make a wager?”
“What are you proposing?” Kazamir asked with a curved brow.
“One hundred- no five hundred thousand meseta says Yoshi still has it. One of us gives him a target and if he wins a date on his first try, he wins the money.”
“And what do we win should he fail?”
“I buy us all something to eat.” Reinhardt bowed.
Even though Yoshi knew the answer, he asked, “I don’t get a say in this do I?”
“Nope,” said Reinhardt with a pop produced by his lips. The newmen now rubbed his hands together. Eager to choose his victim he looked around. “Now, who to choose…” Leaning from side to side, he froze as Kazamir said in a cold manner.
“I feel Marisa should be the one to choose. We would not want you to make it too easy now would we?”
Marisa stood proudly beside Kazamir and looked around, her feet lifting up and down on her toes. With a finger on her chin, she peered into every store, at every corner, near every exit, until she came to a sudden halt. Pointing to a window across the hallway, she said, “Her. The one looking at dyes.”
“Are you sure?” Kazamir asked with a trace of skepticism in his voice.
“Positive,” Marisa slyly replied without looking at him.
Pushed forward by Marisa, Yoshi looked back with concern. “Go on,” Reinhardt said. Though the red head felt a bit unhappy, his arms crossed in disapproval, he gave Yoshi a warm smile for comfort. Yoshi pushed through the crowd of people, looked back a few times in doubt, until he finally reached two pillars made of stone bottles, hair dryers and curling irons. As Yoshi awkwardly walked into the store, Kazamir leaned towards Reinhardt and said, “Five hundred thousand. You must not have a lot of faith in our friend.”
“On the contrary, my friend,” Reinhardt smugly replied, “I hold so much faith that I am positive he will succeed.”
Looking back to Yoshi, Kazamir skeptically replied, “So I am told.”
“Quite you two,” Marisa armed the two mean beside her, “He’s about to make his move.”
Yoshi took a deep breath. He didn’t want to do it, partially because he thought this was all a practical joke, partially because he wasn’t interested, but he moved through the isle anyways. Moving past the aisle of shampoos and conditioners, Yoshi approached the lone newmen female browsing a wall of hair dyes. A woman of seemingly equal height, her hair brown hair glowed in the light and was complemented by a beige dress. Wearing mostly of loose clothing, everything drifted sideways to the little fan installed by the nail section. Use to dry paint samples. Having taken so long to get there, Yoshi was bit surprise that she stood there so long. Until he looked up at the wall of thousands of colors, all lined up to create a giant rainbow wall. With boxes in hand, she seemed to have focused so greatly on finding a particular color that she failed to notice the cowboy approach her from behind. As he did, he placed a hand on the shelf and leaned over her.
“So, what’s a pretty newmen like yourself doing here at a night like this?”
“Trying to buy dye, obviously,” The newmen slowly replied before shuffling the products in hand.
“Now why would you want to hide hair as beautiful as your? It is perfect the way it currently is.” Yoshi cooed.
Startled, the newmen turned over to glare at the man. However, as her brown eyes met with Yoshi’s own, they grew wider than Yoshi has ever seen eyes open before. Unknowingly, he did the same. Both their mouths hung agape. Out in the distance, Reinhardt elbowed Kazamir’s ribs in excitement of watched them hold a gaze which though was love. Kazamir however felt it was a gaze of fear.
“Can I help you?” the newmen nervously asked.
“I’m sorry. Your eyes are very, very beautiful. More so then the heavenly stars in the night sky. Do you come here often?”
Back outside the store, Reinhardt pulled at his red hear and groaned, “Yoshi, you’re killing me.” Spinning around, it took Kazamir’s grasp to hold him still. Meanwhile, Marisa held a hand over her face, trying to hold back her laughter. “I wish I had popcorn to go with this.” She giggled. The two men both exchanging various looks to silently complain to one another, Kazamir broke the silence and said,
“Doubting Yoshi now, oh faithful one?”
Looking back at the isle of dye, they noticed the newmen instantly return to plucking and replacing several boxes, faster than she did before. Doing so, it wasn’t long until she shoved them into Yoshi chest and run away. “I’ll buy dye somewhere else.”
Catching the gold foiled boxes so that they wouldn’t fall; Yoshi uncaringly shoved them back into the shelf and ran after her. Strafing past the other shoppers, he caught her by the shoulder just as she left the store. The newmen looked back. “Could I offer you a show, a romantic dinner, or even an afternoon stroll at the beach?” Yoshi asked. The newmen smack his hand away. Watching her run once again, he faintly heard her say, “I’m sorry,” before disappearing into the dark sea of people. Hurt, feeling a little empty in his heart, Yoshi turned with a hand on the back of his head. Bowing his head in defeat, he removed his hat with the other hand and approached his friends. All of them held different expressions. Kazamir looked to Marisa with a face of stone. Marisa held a faint smile. Reinhardt was the first to approach.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, buddy. If I won a heart on my first try, every time, I’d be a rich man.”
“Were you really ready to allow yourself to become rooted, Yoshi? Maybe its best you remain alone,” said Kazamir, resisting the urge to smirk.
“Speak for yourself, Kaz.” Reinhardt glared as he tugged Yoshi forward, his arm wrapped around Yoshi’s shoulder.
Kazamir turned to Marisa while the other two walk away. Muffling a quick chuckle, he asked in a vaguely amused voice, “satisfied?” The response he got wasn’t what he was expected. Slightly leaning away from her rather large smile, he felt his stomach tighten as she said, “Absolutely. The result came out just as I imagined it would.” She squealed.
“And you knew this would happen, how?”
“Who knows? Maybe I can control fate? Maybe I can’t?” She responded with a hand over her chest. She then turned towards the direction of the other two to shout, “Yoshi, wait up.”
Yoshi turned to stop and watched the black hair newmen rush up to his. Asking what she wanted with a rising hum, she grabbed the other arm and said, “Hey, you want any dating tips, don’t be afraid to ask me. You can trust me.” Yoshi chose not to answer. Instead, he looked forward with a halfhearted chuckle. “So why don’t we put this all behind us with the free meal you owe us, red ears?”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Sacrificial]

[SPOILER-BOX]looking good again[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Author Excuses[SPOILER-BOX]Heh, this chapter was almost delayed for two or three days. Being stressed out, I found it hard to write anything. But I got it done. May throw in the filler whenever I get to it.

May have also reach the point where its hard to post a chapter without throwing in a filler to go with it. It feels... empty without one.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- This Is Why I Didn't Want To Be The Leading Man -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/67GY_bRT6GI?)
No two trips have ever been the same for Yoshi. Because for every visit, came a new varied location. Even after having visited the dry and arid planet so many times, the tumble weed kicking space cowboy never grew bored of it. He had never forgotten his first steps on the planet. Still a fresh recruit, only just recently allowed access a week after his graduation, he remembered stepping onto warm unstable sands. A black combat boot coated in welcoming yellow specs. He remembered ignoring the all too friendly sand when he noticed the sun’s absence. His entire body had been hidden in the valley of sparkling mineral which also so happened to be quick sand. Rescued from this mishap, his first trip had him surf the waves of sand dunes. His second, a trip near decaying ruins, factories, machinery and a civilization long since gone. His third, an escort and protection effort for an excavation site uncovering secrets of old. The few airships unearthed beneath the chilled sands can now be seen in a museum, in a hologram form thanks to the scientists and engineers who’ve petitioned their dismantlement for further research and knowledge.
No trip has ever been the same and this one was no different. Brown eyes bounced off the black gaps embedded in the landscape. Gluing his face on a hovering panel, just off the dark shuttle wall, Yoshi’s eyes wondered about his intriguing and remarkable surroundings. His destination became a rocky one; still covered in the same old sand, but not as much as the rest of Lillipa. This particular part of the planet proved to be an area of stacked rocks, where arcs of earth formed above the ground for seemingly no reason. Some canyons became cliffs, others mere bumps in the landscape others and subtle depressions covered in sand. Orange in color, plenty of shade, Yoshi wondered if water flowed in this area long ago. He found it unusual for a planet, that hadn’t seen water for a time only their creator would know, which lack any rivers or streams, somehow support life and still have a vast number of canyons, gulches and fissures.
Using what he had learned in his self-taught days, Yoshi theorized that this area had been a river delta. Reasoned drawn by all the scattered canyons; which broke into several branches, like when a fist punches nearly dry clay. Up ahead, he noticed all the canyons come together; gathering around a vast depression, sharing a similar appearance to an ocean. So Yoshi thought however. He had never studied the history of Lillipa but he does know that Arks had spent quite some time at the planet for some time now. Thinking on it, Yoshi pondered things, such as “How much life had been lost?”, “Was the planet always a desert?”, and “How much time was invested in saving it?” He shook his head, remained focused and he was glad he did, for they flew low, just above the weaving landscape.
Yoshi looked at Yvonna, who sat across from his seat, nodded and lightly shouldered Arron so he would wake up. Arron, who looked rather angry because of it, glared at the cowboy with teeth bared but was met with a smiling man. Proving that he hadn’t just done it with immature intentions; Yoshi lifted from his comfy seat, glided an arm towards his floating window and headed for the door. Yvonna sleepily followed. Oddly enough, James and Aiko haven’t said a word since their gathering on Naberius, though Yoshi didn’t mind. Thanks to what happened before, he mentally wrote it down as another part of the test. Assuming this was all for a recording of how well they would work together under chaotic situations. Leaning over the slightly angled doorway, his hand near a protected button panel, Yoshi and Yvonna prepared for a signal of any kind, such as an unlatched hinge among the dark metal frame, ready for anything. They waited. Minutes had passed. Arron stayed in his chair, slightly scoffing to himself. Yoshi grew restless and began stretching. Yvonna held onto a handlebar in case of a sudden crash. Five more minutes have now passed. Yoshi had grown tired, yearning for a nap.
Almost falling asleep, a series of rapid beeping sounds could be heard emanating from the cold and dark roof, its four rectangular lights blinked green in synchronous harmony. After ten lightning quick blinks, the sounds and flashes slowed, majestically fading on and off. Tearing his gaze away from the light show behind him, Yoshi witnessed a white number, surrounded by three rotating white rings, appeared on the door soon after, giving off its own subtle yet pleasant glow. Startled by all the commotion, Arron scrambled onto his feet, yet tried maintaining his cool appearance at the same time. With everyone now huddled against the B-02’s ramp wall, everyone crouched for reasons they couldn’t understand. In an instant, the door ramp shot open. Light burned the room. Leaving no time to let their eyes readjust, the three hopped out of the transport and found themselves rolling across the rocky surface beneath them. Black photon shades formed from floating particles floating above their face, shielding their eyes from the harsh sunlight.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/b359V7MKCeI)
Out of everyone in the group, Arron recovered from the fall first. Standing on his feet, he brushed himself off, patted his long coat and walked away, leaving Yoshi to stab his gunslash into the floor in an effort to save Yvonna from falling in a dangerously close canyon.
“Whose bright idea was it to jump off the ship?” she cried as she hanged off of Yoshi arm.
“I don’t know. I thought you were going to say something first?” Yoshi shouted back as he grabbed Yvonna. Making sure he had a firm grip on her sleeve, he pulled her back onto the rocky desert floor. Making sure she had no signs of cuts and bruises, he patted of the few specks of sand that clung to her dress.
“You imbecile! I thought you knew what you were doing.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think everyone would follow my lead.” After dusty off her shoulder, Yoshi then asked with a quick chuckle, “That was quite the entry though. You alright though?”
Yvonna glared at Yoshi. Turning around, she stared down the black abyss. How far she could have fell frightened her. The fall seemed endless. Shaken with fear, she spun to leap out of Yoshi’s way and cried, “Why, so you could push me down?”
Yoshi laughed. “As second in command, it’s my job to ensure your safety. Besides, if I wanted you dead, why would I have saved you from falling?” he asked with a smile.
“You, second in command? Don’t make me laugh. Only a newmen could have such a title.”
“Well, seeing as there are no other newmens, it has to go to someone, right? If not a stranger, then at least to a friend," Yoshi said, maintaining a now flustered smile. Seeing how Melchior Newmens treated other races, he wasn’t sure how she would respond. Yoshi had never been told of their social structure and how they make or retain their companions.
“I have no friends,” Yvonna barked. She turned with her arms crossed and walked away. “And you, you are nothing more than mere cannon fodder.”
“You slay me,” Yoshi uncaringly replied. Choosing not to watch the newmen walk way, Yoshi sighed above his backup gunslash and unhinged it from the stone pedestal he stuck it in. Upon putting it away, he placed two fingers on his ear and shouted, “Yoshiblue to Aiko, we have landed and are awaiting further orders.”
“This is Aiko, where is the rest of our team?” She asked.
Yoshi gave an unsure laugh. “We kinda feel apart after the unexpected launch.”
“Then I can not give any further orders until you have gathered them up. Aiko out.”
Slouching in devastation, Yoshi’s arm dropped for the floor, dangling by his thigh. Looking up, he stared out at the horizon and whispered under his breath, “Well, better find Arron then.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/ujdZy43k1z8?)
“Greetings,” A metallic voice said out of nowhere.
Frightened by the unexpected voice, Yoshi jumped in a panic and turned around. Behind him was a CAST wearing the angular Hunter armor. Mainly black in color, white lines decorated his frame while blue glowing eyes stared back at the human. “I am Stamato, a CAST of the Hunter kind. I am new to Arks and hope to do my best in assisting you and team Zelatus in the success of all our future missions as well as this one. I am only a few days old but am programed in several variations of hand to hand combat, sword techniques, partisan techniques, wire lance techniques, dagger techniques, dual blade techniques, katana techniques, knu-“
Yoshi lifted his hand, shaking it so Stamato would stop. He then approached the CAST and lowered his hand for a handshake. “Relax,” Yoshi calmly said. “I’m Yoshiblue, a fellow member of team Zelatus. Please to meet you.”
“May I ask a question?” Stamato asked in a metallic yet curious voice.
“Go ahead.” Yoshi replied.
“You say you are Yoshi Blue yet records show that is not your true name. However, I find it intriguing that while you have name, it is marked off for an unexplained reason. Can you enlighten me as to why that is?”
“Sadly, I don’t know either. But what you are saying is true. Yoshi Blue isn’t my real name.”
“Care to share what your true name is then?”
“Maybe some other time, Stamato. What’s more important is for us to rally up our team. They can be difficult to deal with so don’t take whatever they may say personal.”
“Sir, whatever they may or will say will not affect me. I am program to retain clarity in any situation.”
“That’s what you believe for now but the real thing will always be different from anything learned in a book or simulation. As for the newmen, don’t worry about her, she’ll show up again pretty soon. For now, let’s focus on finding Arron. The team’s Fighter.”
“Arron, a human male in his early twenties. Twenty to be precise. Fighter class; he specializes in double sword combat. Appearance; black hair, white skin, black long coat will be his normal choice of attire along with a black shirt and gray pants. He carries an assortment of mementos that had belonged to his previous team, which has been wiped out during a raid on the darker den. His favorite food is-”
“Stamato,” Yoshi said in a commanding voice. “Enough the life story. Some things are best left unsaid. So for now, let’s go find him, shall we?” Yoshi asked with a faint trace of restlessness. Grimacing over how much the CAST knew, he shook his head and walked forward.
“Question: How shall we approach him?”
Yoshi stopped in his tracks. Looking back at Stamato, Yoshi replied, “We’ll pull up a map and walk up to him.”
“And should he prove to be hostile? He has been labeled as emotionally unstable.”
“Then we’ll smack some sense into him and move on.”
The two walked into the sunset. With no further questions asked, the two began their adventure across the desert. Much to Yoshi surprise, Arron had covered a lot of distance since their landing and at the same time, found it odd. Transport insertions were an uncommon sight these days and teleporting and warping had always been the quicker and arguably safer option. Since he moved across the environment so quickly, Yoshi constantly threw up the map several times on their sub mission and questioned how someone could get around so quickly. Having spent an hour just trying to catch up with him, they also had to defeat many waves of darkers. Seeing that no progress had been made, Yoshi asked for Stamato’s advice. Pleased, or as pleased as a new born CAST could get, his new team mate suggested that Arron was actively avoiding the two and was also keeping an eye on his map. When forming their first plan, Yoshi suggested they hide their presence and sneak up on him. How he would achieve this without affecting his map eluded him however. So instead, Stamato formed a new suggestion. Since Arron didn’t know who Stamato was, he could send the CAST on another path and restrain the man until Yoshi arrived. Being given a sound plan, Yoshi agreed and let the CAST wonder in another direction.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/EdFhdCuyQEk)
The new plan worked. It didn’t take long for Stamato to pin Arron against a rock, who fruitlessly struggling for his freedom. Much to Yoshi’s amazement, the man couldn’t wiggle his way free, despite his violent flailing. Impressed with his robotic friend’s work, Yoshi complemented the CAST and sat down on an oval boulder, waiting for Yvonna’s arrival.
When she walked over a rugged slope to the left of him, Yvonna stomped her way towards Yoshi. Her nails dug into her palms. Furious, chucking a random rifle at him, which barely missed his head by a few inches, punched his chest and yelled,
“How dare you leave me all by myself and let me wonder this desert alone. You were supposed to be following me.”
“Why would I follow someone who would just throw me under a campship?”
“Because you’re my right hand man.”
“Oh, so now I’m your 2nd in command?”
“No. One does all the work I can’t do and the other simply advises me.”
“You do know they’re the same thing right?”
“What did I just tell you?”
“Statement,” Stamato interrupted. “He has a point. The right hand man is another way of saying second in command.”
Yvonna stared at Stamato with a sour look on her face. Grabbing Yoshi by the shirt, she asked, “Why is this box of bolts speaking to me? I didn’t request for a robotic info booth.”
“Greetings, I am Stamato. A CAST Hunter specializing in-“
“Enough, Stamato.” Yoshi intervened, ripping the newmen’s hand of his chest.
“Yvonna needs to learn how to treat her team with respect if she wants to receive a dignified answer from us. Yoshiblue to Aiko, we are ready to proceed with the mission. Stamato, keep hold of Arron for me, would you?”
“I will do my best to prevent our teammate from fleeing.” Stamato replied, giving a stiff nod in confirmation.
“This is Aiko, the other team is approaching your position. They will fill you in with the details upon their arrival. Have a safe mission and please treat your team nicely.”
“The hell was that?” Yvonna cried.
“That was me getting the gears in working order. Like a good leader should be doing.”
“Oh so whatever happened to ‘I don’t feel like being the leading man’?”
“I wouldn’t have to be if a certain someone picked up the slack.”
“Would you two shut up already?” Arron shouted in the background. “I’m going to kill myself because of you two.”
Everyone went silent. Soaking in the words Stamato had mentioned to him before, Yoshi place a hand over the mouth of the fuming Yvonna and calmly said, “Right.” He shifted his attention to the newmen and continued with angled brows, “I’m sorry. Let’s try to work together as a team, okay?” Yvonna bit his hand. Flitching in pain, his hand lifted in rage, he applied pressure using his other hand and returned to his rock. In an attempt to take his mind off the pain, Yoshi drew his backup gunslash. Before glancing over it, he gestured for Stamato to unhand Arron, who then let go of the human drop. Dusting off his coat, Arron sat on a rock of his own, pondering. Just as Yoshi prepared to dismantle his tightly bolted weapon, a voice shouted from behind a stone pillar.
“They’re over here,” a woman shouted. Popping out from behind, the dewmen woman scanned the area. Walking down a much less weathered down slope she greeted the group. “How’s it going? We’re Dame squad. We were told to meet up with you.”
“Ah, a fellow newmen, good, good,” said Yvonna, moving past the dewmen and towards a female newmen who timidly appeared behind the dewmen. The woman looked to Yoshi with a confused face and pointed a thumb behind her. Yoshi’s reply: a shrug and a leap with his eyebrows. “I’m Yvonna, leader of the team. Now, would you be so kind as to tell me what we are to do?” The newmen girl uttered cries of uncertainty. Looking towards her dewmen leader for help, she slowly withdrew into a coil, showing obvious signs of nervousness.
“Hey, let not instill fear into my team. You need someone to talk to, you talk to me.” The woman shouted. However, she only met the cold shoulder of Yvonna in return.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/2K6N35UcoXA)
Seeing as that the conversation would get nowhere, Yoshi stepped up, his hand gunning for a handshake. “Don’t mind her. Melchiorian Newmens….. have a hard time adjusting to the other races. Yoshiblue, Zelatus squad. How can we assist?”
“Yoshiblue of the T57, I presume?” asked the woman, accepting his handshake with a smile. “So this is a Celestial team?”
“No, just me.”
“Odd that a member of a team would be thrown into another group. Would defeat the purpose of a team’s existence.”
“Yeah well not everyone on the time is a field solider and they ran out of free people to pair me with. And after a certain crash landing of the team ship, they don’t trust me with maintaining the ship either. So, here I am,” Yoshi replied with fake excitement.
“I…see. I think? Well anyways, we’re here for a co-op mission. The task is simple, mine some ore. But, there’s a Gwanahda Nero up ahead guarding the rare minerals we need to mine. So we will distract the Darker scum while your squad handles the drilling operations. Sounds good right? No scars and amputations to worry about”
“Can’t argue with that. When do we start?”
“We’ll have our Force over there launch some fireworks when your good to use the drills.”
“Right, staying back until ready. Stay safe in the meantime,” said Yoshi as he walked towards the Yvonna, who continued to pester the girl for information.
Grabbing Yvonna by the shoulder, Yoshi pulled her away. As the newmen protested, Yoshi rallied his group together and sought out for a good spot to hang back in. Moving under a shaded cliff, Yoshi poked the others for any questions.
“If you have any questions, now is the time to ask.”
“Drilling? Ridiculous. We should be the ones out there killing the Darkers. This is peasant work.” Yvonna complained.
“I assume you know how to work the drill?” Arron asked with sarcasm.
“It’s simple. You readjust the giant mining laser so that you don’t damage the ore. It will prompt you when either all the ore is dug up or when you need to readjust the direction or intensity of the laser. It shuts off to look for another sample afterwards. Sometimes you may need to readjust it constantly but that’s for the really delicate stuff.”
“That was a rhetorical question, you moron.”
“Statement: Arron has no history of using any form of mining equipment. Therefore, he would have had no clue as to the operation of a drill,” said Stamato.
“Can someone tell this hunk of junk to shut the hell up?”
“Hey, don’t mock the CAST, or I’m going to order him to pin you down again. And maybe glue your mouth shut while I’m at it,” scolded Yoshi. “Are there any other questions?”
“Yeah, when can you lay down and die?”
“After you’ve lived a full, slow and very painful life.”
“The fireworks have set off. Shall we proceed with the mission?” asked Stamato.






[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

[SPOILER-BOX]I like Stamoto he's such a cutie and so innocent and well mannered <3 He must be fresh from the production line plus he reminds of Beastwars Silverbolt cept Stamoto didn't talk like a shakespearen knight xD Vin would totally give Stammy boy a try if things between her and Legendaim goes sour lolz.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Heh, I still haven't work on that Filler chapter I wanted to write. orz[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Tests and Dragons -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/QPZL2SBUp2k)
“Enigma, may I ask a question?” Stamato asked Yoshi the next morning, who then spun in a violent fashion, balancing on one foot, mags flying overhead. A curious face now stared at the black and white CAST. Strands of teal hair on top of the human’s head blew sideways in a stream of wind. As he gave the CAST his full attention, Yoshi fiercely held a pretzel in one hand and a cup of coffee, with a grip of death, by the other.
“Yeah, Stats?”
“Can I share with you a matter I find most pressing?”
“What it means to be a human?” asked Yoshi quickly before chomping away at his salted pastry.
“Well, that would be a question asked by most if not all CASTs. No, what I wish is this. Could you hold out your hand and emit a flame?”
Nodding like buffoon, Yoshi wordlessly kicked up an arm. His palm spread flat. Moving his head left and right, ensuring nothing flew in the way; Yoshi flexed his fingers and conjured a small orange flame, which sat comfortably on top a cupped palm. Staring back at his stiff robotic friend, Yoshi watched Stamato lift a gleaming arm. A pointy yet sleek black hand held vertical to his own. In the next moment, the flame went out. Yoshi looked up, then back down with furrowed brows. He flexed his fingers once, twice, three times to reignite the flame, but was met with only his pink hand. Not even a spark joyously leaped out from it.
“It appears I have a redundant ability to render photons unusable. Should I be concerned?” Stamato asked in a metallic yet still concerned voice. “It would prove to make our team very ineffective should it ever be used.”
Yoshi chewed away. Brown eyes locked on the robotic hand, the cowboy questioned its potential uses. His mouth calmly chewed. His head bobbled to jumbling thoughts. ”Well, on the bright side, if we fight rouge dudes, they wouldn’t be able to use anything against us. And solid metal blades like my gunslash, should Yvonna ever return it to me, would then be really nice to have. For now, I don’t see it being a problem so long as you only use it in emergency scenarios. Like technique explosions, meltdowns and maybe some darker attacks if it works against those.”
“Would you like to test it out now?”
“Maybe some other time. For now, let’s figure out why we are here in the middle of a testing facility,” said Yoshi who now took in the large spacious area he stood in. Surrounding the group, in what seemed to be located in the ruins of Naberius, was an enclosed Arks facility. Made up of white blocks, pyramids and slanted yet artistic windowed buildings; many arch ways were evenly spaced overhead. Isolated in the center of the room, a giant cube like island; separated by a sea of empty space, the depth of its pits uncountable to Yoshi. Returning his gaze above the island’s surface, Yoshi believed that everything they could stand on appeared to be made of gray matted material.
“Aw yes,” Stamato replied, distracting Yoshi from his quick size up of the building. “We were requested, by Yvonna, to accompany her in this testing facility. Seeing as she refused to go nowhere unless in the presence of your company, I had no choice but to carry you while you slept. My apologies.”
“No problem… I guess. So where is she now exactly?”
“Still in the camp ship preparing for the machines and Darkers we will encounter.”
“I see. And the reason why she’s here?”
“Confidential. However, we were allowed to tag along for other research reasons.”
“Alrighty then.”
“I’m intrigued by the fact that it took you this long to ask.”
Yoshi lifted his cup in the air. Wiggling the plastic container to check how much of its contents remained, he then took another sip and said, “Can’t start the day without my coffee.”
“Oh, you’re finally awake,” said Yvonna from behind. “Good because I don’t want to waste any more time in this place. Everyone on the warp pad, chop, chop.” Walking past Yoshi, Yvonna stepped inside a blue ringed pad with her hand on her hips. Taking a hasty glance at the other two, she cleared her throat and tapped her foot.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/H4z7VWFMkis)
“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” Yoshi reassured her.
“HELLO!” a female voice shouted at the top of her lungs. “Welcome to your exciting adventure that is the extreme quest! I will be you navigator, Karin. Wooooooo!
“Oh no,” Yoshi replied. Hunching over in his misery, Yoshi place a hand over his face.
“What’s wrong? Are you ill? Do you have a headache?” Stamato asked, his hands held up high, ready to assist.
“They warned me about her. Oh did they warn me about her.” Yoshi placed a finger over his hear. “Excuse me, can we get another navigator for this course.”
“Sure!” Karin replied. “After we find someone else who is just as qualified to run these tests. Now let’s see here. Oh, looks like there is no one else on the list. Sorry! Now, whenever you’re ready, let me know.”
“We’ve been ready, you pleb,” shouted Yvonna, her head lifted in the air, seeking the origin of Karin’s voice.
“Okay! Get ready, because it’s time for a Chrome Dragon. Yay! Try not to get hit~”
“Do you believe we can handle a Chrome Dragon?” Stamato whispered to Yoshi.
“Only one way to find out.”
In the next few seconds, the team lost their vision. Colors quickly been washed away by a white wave. Normally, one would freak out at such a site and some trainees have in the past. However, Arks soon become use to this phenomenon as this is the usual, quick and painless ground teleportation system use for most of their missions. In a usual warp, the color will sweep back into place in the next half second. For some, like CASTs, it’s instantaneous as they would simply need to refresh their visions. For some of the more sensitive folk, the colors would sway back in forth like the waves of the ocean. However, this is usually uncommon and is normally aided by special eyewear or enhancements, such as Yoshi glasses. Which not only allow him to remove the warp side effects, but also act as sunglasses, a HUD and at times, a photo gallery with the image of his daughter placed at the upper left corner of the left lenses.
Blinking once, then twice, Yoshi glanced around at the island his group now stood on. He waddled on the gray square mat he stood on and realized that the mat was made up of even smaller squares. On the edges of the island, blue glass like fences wrapped around, protecting any Arks operatives from falling off mid combat. To Yoshi’s surprise, nothing appeared. The Chrome Dragon, a white oversized lizard with a sharp pointy head, shark like teeth and claws as large as a meter stick, was still missing. Wasting no time idling, Yoshi grabbed his comrades and huddled them into a group.
“Okay,” said Yoshi in a low voice. “When I say on, I want you to use you photon draining ability, Stats. When I say off, that’s when you stop. Got it?”
“Heard and recorded, Enigma. I will be waiting for your command.”
“Yvonna, you’re now free to lead.” Yoshi replied with a smug smile.
“I don’t need you to tell me when I can and can’t lead, Yoshi,” Yvonna barked.
“Oh, you called me by my first name. I’m touched,” Yoshi interrupted. Yvonna punched him in the face. Taken back by it at first, Yoshi then laughed his head off until the ground wobbled under his feet. The group turned, looking over their shoulders. At other side of the arena, standing behind Yvonna, was the Chrome dragon. Its blood stained hands gripped at the floor. A white mouth drooled like it spotted its first meal. Yvonna stared defiantly back at its yellow eyes. With Yoshi’s gunslash in hand, she pointed it up at the chrome dragon and shouted,
“Attack!”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/0zBpxXooO4Y)
The team scattered. Like marbles rolling in separate directions after a collision, Yoshi dashed left of Yvonna while Stamato hovered past her right. Each of them, keeping their eyes on their prize, moved into position. Watching them split up, the Chrome Dragon began to shoot blue spheres from its mouth. Each sphere grew as large as a human body and homed in on them at an easy to avoid pace.
“On,” shouted Yoshi, his finger aimed at the head of the dragon. Doing as he was told, Stamato threw his hand above his chest. When he did, the balls of energy vanished, leaving a baffled dragon to search around for them. “Off.”
Yoshi nodded to an impressed Yvonna. Nodding back she shot a weak bullet into the dragons head. Normally, this would appear as a small red orb on the head of the dragon, but to Yoshi and Stamato, it was a red rotating target, where red rings spun around the brighter red orb. Yoshi shot a beam of Ragrants. The dragons flinched. Its hands covered its head. The light burned at the dragon’s skin. Letting go, the dragon leered at Yoshi. Seeing this as an opening, Stamato surfed on his sword, kicked at the blue underbelly of the dragon and overended it. Stabbing the creature with a giant photon blade the size of one of the columns supporting the tall structure, he ripped away at its belly and rolled for safety, avoiding the dragon that now collapsed onto the padded floor. The dragon wasn’t dead. Not yet. It struggled to get back on its feet, roaring in anger. A cry so strong, it caused Yoshi and Yvonna to cover their ears. Out of nowhere, Darkers appeared; but instead of letting them roam around, the dragon sat up and sucked them into its mouth, eating them in the process. Standing in awe, everyone watch the dragon work its magic. After all the black and red mist had cleared, the dragon smile. Its mouth no longer salivated in hunger. Standing up straight, boney wings protrude from the dragon’s backside and stretched the red webbing in the air.
“Looks like something went wrong.” Karin gleefully said in the middle of the transformation. “I hope you don’t plan to heal any time soon.” Karin closed the communication channel. After she did, white machines emerged from blue swarming triangles, emitting a pink glow in the area after the triangles dissipated. Consoles popped up onto the floor at the same time.
“On,” Yoshi shouted again. Stamato listened. The photons drained away. With nothing to run on, the machines collapsed and the pink aura receded. Much to Stamato’s surprise, Yoshi didn’t shout off. Instead, he watched the Chrome Dragon lift into the air, mouth open with its eyes staring back at the cowboy. Attempting to summoning pillars that would impale the people below it, only breezy air came out in the end. Yvonna smiled. Stamato fist pumped the air. The only unhappy person on the team was Yoshi, who only frown with a shaking head. “Off,” the human finally said and walked forward. The dragon fell to the floor. Strolling towards to the fallen reptile, Yoshi finished it off if a mighty burst of light and turned around.
“Well, that’s floor one I guess,” Yoshi remarked. His staff planted into the cushioned ground.
“You guys are no fun. This experiment is now over! Please gather you findings from the console at the other end of the stage. Please do come back when you don’t plan to cheat.”
“Cheat?” a shocked Stamato asked.
“It was a simulation, Stats. Your draining ability not only affected the health of the Chrome Dragon but would have made the rest of the quest too easy. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t supposed to prevent the pillars of darkness either. Now don’t feel too bad. We did a good job. Don’t you agree, Yvonna?” asked Yoshi.
“A good job? I now have more time to spend the rest of my day. Come, we head to the mall.”
“Why does everyone keep taking me to the mall?” Yoshi groaned.
“A question of being pulled into one place for a number of consistent times. I shall accept this challenge and record why this happens,” said Stamato proudly.
“Gee, thanks.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Chidori]

ah nice! ^^

[yoshiblue]

Woo! Finally got those fillers out! No chapter though. :(


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional music) (http://youtu.be/62A2WydnNwY) “One cup of coffee, please. Large, no cream and sugar necessary.”
“One cup, coming right up. Wait, are you sure about that, little girl?”
“Totally,” exclaimed a cheery Arethusa, whose tanned face peeked over from behind a glass and wood counter. The two staring at each other for a brief moment, the cashier looked at her with skepticism, slowly punching in buttons of the cash register. Lifting his eyebrows, as if he said “Okay” in his head, he retreated for a coffee machine, hidden under a bean covered wall behind him, slid the machine under a particular flavor and poured beans into an opening above the machine. On a touch of a red button, the machine screamed to life. Beans tried to flee for freedom, banging on the coffee machines black translucent cage. Their cries for help over powered the conversations that filled the room. Sadly, no one seemed to mind. Not one before looked towards their direction. Not even Arethusa, who bounced from side to side, waiting patiently for her caffeinated beverage.
After three minutes the noise stopped and the man began to work his magic. When he returned to the polished, rounded, pasty displaying counter from where he resided by, held in his hand, a steamy brown cup dressed with a sage green photonic heat sleeve. Arethusa took the cup with a bow of gratitude. Thanking the man with a large smile, she spun on one heel, where she would then journey to the nearest vacant table. Conveniently for her, one could be found not too far away. On her approach, she hopped on top a wooden chair and slammed her cup on the table. Drops of dark liquid flew from the white plastic lid and splashed onto the walnut table top, which was then soaked up by a gray backpack she then threw on the table. Lifting up at first like a creature jumping into a hot bath, it relaxed and collapsed soon after, thanks to the large gaping hole made in the middle of the bag. Looming over it, Arethusa stared into the empty hole with a sigh. She closed her eyes. Her hand patted around for her cup. When her fingers finally touched the brown surface of the cup, the sleeve dropped down, protecting her bare fingers from the heat it contained within.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/MUTMw7rEsDk)
Without looking, she took her first sip. A sip she would soon regret, for when the white shield touched her lips, the coffee beans made their attack. Rushing in like a pack of barbarians riding in on demonic horses. They made cries of battles as they clashed with her taste buds. Her eyelids shot open in pain. Clubs bashed at her tongue. Horses trampled on her throat. Arethusa gagged, she coughed, trying to repel the beans, but they fought back. As they flooded in, the coffee beans threw rocks of burning black stone into her mouth before the catapult retreated. They bounced, they sang; hitting her uvula with enough strength to make her fall onto her knees. Her face burned red, embarrassed by the fact that the coffee had done so much in so little time.
Her nails dug into the wood. Eyes narrowed in determination. She would not lose. Not to something like coffee. In an effort to combat the rocks, Arethusa took another quick chug; in hopes of crushing the rebellion by drowning them to death. The coffee fought on, they threw in more of their rocks with their weapons held high in the red sky. More of them stormed in, their horses leaving large trails of smoke behind them. However, there were now too many of them to let the rocks settle in place; too many horses to find proper footing. They slipped, sunk and tumbled. Their mares collapsed with them. Finishing them off, Arethusa closed the entrance gate from which they breached, closing off their only escape. With only one place left to go, the intruders fell down an endless pit of doom, crushed by molten stone and unstoppable muscle. Into a dark place, where anything that falls in can only sing their songs of prayer till the grim reaper stopped by for his visit. Arethusa had won the battle. Catching her breath, a hand on her throat, the other gripping the flat edge of the table, she rose up onto her feet, coughing, surrounded by several concerned people.
“Are you alright, dearie?” an elderly lady asked, slapping her back multiple times.
“I’m alright,” Arethusa coughed. “Just feeling the hair grow on my chest is all.”
“Now you know better than to drink your coffee black, young miss,” scolded a man in the background.
The lady spun around with a mean glare. “Are you saying this young girl can’t enjoy what she wants, whenever she wants?”
“I’m just saying some drinks are best drunk by particular people,” said the man who now backed away from an angry woman. She yelled at him, people butted in, beliefs and ideals were thrown around. More people gathered, attracted by the chaos. In an effort to find peace and quiet, Arethusa crawled out from under the legs of the group and out a revolving doorway. Unknowingly to Arethusa, her father had entered the same time she escaped, left confused as to what was going on while strolling in. Looking behind his shoulder, confirming his successful attempt at evading Yvonna, Yoshi waltzed past the crowd of angry people and after the gleaming counter of cakes and bread.
Nearing the counter, he greeted the cashier, who greeted him in kind. “Strange day today, huh” Yoshi remarked with a subtle flick of his head. “One cup of coffee, please. Large, no cream and sugar necessary.”
“You seem a bit peppy today, Mr. Blue. Something good hap-wait…” trailed the cashier, his face pondering Yoshi’s.
“Something wrong?” asked Yoshi. Choosing to ignore the man who stared at him with peering eyes, Yoshi looked down to his pocket, stuck a hand into it and withdrew the amount of meseta needed for the beverage.
“No,” slowly said the cashier. “Just an unexpected sense of Déjà vu.” Grimacing once he realized how awkward the situation had gotten, the cashier twisted to complete the order. After a few seconds, he returned, handing Yoshi an identical cup of coffee. Lifting the cup in a sort of toast, Yoshi strolled for the exit, taking a sip as he moved past a much larger crowd.
“Ew, coffee grinds,” he said in disgust.
Frowning for a second, lifting his eyebrows after experiencing the unique after taste, Yoshi took another sip and bolted out a still rotating door. Exiting the building, the chill air blanketed his face. Now outside, he froze in place and suddenly grew concerned about something. He looked around. His brows close to each other, wondering if he should go back in for a doughnut. Lifting a hand to his chin, he stared at the passing clouds above and watched them slowly scroll over skyscraper rooftops. Out in the distance, Arethusa did the same. Only instead of looking up in the sky, she instead peeped at her father from around a corner, underneath a much taller woman who so happened to be doing the same thing.
“So, stalking dad these days, I see?” Arethusa commented, amused by the woman above her. The woman jumped in fright, entered a combat stance, before dropping it upon realizing who spoke to her. “How’s it going, Marean?” Arethusa beamed.
“I’m not stalking him. I just happen to be at the wrong place at the right time,” Marean denied.
“I see. Well are you going to talk to him or not?”
“No, I’m not going to talk to him. Are you crazy?”
“But you want to, right?”
“Y-no,” said Marean with a laugh.
“Huh, how odd,” said Arethusa as she returned to peeping around the corner. “I had a gut feeling you did.”
“You shouldn’t be a bumbling idiot like your father, Marean. Using your head is very important.”
“Arethusa,” she replied with a raised finger, “and that’s what mom said to me too, but I feel that relying purely on logic will get me nowhere in life, and a lack of adventure. Which gives me a weird feeling since she’s... before I say anything else, what’s your opinion of her anyways?”
“Opinion of who?”
“Tuhina… well, I guess she never married. So it would still make her Kadam instead of Xol. I wonder what that makes me then.” Arethusa asked herself before she was given a quick reply.
“Unfavorable to say the least,” Marean scowled.
“Oh? Why is that?”
“You would think an animal psychologist would be harmless and incapable of stopping anyone from doing a job, but I’ve had so many close encounters thanks to her. Plus, I find her to be rather... I just find her unfavorable okay?”
“Heh, may explain why she liked dad then. He’s good with animals too.”
“As much as it gets him into trouble,” Marean groaned.
As they stared, Yoshi turned his head to their direction. Frightened, Arethusa and Marean both quickly hid behind the building.
“Think he spotted us?” Arethusa asked with both arms hugging the wall.
“I don’t see why you would need to hid,” commented Marean, who did the same.
“Heh, let’s just say I have some mixed feelings about the whole situation.”
“Okay?”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/mkAHWZXd94A)
“Marean, does dad drink coffee to escape his problems. How does he deal with all of this? Knowing that you killed a man with your own two hands. Watching friends died in front-”
“I think you’re a bit too young to be asking these kinds of things,” Marean interrupted. Feeling uneasy, she tried to smile but really wanted to frown.
“Marean, I-I did something wrong. People are gone because of me. I-I watch my best friend…he tried to help me escape-I didn’t know what to do. Wolfy von sniffsalot.” Tears slid across a pale face. Her back slid down the wall. Sitting on the floor, Arethusa wept, causing Marean to panic, unsure what to do in a situation like this. Normally, she would have walked away, avoiding problems, people and children. This being one the few rare times she has ever dealt with children, she wanted the problem to go away but didn’t know how to approach. She didn’t want to leave her friend’s child behind but she didn’t want to approach Yoshi either.
“This isn’t funny, Ma-Arethusa. You shouldn’t-”
“How do you deal with it?” Arethusa cried, looking up to the newmen with soggy eyes, seeking answers.
One hand gripped one side of each shoulder. Bending down on her knees, Marean looked at Arethusa warmly, with softness in her eyes and weakly said, “Look this isn’t the place to talk about these things. Let’s get back to my ship and… we’ll talk about it. Does that sound good?”
Arethusa nodded. Both hands planted on the ground, she herself off the floor and clung to Marean. “What about dad?” she suddenly said, looking back out into the street.
“Dad, can wait. This requires a woman’s touch,” Marean proudly boasted. “Not something he can help you with right now.” At first, Arethusa fought back, tugging in the opposite direction, wishing to lead the two closer to her father. In the end, it was Marean who won the tug of war and the two soon disappeared into the alleyway.

-


“Hello, Velarium residence speaking,” Leanna said in a sweet voice.
“Leanna, I need your help,” a shaky voice implored.
“Oh? And who is this I am speaking to?” Leanna asked, her lips cracking a smile while curling a redundant photonic phone cord around her finger.
“I know you looked at the caller ID, Leanna. Look, I need help, comforting a child, alright?”
“Oh, what is this? My granddaughter has finally come to me for parenting advice? Oh dreams do come true. So, tell me. Who’s the child?”
“Yoshi’s daughter, Ma-Arethusa. I need help giving her advice for coping with death.”
“Oh, so she finally gave herself a name. Fancy that. Well, the easiest thing you can do is to simply kill her. Easy to do, easy to clean up, and nobody will care in the end. Well, Arks won’t at least and you would never need to inform the parents.”
“WHAT? I’m not going to kill the daughter of my only friend. Are you insane?”
“She is not his daughter, dear. She is an abomination. Surely yo-“
“I should have known better than to come to you for help, you-you heartless bitch.”
A loud scratching sound was made, followed by a repeating low beeping tone. A shaken smile bounced stealthily towards a wall, regaining her composure, Leanna turned to Kazamir, who held his cup just below his lip, stiffly staring back at the regal dressed newmen. Using one hand, the dewmen lifted a saucer to rest his cup on it, cleared his throat and said,
“A pleasant call, I presume?”
“As pleasant as I can ever hope for. All was not lost though. Given how rare she ever calls me, it has given me a fascinating insight of how my mother felt when I spoke to her in a similar fashion. However, we were mad for different reasons you see. My granddaughter has never forgiven me for allowing her mother to die. Letting her suffer the way she did. Mad at me for allowing my own daughter to live life as she pleased and pay the price for it.”
Kazamir lifted his brow for a short time. After an awkward sip of his tea, he circled his cup in the air and replied, “Wouldn’t a mother take care of her own in times of need?”
“Sadly, nobody is perfect and we can only do what we can to right our wrongs,” Leanna replied coolly before retreating into another room.


-


(*optional music/ End Title*) (http://youtu.be/86b4OQwUggA)
Marean stormed into the living room, fuming with anger. Speed walking near a panel on the wall, she paused right next to it, bash it with her fist and glided around a sofa. Where Arethusa sat in a slump, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands, staring at her grief filled reflection. Sounds of strings, flutes and a lady engulfed the room, allowing an aura of sophistication to form over its usual simplistic, relaxed and cozy one. As violins passionately sang their high notes, masking Marean as she sat on the cushion next to her but still became aware of her presence, Arethusa wonder what her parent’s choice of song would have been. Shifting her head sideways with a fake smile, Arethusa continued to stare into her cup in thought.
“Arethusa,” Marean softly said. “How about you stay with me for a while?”
“So we can peep at dad together?” Arethusa coughed and giggled.
“No, you…So I can teach you how to fend for yourself. Live life like I do, and for a time, your father did too.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] “What an annoying mission,” Yvonna complained. In a sharp left turn, she breezed through the white apartment hallway. Without stopping, she turned sharply to the right, her gaze stuck on a yellow chip. She flipped it once, then twice and sighed. Tossing it behind her, a hand caught the chip and moved up alongside her. Shuffling transparent chips in hand, focused on each and every one of them was Yoshi who simply said, “Uh huh,” before stopping in front of his door.
“Well, we better get inside before something ridiculous happens.”
“Like what?” asked Yoshi, a blue chip held in front of his eyes.
Out of nowhere, a gloved hand gripped Yvonna’s shoulder and said “Hey there, pretty lady. Got time to spare?”
“Unhand me, you bag of filth,” shouted Yvonna, punching the human to the floor. As she did, Yoshi immediately shoved the chip between his arm and watch Yvonna walk into their room. Startled Yoshi peeked inside and shouted,
“Yvonna, you don’t go around punching people.”
“I punched you and you didn’t seem to mind.”
Yoshi paused for a bit. Quickly thinking for a bit, he lifted both forearms in the air, keeping the chips tucked in-between them and replied, “Two entirely different reasons.” Making sure the man wouldn’t get up to storm inside, Yoshi spun around to say, “Sorry about that, she’s-“
“I think I’m in love,” interrupted the dazed man, his hand rubbing a red face. His head jerked toward Yoshi’s. Scrabbling to his feet, he desperately got off the floor, crashed into the wall and grabbed Yoshi by the shoulders. “Tell me the rumors aren’t true.”
“What?” cried Yoshi. “What rumors?”
“That you two are…you know…a thing.”
“What?” Yoshi cried again. “No. What makes you think that?”
“You aren’t?” the man said with a sigh of relief.
Repulsed, pushing the man off of him, Yoshi’s sighed a deep sigh and leaned backwards. Once his head moved into the room, Yoshi then shouted, “Hey, Yvonna.”
“Yes?” she asked from the other room.
“Are we going out?”
“No, I got everything I need for the moment.”
Pulling himself back into the hallway, Yoshi smirked and said, “See? Well, not the answer I expected but you get the point.”
The man pulled Yoshi forward. With shuddering breath, he desperately said, “You got to introduce me to her.”
Yoshi shoved him away. “Look man, I’m not going to introduce you to her. If you want to make a move, fine by me, but I’m warning you now. She bites. And by bite, I mean she will shoot you, in the foot, or somewhere around it.”
The man twitched, giving Yoshi a crazy look. Pushing Yoshi against the wall, he made a mad dash to get inside. This angered Yoshi, who aggressively grabbed the man by the collar and threw him back outside. His other fist squeezed into a ball, quivering above the fallen man. Slowly twisting his head, trying to contain his voice, Yoshi said to the man, “Don’t ever try that again.”
The man sat up, about to make a second vain attempt. Barely launching off the floor, a blue blade hovered above the man’s gulping throat. Panicked eyes traced the double blade, up a black sleeve, until both he and Yoshi both stared at Arron, who stiffly loomed over the man with a cold expression, his icy gaze piercing into the man’s mind. “I suggest you never try that again.” Scared and defeated, the man took off in the other direction, leaving an impressed Yoshi to applaud Arron, the chips dropping as a result.
“Arron,” Yoshi said in a friendly tone of voice, picking up the fallen chips. “What brings you here?”
“Kerri kept bugging me to spend some time with you guys. Seeing as she won’t give me a choice, I reluctantly agreed so she would finally shut up.” Arron then raised his arms in a presenting manner. “So, here I am.”
“I’m glad thing you did too, I was afraid things were going to get messy.”
“Yeah, Stamato told me about the number of people you’ve killed. I don’t know how someone can stay so relaxed around you and I definitely don’t understand how you haven’t snapped either.”
Yoshi nervously laughed. Not expecting the response he received. “Yeah well, not everyone becomes a homicidal maniac after leaving a mercenary group.”
“Anyways,” Arron uncomfortably waved off to the floor. “It seems some Newmens hired the man to retrieve out team mate. Know anything about it?”
Yoshi leaned against the wall with both arms crossed. Frowning, Yoshi responded, “As far as I know, her brother may be trying to bring her back to the Melchior. I never really thought about how I would handle the situation though. But hey, if you know about my track record, it may explain why he hasn’t attempted to do it himself.” Even though Yoshi smiled, he truly felt disturbed deep down inside. Being reminded of his past, it always caused his insides to knot when reminded of the people who died. However, as he surfed through the waves of memories, he felt a bit hollow inside, remembering the targets his group had killed as nothing more than bleeding objects. As if they were never people at all.
“Well then consider it a group project.” Arron replied with the best smile he could muster, pulling Yoshi back into reality, shaking his head to regain his thoughts. Focusing on the coat donning human, it was still hard for Yoshi to tell if he smiled or not. “So are you going to serve your guest dinner or not?”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional music) (http://youtu.be/1fKRiI92mWY) Within a white room laid three white couches, each bent in an L shape. Placed in the corners of the room, all of them were various in length, but each displayed identical plush red cushions and were all attached to the wall. All white frames seamlessly transitioning from reflective plastic surfaces into glowing wall. In-between these couches and a sofa, two white tables, low, almost hugging the floor, with contrasting red lines etched into the legs and table top edges. Every so often, when an Arks operative enters this room, they will find that this room changes from time to time, mostly to the preference of the pilot, sometimes due to specifications, other times on a request. Last time Yoshi was in this room, Arks themed everything decorated it. From gray and blue wall banners, to large solid blocks for tables, to the same benches found in the gateway lobby. Since the camp ship’s previous pilot has retired however, the new theme came with a new pilot. One Yoshi wouldn’t know for very long since this camp ship is just a temp after a few faults were found in his squad’s current vessel.
Since Arks members would relax, wait, or prep in this room as they wait for their destination to arrive, as a room that sits in-between the warp gate room and the loading dock, Yoshi would normally take naps in this room. The length of his naps, however, depends on which cruiser the campship docks at. Some ships would only allow Arks members to warp into the gate room, some allow them to enter via an elevator into this room and some would require one to climb down a ladder to enter the campship. While Yoshi hates the ladder method, some ships retained this method to preserve tradition. Teaching its members patience and building character. One such ship being the Protoporos, where classes are restricted to few combinations, is issued orders in a particular fashion, and where even Arks operative are restricted to certain clothing. Though despite the limitations, the ship’s operatives usually display high amounts of morale in all situations and huge success rates.
Gently placing a tablet down on a table, which displayed the ship on its headlines, Yoshi tended to his new weapon. A talis, gifted to him by someone he knew, in the shape of a large card, black and red in color, decorated by a gold boarder. Next to it, an open note that said,


Dear Old Man,

Hitting skulls with blunt objects is cool and all but you may want to try out this neat scalpel sharp card thing I found.

Best of luck,
Chicken Nuggets.


(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/s5EZfikpm-c)
Yoshi placed a hand on the card and slid it off the table. While gliding off the table, it felt strange to him, as if the card never touched the table at all. Flicking it between his fingers, Yoshi’s attention floated away from the card and onto an elevator ramp that slowly lowered into the room. Coming to a classy stop, Yvonna, Arron and Stamato all stepped into the room, each greeting him in their own way. For Yvonna, a fist bump, for Stamato, a secret hand shake they worked on earlier and finally for Arron, a click of his passing double saber. Watching the elevator leave the room, Yoshi turned to Yvonna, who sat next to him, listening as she continued her conversation with Stamato.
“I don’t see why the Ace can roam freely whenever he or she pleases. I feel this Ace should be doing more missions like the rest of us.”
“Logically, the Ace would be allowed to freely wonder in case of an emergency. This way the Ace and others of high performance can arrive and quell any situation as soon as possible. However, even the best are not allowed access to certain vessels.”
“Such as?”
“Well, one such ship would have been the Mandrake before its recent destruction, which had a shoot on sight policy for any Arks personnel spotted.”
“Interesting that they would approve that kind of policy when would we have to eventually defend it as well,” Yoshi remarked with interest.
“It is stated that any Arks operative would have likely been a darker attempting to steal its secrets. Thus, the Mandrake had a few squads unique only to its cruiser. Such squads would be the Velite and Hastati Squads. However, the details of these groups remain unknown.”
“Interesting stuff to know,” Yoshi commented.
Losing interesting in the rest of what Stamato had to say, Yoshi lifted from his seat and aimed for a half cylindrical door at the end of the room. Stopping in front of it, he watched its creaseless white wall split open, revealed a warp pad inside, stepped onto it and watched the doors move back into place, spitting at the other end and finally closing behind him. In the other room, a giant warp gate, baring a resemblance to that of a large round pool. Beyond it, large windows that allowed the occupants to look out into space, a bank, a shop, a medical center and a mission console. Though there was another console on the left wall, Yoshi had never used it before. Looking out through one of the many windows, he jumped to a sudden voice behind him.
“And I thought I was the loner,” said Arron who just walked in afterwards. “You arrived earlier than we did. Do you know anything about the mission that we don’t?”
“Nothing really helpful,” said Yoshi as he turned to meet Arron. “I was told by James to stay on my toes. Said he believe that we may run into an unexpected surprise. And not the good kind.”
“I see. I’ll run it by Stamato, see if he can find anything strange on the planet.” Arron stepped back into the warp pad. Just as the doors were about to close, he place had on one of the doors and said a sincere voice, “And thanks…for the help. You really save a life. I hope you know that.” Removing his hand as if it was hot metal, the door closed leaving a lone cowboy to gaze out into the sea of stars once more.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Are They True Replicas? -[SPOILER-BOX]
“I am pleased to inform you that your son is alive and well. While stripped from the vessel you two have worked hard to revive, he has found himself in a new circle of people to surround himself with. Each of them he can call a friend. Though, I wonder. Would this have made you happy? To see him moved on, and watch him smile again? Would this have made you sad? Knowing that he may be too busy to spend time with you, beyond your protecting arms? I say this for a reason. I say this because I fear for his future, that there may be sinister intentions lurking about in the darkness, on a hunch that someone may have deliberately created this squad for a reason. If you can hear me, know this. Accompanying him is a CAST that can prevent him from casting techniques, a newmen whose people show no remorse or respect for the other races, and a human who has been accused of killing a diga Force. Rest assured, though. I will continue to watch over him in your stead. But to be honest, there is little I can do in my current state.”


-


(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/DHN0h9JniWQ)
Anxiety had filled the air once the camp ship had arrived at their destination. The time for squad Zelatus’s first mission on the volcanic planet below drew near. Huddled together by a large window, in front of the Arks Bank console, two people discussed various topics involving striking techniques of the ancient past while they waited for Yvonna’s green light, an imaginative light that would signal their jump through the warp pool and down to the planet of Amduscia, home of the dragon kin.
Filtering through the green floating islands below, the reflection of a red cross allowed Yoshi a change of conversation. A few days ago, Yoshi learned more about Arron’s previous squad and their unfortunate end. Though most died in the battle with their clones, Yoshi discovered that one of their pilots did survive and clung for dear life, ignored by medical teams. Seeing how all operatives are valued more than green pilots, he was placed last under their priorities. Angered, Yoshi bribed a nurse, one that had seen several of these operations, and had the pilot’s operation done early. Concern gripped at Yoshi chest and doubt swam in his mind. He blinked, pulling himself out of his lake of worries, and regrettably grinded his teeth together. “Stats, how’s the pilot doing?” Yoshi asked, staring out the window with fingers barely holding his chin.
“He is alive and well, Enigma. Thanks to your intervention and investment, the operation was a success and the life of the pilot has been preserved. However, it appears that their encounter with the clones, that day in the darker den, has rendered him a mute, or a person who can not speak.”
“Thank you, Stats. I know what a mute is.” Yoshi interrupted. Saddened and a little embarrassed, Yoshi circled his hand and said, “Er, sorry. Continue.”
“Thank you. I am informed that he will be brought in for questioning sometime in the future and that Arron has petitioned for his discharge, so he may live a life free from the pains of service.”
“That’s great. Very nice, hopefully things will go well after all of this is over.”
Stamato mimicked Yoshi by turning around. Looking out the window as well, he then asked, “Enigma, may I ask you a question?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” Yoshi replied, happy in tone but still bugged by something.
“It appears that you are uneasy with our mission on Amduscia. Looking through your service records, I have noticed that you rarely venture to this planet. Care to explain?”
Yoshi glanced at Stamato with a thoughtful look. Nodding his head a few times, he stared out at the floating islands outside and calmly said, “A force once told me that our very presence endangered the lives of the dragon kin. As a Force, our techniques have the potential to prevent their cycle of rebirth if not used carefully. That said, I’ll admit that I’m a little scared. Scared of what I could do and what may happen.”
“Enlightening,” Stamato pleasantly remarked. “Rest assured, Enigma. There are no known records of any Forces preventing any cycles of rebirth. Your actions will not have any lasting consequences on the dragon kin. However with that said, I have noticed that you never travel here, even as a Ranger.”
Yoshi chuckled quietly in a cupped hand. Removing his hand from his mouth, Yoshi pointed an eyebrow in his metallic friend’s direction and quietly said, smirking, “One can never be too careful.” He then patted Stamato’s black pauldron and wheeled around, in time for the doors of the warp pad’s opening. Now a gap between two walls, Yvonna, followed by Arron, briskly entered the room. An aura of pride reflected off of her skin. As they came around, Yoshi said, “Commander” and greeted them with a wave of his hand. “We’re all set to go whenever you’re ready.”
“Good,” Yvonna smiled. She lifted a finger and moved it in an informative way. “Remember, this is only a light patrol mission. Keep the Darkers and dragon kin from crossing areas A1 through A4. The rest of the landscape will be covered by other teams.” Looking over the face of each of her team mates, Yvonna then asked, “Any questions?”
“Yes,” Stamato replied. “Will we be grouping with anyone else for this mission?”
“Should something unexpected come up, we may. But for now, let’s just focus on getting there first.” Everyone nodded in approval. Satisfied, Yvonna headed for the medical console, giving plenty of empty space for Arron’s arm to grasp at Yoshi and tug Yoshi’s shoulder near his own.
“I don’t know what you did,” Arron whispered, his eyes caught on Yvonna’s backside, “but those leadership pep talks are really helping.”
“Hey, I can’t take all the credit,” Yoshi whispered back. “I got some help from Aiko, Elm and James as well. Really nice to see everything go so well.”
“And let’s hope it stays that way,” Arron finished, pushing away towards the warp pool where Stamato and Yvonna waited.
Regrouping, they clumped together around the edges of the pool and formed a half circle. Everyone prepared for the jump, fidgeting forward. Leaning back, Yvonna silently giggled, her head held behind the group. Arron frowned. Stamato shook his head. Knowing that Yoshi still waited for a signal of any kind, Yvonna moved behind him and pushed the cowboy into the blue warp pool. In a crystalized splash, Yoshi soon found himself plummeting through the atmosphere, danced around islands of dancing dragons, swerved through steep canyons, brushed against red hot lava waterfalls, until he fell to the floor as a blue blur, landing with a padded thud knee first on the floor and a fist planted up in front. After getting a good view of the area, Yoshi immediately jolted upright, patted his chest reassuringly and closed his eyes, giving off a sigh of relief. Soon his hand slid around for a card like talis, cloaked by the sound of crashing objects. With one hand on a weapon, the other hand reached upwards and readjusted his hat as three blue meteors crashed around him.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/OsRwyyg5cN4)
“Time for another adventure,” he whispered under his breath.
“Hello,” a female voice said in an unpleasant and unenthusiastic tone of voice. “This is Mable, your navigator for this mission. In case your brain is slow on the uptake, your job is to protect labeled areas on your map. So easy, a Rappy could do it. So don’t muck it up, alright, thank you. Also, there is a Beize in the area. May be a good idea to check it out, or not. Your call or mistake.”
“Right,” confirmed Yoshi, who then twisted around to confirm with Yvonna. “Did you get that?”
“Yeah,” Yvonna replied. “And confirmed; Darkers are in the area. I want each of you on a part of the map for extra coverage. I’ll stay in A4, Arron will take A3, Yoshi on A2, and Stamato at A1.”
“In case the Baize situation gets out of hand, may I suggest we set up cover for passing Arks,” said Stamato, a photonic map held in front of him.
“Good idea,” Yvonna agreed. “Each of us will set up the prototype ramps as makeshift shelters. The ones we would normally use to cross over large bodies of water. Hopefully it will be wide enough to give several groups and ourselves the shelter needed to hide under.”
“Heading for A2, then,” said Yoshi. Having nothing more to say, he and Stamato started their jog toward the northern ends of the map. With the photon panel still kept up for guidance, Statmato lead the way, multitasking at the same time. A small gray tube now in hand, Stamato focused on Yoshi and asked mid jog, “Enigma, is it strange that Yvonna now spends more time with Arron than she does with you?”
Yoshi smirked. Thanks to the change of events, Yoshi finally had more time for relaxation and recreation. Something he was glad to have. “Too soon for me to make a comment on that, Stats.” Yoshi moved in closer. Huddling near Stamato, Yoshi continued in a very low voice, “Besides, you never know if the commander is listening to us right now. Also, why do you need a physical map when you can see it in your vision hud thing?”
Stamato twitched forward. “Ah, good point.”
In a few minutes, they reached area A2. Yoshi broke off and took his spot in the area, chucked a gray capsule of him own on the floor and waved at Stamato as he continued further north. Fading out of sight, Yoshi focused his attention on the capsule, which had a pole sticking out of it. On that pole, four leaf like objects formed from a mercury like liquid substance. Entertained by what he was witnessing and curious, Yoshi crouched down for a closer look. Almost tempted to poke it, the leaves shot up like a piston, turning into propellers. It spun twice and formed a platform. Like a flower seeking the sunlight, it continued its climb, hungry for light and sheltered Yoshi from the blue sky in the process, wide enough to cover a small group of people. After reaching a certain height, the platform rapidly expanded north and south. As if It sensed the presence of other platforms. In a few second, Yoshi noticed shiny silver objects unfold from both directions until each one overlapped the other, parallel with unique connections, a fine line of air kept the two apart. It didn’t take long for clamps from underneath the lower end to bite into the edges of the upper platform, solidifying them as one whole structure.
Yoshi wore a smile big enough on his face. Feeling accomplished, Yoshi lifted a finger over his ear and said, “Shelter complete on my end, how’s everything on everyone else’s?”
“The bridge has successfully made it connection, Enigma. I am now keeping a look out for Darkers,” Stamato ringed in.
“The shade is nice but it really isn’t doing much to keep the heat away, I’ll let you know when something comes up,” Arron followed after.
“No problems on my end,” finished Yvonna. “I’m going to make a pass to ensure that there weren’t any obstacles in the way.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to handle it, commander?” Stamato asked. “With my vision, I can see th-”
“It’s alright, Stamato. I can handle it.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/h1xxd9i9l7Y)
In response, Yoshi smile compressed into a smirk and shook his head. His fingers dropping, Yoshi sleepily scanned the barren land of molten rock and lava. Even though he did it just as a precaution, he honestly didn’t believe anything would bother to show up in his portion of the area. His shoulders drooped. He yawned. A neck cracked out of boredom. Peeking at the sky for a brief moment, Yoshi retreated under the shelter, tempted to sit against it. He almost did until he touched the metal bridge and figured out how much of a bad idea it was. Hot as a frying pan, Yoshi flinched, rubbing his protected fingers by instinct. Scrunching his face together, Yoshi silently complained to himself. Then suddenly, an idea came to mind. He smacked his forehead to the thought of it. He remembered that he was a Force, one that could simply cool the area. Lifting both hands, a spray of freezing Barta shot out. Misty, periwinkle in color, the black and red rock slowly became a bed of solid ice, engulfing the metal pole embedded in the remarkably just as solid floor. Proud of his idea at first, he soon frowned again when the ice began to melt in the heat. Frustrated, Yoshi snapped his fingers in defeat and spun sharply on his heel, glaring at the red wall menacingly, a glare that would melt into one of confusion. What Yoshi had expected was only a volcanic wall, but what he saw was a man in a black coat limping towards him.

“Help me,” the man weakly pleaded, an arm reaching out for the baffled cowboy.
“Arron?” Yoshi asked under his breath. Yoshi stepped forward. He wanted to help his teammate and make sure he was alright, but a voice inside scream no.
The man tripped onto Yoshi, gripping Yoshi’s shoulders in desperation. “Please, you have to help me. There’s something wrong with me. I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I know. I know. The things I’ve done. All the people i’ve killed. I can’t get it out of my head.”
Yoshi, lifting Arron by the armpits, gave the man a serious look and said, “Alright, nice and easy. Slow down and tell me what’s going on?”
“I can’t stop it!” Arron cried. “I can’t control my actions. Please help me!”
Taking a good look at the coat touting man, Yoshi realized that while his attire appeared to be the same as when they beamed down on the planet, he noticed various tears all over his over coat. Arron also wore a different but similar colored shirt. His left pant leg was ripped in half, and his exposed flash bared many cuts and bruises. Hoping Arron could support himself, Yoshi let go of his shoulders so that he could better help him with Resta. As soon as light began to emit from Yoshi’s hands however, the man began to pull at his hair. Arron curled into a ball and sobbed on his knees.
“Stay back,” Arron shouted. “It’s happening again. No, please no. Not again.” Taking two odd steps backwards, a red and black misty aura emitted from Arron’s body. His breathing grew shallow and rapid. The moment the man collapsed on his knees, Yoshi took action. Without hesitation, Yoshi leaped behind the fallen fighter, placed both hands around his head, and snapped Arron’s neck. As he back away, a loud scream was heard from a distance. Yoshi stepped backward, his eyes wide open and locked on the fallen human.
“That felt good,” Yoshi thought to himself, breath heavy, his hands constantly folding and unfolding, letting the feelings drain out of his system. Yoshi then bite his lip. He feared that killing people, as he did in the past, may have become an enjoyable feeling. Hearing the sounds of rushing footsteps, Yoshi rotated in response, meeting Yvonna who pounded at his chest.
“Yoshi, you bastard. Why did you do that?”
“Relax, Yvonna. It wasn’t Arron,” Yoshi pleasantly replied, forcing back a smile.
“Liar,” She screamed.
“What’s going on?” asked Arron, who just entered the area a moment later. “I heard a scream.” Approaching the two, he froze upon spotting his lifeless clone lying dead on the floor. Yvonna, at the sight of Arron, then hid behind Yoshi, a rifle peeked over his shoulder. “Mind telling me what’s going on here?” Arron demanded with a hint of fear in his voice.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/MJGntYecfCI)
Yoshi sighed. After taking a deep breath, the cowboy responded, “Your clone appeared and I took care of it. You know, before it went berserk on me and everything.”
“And what a shame too,” the clone butted in. “I was really hoping that you would use your abilities against me. Arron knows what they are. Ha ha ha. Ah, maybe some other time then.” The lone laughed again, his voice muffled by the hot soft floor under him. As the clone did, he faded away in red mist, his twisted smile reaching for Yoshi.
Yoshi shoulders shivered, Yvonna’s grip tightened, Arron bared clenched teeth. There they sat, both in fear and awe, watching the body leave no trace of its existence behind. Not even a drop of blood. Once gone, Yoshi kicked around, sweeping his foot over the floor to ensure there were no surprises or hidden traps.
“See, a clone.”
“Oh yeah,” Mable jumped in. “I forgot to mention that. There were a few clones lurking about in the area. But it seems you took care of them already. Oh well.”
“Oh well?” cried Yvonna. “Did you honestly want us to die those imposters?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It not like they travel with red auras or something. Oh wait, they do. I guess you’re either a blind fool or i’ve been hired to babysit children.” Mable sassed back. “I don’t have time for this.”
Before Yvonna could respond, Yoshi squeezed her cheeks together and said, “Commander, relax. She isn’t worth the energy. If we need any information, we can simply ask for a scan from Stats or ask someone passing by.”
“I hope she gets fired,” Yvonna pouted.
“So let me get this straight, a clone of me appeared and you just killed him just like that?” said Arron, suspiciously staring at Yoshi with great aura of contempt.
“I guess,” Yoshi shrugged. “He started to freak out and I simply snapped his neck while he did.”
“Just snapped my neck?”
“Look, he gave off a red aura, one similar to HUnar’s, okay?”
“You fought HUnar?”
“Yes and it wasn’t a glorious battle, trust me.”
“I refuse to believe my clone went down with a simple snap of the neck. Look at you, you’re a twig.”
“Look man, just because I’m a Force, doesn’t mean I slack off in the physical strength department. All I did was jump behind the dude and snapped his neck. No fancy struggles, no epic battles to the death, just one and done, the end.”
“Bullshit.”
“Enough,” Yvonna intervened. On the verge of breaking down, both arms held between the two men. “Enough. Just go back to your posts and report anything that appears. That means any signs of clones, Yoshi. Arron, back the way you came, now.” She said, tugging at Arron’s arm. The two men continued to stare each other down for the next few seconds before finally going their separate ways. While walking away, Yoshi was greeted by the late Stamato, a sword in one hand, who asked,
“Is something the matter, Enigma? I heard reports of clones and came to ensure you were alright.”
“Yeah,” said Yoshi slowly, unsure if Stamato was the real one or not. “The one we meet was already taken care of. Did you see anything?”
“Well, as it happens, I fought three of them on the way here and came here to make sure the forth did not get away. Seeing as the forth is no more, I will return to my post.”
Before Stamato walked away, Yoshi asked, “Hey Stats, what where your proficiencies again? You know, your combat techniques?”
Making a gesture of joy, Stamato merrily replied, “Ah, I am programed in several variations of hand to hand combat, sword techniques, partisan techniques, wire lance techniques, dagger techniques, dual blade techniques, katana techniques, knu-”
“Heh-heh, alright, alright, you’re the real deal.” Yoshi cheerfully smiled.
“I do not find that amusing,” complained Stamato.
“Just making sure is all. But really, I wanted to ask you something too. Is it possible for clones to infiltrate our ranks?”
“An interesting question to ask, Enigma,” Stamato answered with a tilt of his head. Imitating a human lost in thought, the dark CAST stabbed his sword swiftly into the floor and said in an informative tone, “While reports have stated that clones are always in a rampaging status, research has shown that they are nearly identical to the person they appear as. However, I would assume one would find it difficult to have a clone infiltrate ARKs for several reasons. While it is true that clones are identical to the original specimen, ideally this would not include their personal quirks and memories. Thus, for a clone to successfully remain inconspicuous, they would have to not only act like the person they look like; but know their friends, family, and occupational rules and whereabouts as well as the rules of the ship they live on and their personal limitations. As you may have realized, this can be a very convoluted and risky operation, involving months of reconnaissance and research before attempting any form of espionage. While I do wish to continue this conversation, I would believe it would be wise to return to our duties for now. Stay safe, my friend. Maybe we could resume this conversation after the mission.”
“You too, and sounds good,” Yoshi replied, trying to soak in all the information he was just given.



[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Interesting Time to Have A Reunion -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/T99FTMU10BQ)
Under a high noon sun did Yoshi sit in a colorful chair, broken, in pain, yet he smiled. His black eye closed and welcomed rays of sunlight rotating above, despite the large black and white umbrella’s attempts in shading him from the sun. Yoshi didn’t mind though. What sits in place, buried, glued into the earth by manmade materials, can only do so much after all. Without looking, the teal haired man, blue hues vibrantly glowing off his head and his hat stripped from its normal spot, lifted a cup of soda and went for a sip. His just as blue lips drew cold soda. A rare occasion for Yoshi; for he never puts ice into his drinks, save for the occasional iced coffees on odd days. Nostalgic, Yoshi thought to himself. At peace was the next thought, nodding with a blissful smile. Satisfied, he placed the cup back down on the white table it rested on, carefully avoiding the sling that wrapped around his other arm as he fell backwards.
Across from him, on the other side of the rounded table, fingers flinched, flickered and combined. Yearning to reach out but felt afraid; scared to ask. Fill with fear of inflicting unnecessary pain. Red hairs covered the fingers, grew on the back of a hand and flourished on a bare arm which rested on the slightly cool table. The man across Yoshi was none other than Reinhardt, his company for the day after dragging him out of a collapsed cave and off of Lillipa on the B-02 airship he rode in on. Eyebrows dropped, questioning the man in front of him, wondering what sort of revelation the cowboy had. He definitely found enlightenment from something, but unsure as to what it was or where it came from. The red head of a newmen grew tired of waiting. He wanted answers. Answers already given, but he knew better. The signs of a white lie never went away. The newmen sought truth, clear understanding; especially from the person whom he sees more as a brother than just some space cowboy.
Reinhardt leaned forward, his eyes focused on the man across him, his forehead wrinkled in proof of his seriousness. “You mind running why you were in a remote cave, in the middle of nowhere, by me again?” he asked in a low tone, in hopes that his silent whispering would give Yoshi a false sense of security.
“I told you already,” Yoshi responded, “I fell down a canyon and met up with an old friend. We decided to chat for a while and said our goodbyes. Then the cave collapsed, I was trapped, fought Persona and that’s when you found me.” After circling his drink around a few times, Yoshi smiled and took another quick sip from his white dew covered cup. Tones of red grew around his hands as he squeezed, then faded away upon placing it back down. “If you need proof, just ask Mable our navigator.”
“Mable was out for a lunch break, in the middle of your mission,” Reinhardt harshly whispered. “While that has severe issues within itself, you still haven’t told me who this old friend was. Heck, I don’t even know why you were alone in the first place.”
“Well, when you find yourself plummeting down a canyon after some rude tackle antics, it tends to work out that way. And I’m pretty sure someone called for a search team. At I hope Yvonna called for one.”
“Someone by the name of that I think, yeah,” Reinhardt replied, his chin held over his right shoulder, raking his mind over the sudden call. “A bit happy to speak to me at that too, I might add,” said Reinhart. A roll of his eye later, he whispered, “Sometimes I think mother pays people to treat me this way,” and sighed. His arm folded near his chest and sunk his head into them until his sunshade appeared to become his eyes. Showing his obvious disinterest in Yvonna, Yoshi’s took this as his chance to push the subject elsewhere.
Yoshi slid his cup forward across the table and leaned forward. “She a Melchiorian Nemwen you know,” he said in a low voice. “Though, she wants to stay away from her family for personal reason. A bit strange to hear I know, but her family has some sort of universal issue. I wanted to ask you why, since you’re a Melchiorian Newmen yourself.”
Reinhardt coiled deeper into his arms, his face scrunched together with discomfort. Before answering, the newmen paused, mindful of his selection of potential words. His finger lifted in a hook, dropped twice and lifted once more before he resorted to saying, “I don’t feel like talking about it.”
In response, Yoshi jutted backwards victoriously in his seat. His head flung over the head rest, far enough that only a sly smirk could be seen on the horizon of his face. “It’s alright,” Yoshi happily said, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Maybe I’ll ask Marean sometime later.”
Reinhardt forced back a laugh. “Have you tried asking the witch, Leanna, first?”
“I did. Told me it was just something she wanted to fix. Said it involved me but I don’t know what I have to do. Or why it concerns me.”
“You, fixing our issues? She must be loony if she thinks a lone man can change the lives of an entire population on the genetic scale.”
“Genetic scale? Sounds a tad extreme when you put it that way,” said Yoshi as he flung forward in his seat. “Now that has me worried. Like, donating my brain worried.”
“I doubt it,” Reinhardt replied, “You would most likely be giving people your DNA, hopefully in a still living afterwards way. Rumors has it that the genes pools of several families are growing unstable and need a new strand from a Force strong human. Now I know what you’re going to ask, and I’m surprised as well, but I have a hunch; that they are doing this on purpose. Letting us suffer to see if they will get what they want under extreme circumstances. Otherwise I’m sure they would be asking humans for donations in cargo ship worth.”
“Meaning?”
“They’re hoping for crazy mutations,” the newmen hastily replied. Reinhardt’s ear twitched. Hand lightly slammed on the table. His head leaned to the right, towards a skyscraper. Returning his gazed back onto Yoshi, the newmen warmly smiled and sat up. “Close call. Well, I guess you should be returning home now, Yoshi. As for me, I should head back to work. See some other time, okay?” he waved. “And Yoshi,”
“Yeah?” Yoshi asked with a crooked eyebrow.
“For all that is holy, stop going to Lillipa. Every time you go there, something ridiculous happens. And by ridiculous, I mean stupid. Alright, okay, see you around.”
Left behind sitting in his chair, alone and wondering, Yoshi questioned why his friend left so abruptly. His brown eyes passed over the chairs, around store windows, to the restaurant and back, Yoshi’s eyes narrowed. Half frightened, half curious. Staring back at him were equally brown eyes. Yoshi froze, not to the small person in front of him, but to the presence behind him. Where did they come from, he whispered in his head, his lips pressed against the white and red straw. The two began to do a series of hand signs to each other. Their eyes locked onto each other. With careful examination and extreme focus, Yoshi ducked forward, narrowly avoiding the wet willy that nearly rammed into his ear.
“Dang it, Arethusa. I told you to keep him busy,” Marean cried from behind Yoshi, her hand rubbing the saliva off on the unamused man’s hair.
“Hey, I did what I could. What did your want me to do, restrain him with strips of earth or something?”
Yoshi choked on his drink. His hand patted on his chest rapidly. “Diga?” he wheezed, “like earth tech and stuff?” His daughter nodded. Yoshi pounded on his chest. His airways now reopened, Yoshi cleared his throat and said, “Fascinating stuff. So how did you find me anyways?”
“Your arm really,” Arethusa smile, hopping off her chair. “Mom taught me how to seek out the darkness in various ways.” She picked at his arm. Carefully revealing the purple skin under his bandage, her other arm warped around her back, searching for something in her bag. “Seems you got hurt by something bad. I’ve been told that the Darkers are working on new ways to hurt people. I guess this is one of them. I wouldn’t worry about it though. It’s not a very good one.”
“How is not being able to use Resta on anyone not a very good effect?” Yoshi cried, then flinched as his daughter touched his wounds.
“Have you tried washing it away with water?” she replied with a bottle of water in hand, which she tipped, pouring cool clear water over his arm. Yoshi watched in amazement as the purple pigment of his skin melted away. Now clear of any dark influence, Yoshi casted Resta with his free arm and felt the pain lifted away under a holy light.
“Your daughter is pretty smart, Yoshi. You should be proud,” said Marean, who now circled around the table for a chair of her own. Unsatisfied with the conditions of the chairs, the newmen of green hair walked away, grabbing one from a nearby table and planted it next to Yoshi. Its backrest facing the table, her arms resting on the backrest with her chin on top, Marean continued with a smirk, “And she deserves a reward. So if you would be so kind as to treat us to lunch, that would be very much appreciated.”
“Burned though all your savings I take it?” Yoshi asked, followed by a hearty laugh.
Offended, the newmen punched Yoshi in the arm. “Hey, she’s a growing girl and a demanding one at that. Be glad I’m taking care of her for you, Mr. Dad.”
“Well sorry for being such a very undemanding person. Maybe I’ll prepare you by asking for the room next time,” Yoshi retaliated, wide eyed and diving for a now sloppy sip. Marean slammed on the table and looked away, frowning at a giggling Arethusa. Yoshi frowned as well. Having run out of soda, Yoshi reach into his pocket, pulled out a holographic black card, pointing the card, yellow strip parallel to his arm, and said, “Here, buy whatever you want. All I ask is for another soda.”
Marean’s hand snatched it out of his hand and twisted for a better look. “Huh, they changed the designs of the cards. Funny.” Like a tightly wounded spring, Marean then sprung out of the chair and made way for a building covered in blown up foods. As she walked away, Marean waved the card in the air and shouted, “Don’t worry, I’ll try not to break the bank.”
“She seems happy, I guess,” Yoshi remarked, his hand on his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. “Think she’s still mad at me for leaving?”
Arethusa smirked and replied, “Maybe a little bit,” before hopping off her chain again and slipping around to Yoshi’s side. “You saw mom, didn’t you?”
“How do you know?”
“Who else could have saved you from Persona?”
“My own two fists, Pain and Mercy,” Yoshi joked, uttering a weak laugh. “She didn’t carry any water on her, but the visit was nice.”
“You didn’t freak out and call her a monster?”
Yoshi subtly jumped in his chair and grinded his teeth under the thought of how easily Tuhina could have been killed him had she became violent. With eyebrows squeezed together, Yoshi slowly said to Arethusa, “Nah, I would never call her that. Though I will admit, things could have been bad if she wasn’t herself.”
“But your gut feelings said otherwise, right?”
“Heh, you bet,” Yoshi smiled again. He placed his hand on his daughter head and ruffled her hair. “So, ready to move back in?”
“Sorry, dad,” Arethusa said in a tone of sorrow, “but I can’t. It’s too dangerous for me to live with you anymore.”
“Nonsense, I’ll just protect you from all the bad guys. Besides, I’ve been a horrible father and I think it’s time I start acting like a good one for once. Something I should have been from the very beginning.”
“Dad,” Arethusa scolded. Yoshi gawked, scared of leaving his only daughter with Marean. He wanted to change for the better; thoughts of how bad of a father had raced through his mind. However, something stopped him from protesting. In Arethusa’s eyes was a look, a sort of glare; an impression that Tuhina would have gave him when she was at her most serious. Breaking eye contact, Arethusa took her father’s hand and tenderly patted it. “I’m staying with Marean, where Arks can’t find me.” As Yoshi listened, he noticed tears fell on his hand as she continued, “But thanks… for the offer.” In a short pause, she removed her own hands from Yoshi’s and looked up to him. “You’ll make sure mom has enough money to afford her medicine, won’t you? She really needs it.”
“I know,” said Yoshi with warmth in his voice. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure she gets it.” No longer wishing to see his daughter cry any longer, Yoshi gave her a wink and a thumbs up. Bowing forward, Yoshi then kissed his daughter’s forehead, spurring her to leap into his chest for a heartfelt hug.



[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
A voice’s screams echoed in the darkness. Faint, words unclear and muffled, but a voice was there. Yoshi knew he was conscious, that he wasn’t going crazy. But he couldn’t prove it either. In his struggle to get up, a weight pressed down against his chest, his arms shook weakly. Yoshi felt helpless, despite. He had to do something, the person cried for a reason. It was female, screaming, with concern in her voice. In a second attempt, Yoshi continued in his efforts, compelled to help the person in need. He couldn’t. Every part of his body felt numb. It took a great amount of willpower to even open his eyes. They didn’t open right away. His lids slid open, slowly, allowing only a sliver of light to pass through his pupils. His sight restore, he first looked down, figuring out what kept him down. To his amazement, nothing did, but he saw something red. In the blurriness of his vision, he made out a red liquid that glistened over several lumps. Soon pain began to surge into his body. His vision faded in and out. Darkness crawled to grasp hold of him once more. Struggling to remain awake, Yoshi managed to roll his head sideways. In the process, he noticed two fuzzy figures standing near him for a second, one in a white coat, and the other in black, until his vision faded again.
A few short seconds later, Yoshi felt a hand patted at his face. His lids shot back open. Light came into view once more. In front of him, a tanned face weakly smiled at him. She spoke words at him but he couldn’t make out what she said. It all seemed so foreign, so odd, but he knew he had to respond, he had to say something. So he did, but what came out weren’t the words like he had hoped he would say. Instead they were low groans and moans. He could hear the woman respond with a quick choking laugh, a laugh that would bring warmth to his heart. With his eyes kept on her, he watched as the woman leaned away, an object in held firmly in her hand and inject something strange into him. To his amazement, though he couldn’t feel much, he now couldn’t feel a thing. Then, in an instant, feeling came back to him. Starting from his head, he could feel a tingling sensation run from towards is neck, through his shoulders, and down the rest of his body.
“Don’t move,” the woman commanded. “I still haven’t mended the wound.”
Yoshi rolled his head over again, searching for the red fluid he saw before. “A white coat huh,” Yoshi asked, grimly recognizing the blood on his hands. “I though you said that was just a stereotype for scientist. You don’t need a coat to look intelligent to me, you know.” Yoshi joked.
“Please don’t laugh. Now is not the time for jokes.”
“Don’t worry about me. I was just pretending to take a nap. I could have handled him easily.”
“Big talk, coming from the man who just took half a sword into the abdomen.”
“Surely you can say larger words than that.”
“If you weren’t as seriously injured as you are now, I would have hit you, gruesomely, brutally and atrociously. Now if you don’t want to see me mindlessly rip out your intestines, I advise you stay quiet.”
“Point taken,” Yoshi reluctantly replied. “So, shouldn’t I be asleep through all of this?”
“Had this have been a proper medical room, yes. And before you ask, yes I’m not qualified to be your surgeon.”
“Though I guess that would make this the second time you’ve saved me.”
“No, just your first, sadly. Whoever saved you the first time did a really lousy job. Look at the scars they left on your body. To think, that the dangers and complications of surgery has been reduced to a commoner’s daily procedure, and because of what, the availability of Resta and Anti?”
“Wouldn’t concern me that much if you’re the one doing it. Though I have to admit, I am amazed that I can’t feel a thing right now. It’s a pretty interesting experience.”
“Well, after you try to save the lives of several people, you find yourself learning a few new skills and will carry some,” She said with a bit of strain in her voice as she pulled at something in his chest, “if not many, things on you. I think you should learn how to do this as well.”
Yoshi immediately lifted his head. “Tuhina, do you realize how long it takes one person to become qualified to do things like this?”
“And say our daughter, her name is Arethusa by the way, gets hurt? What would you prefer to do? Sit there in panic, feeling helpless.”
“That would require me to learn medicine in several fields, and interesting name.”
“Well, I guess you better start studying. Also, I think you will find the name’s meaning to be quite enjoyable; which reminds me.” Tuhina exclaimed, her gloves thrown aside and twisting around. It didn’t take long for her to spin back around, an object held in hand. Gazing at it Yoshi realized she had drawn a clear cylinder out of her bag. She squeezed it. As she did, a tube popped into the air and the moment it reached the peak of its climb, Tuhina caught the tube, twirled it between her fingers and flicked off the cap. Translucent, made of plastic in the shape of a cup, it pelted Yoshi’s face, causing his to jerk on impact. Though stiff and still unable to move, partly thanks to the drugs Tuhina injected into him, Yoshi blew the lid off of his face and sputtered various noises of fright. Just in view, sparkling in the limited specs of light, the sight of a silver needle made him freak out, which in turn caused Tuhina to laugh.
“Oh please, don’t tell me that the great Bitol Xol is still scare of some little needles.”
“Of course I’d be scared,” Yoshi cried, his eyes rapidly shifting between her face and the needle. “With all the disease, germs; let alone the poisons one can inject into a person.”
“Bitol, only a fool could get into such a situation,” Tuhina replied, placing various tools back into the sagging fabric bag. Its green hues could barely be seen thanks to the few sun rays that poke at them from above.
“Hey, you never know. You’d be surprised to hear the things i’ve heard.”
Tuhina, crawled up by Yoshi’s side. Her face troubled by Yoshi’s words. “Why are you so defensive now? You use to never let someone have the first punch.”
“I’d rather engage knowing I have options,” Yoshi said pleasantly.
“You would give them the chance to kill you first?”
“Would you rather me kill someone without knowing first why?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/TZ0viCr27-4)
“But that was what you were trained for. What you, Reinhardt and Kazamir were trained to do. Even Arks does it, and most of them don’t even question it,” Tuhina said in a lecturing manner. She then sat up right. Reached out with both her arms, two hands firmly gripped Yoshi’s sides and carefully pulling him off of his back. Now resting on a dark and dusty orange rock, Tuhina rested her head on Yoshi’s shoulder and placed her hands his. “What happened to the proud, arrogant man I fell in love with?”
Yoshi looked away, his eyes closed tight with sadness. An ice cube slipped through his throat. Turning back, he rested his head on hers and replied, “He died that day, leaving his shell behind, to ensure that his beloved made it into heaven peacefully. What happened to the always sleepy, smiling woman I use to love?”
“She sent her shell to reunite with his, so that they may be united on both heaven and earth.”
There was a pause, Tuhina leaned heavily on him and snorted, “Dork.”
“Hey,” Yoshi exclaimed before wincing in pain thanks to his sudden movement.
“You spent a lot of time to thinking about this, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, I guess I have.”
“And I bet you still carry that ring in your pocket too?”
“How did you know?”
“For the longest time, I thought you were always just happy to see me. Until you proposed to me that is.” She said while hugging his arm. “It’s a shame things will never be the way we want it to be.”
“It’s never too late,” Yoshi replied reassuringly.
“Bitol, look at me. I’m just a-“
“Just the woman I love brought back in an unorthodox method, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m a Darker, Bitol. I can’t live like you or Arethusa do. Not without endangering everyone around me.”
“Honey dew, I’ve always lived that way. We’ve always lived that way.”
“Don’t you honey dew, me,” Tuhina pouted, pushing herself away from Yoshi and skip further away. In a short distance from the injured man, she clumsily spun around and stared at him with upmost seriousness. “I’m a monster. I have urges to kill, I have murdered dozens of people by now and the only things keeping me sane are these syringes. Don’t you understand? I can never go back,” she cried.
Even though he felt jolts of pain run through his body, urging him to stop moving, Yoshi pressed off the rock and onto his feet, his unslung arms supporting him. Standing up straight, Yoshi began to limp forward until he could wrap his arm around the teary face woman. “Did I scream at the sight of you? Did I yell at the top of my lungs and call you a monster? No. Honey dew, we can still make this work. Strange family or not, there’s still hope. Just you wait. Soon the war will end and we’ll be living in that beach side house you always wanted. Just the two of us on that warm sunny porch, with our daughter playing in those soft warm sands by the sea shore,” said Yoshi, grinning, his arm sweeping the cave like it was the shore’s horizon. “We’ll make it work, trust me.”
Tuhina weakly returned the grin, instead she focused more on placing an arm under his shoulder, supporting him. Keeping Yoshi up, escorted Yoshi back on the rock he rested against. “You should really stop moving. I’m good but not that good. Though the wounds may be closed up for now, they are only healing at a natural but slow pace. Also, I have taken the liberty of calling Reinhardt to pick you up. I know he can’t deny a call of emergency if it’s from you.” Yoshi opened his mouth but Tuhina slapped a finger on his lips. “When you get back, I want you to go see a doctor immediately. Oh and before I forget,” She said, her hands in her pockets, digging until they found a yellow piece of paper, “keep this on you. You can thank me by gathering the materials on that list and sending it to the location on the back, okay.”
As Yoshi flipped the paper around, Tuhina pecked him on the cheek and vanished into a dark cave, borrowed inside the canyon.



[/spoiler-box]

[VANNO]

I am the slowest reader you'll ever find. I finally caught up-ish! HAHA, took me months! Now I can finally work on that image from like July... (I feel accomplished.) It's really good mate! The reading is pretty fast and it doesn't have any long pauses. Kudos!

[yoshiblue]

Thanks for the read. No worries about reading speeds though. For a time, I was tempted to use 5 min+ songs for slow readings. Though I was never sure how well that would really go.

[SPOILER-BOX]Sorry for the lack of a chapter. Life has sucked the hours away from my writing time and I also have to redo the dialogue anyways. If you have "Don't you know that tricks are for kids," as a comeback line, you know something needs to be trashed.

On another note, I still have yet to mention the rest of the B line. I still don't have flesh out concepts for the rest of them. Though they range from flack cannons, to aquatic combat vehicles, to portable command centers and cargo ships. Another idea was to have a large transport ship capable of holding a good number of dudes with an advance warp drive. One that would allow you to warp straight from the hanger and immediately down on the planet's surface. A bit extreme but its there on the back burner of ideas. Extreme as in, its still experimental and are still given the green light to try it out despite the fact that everything could go horribly wrong.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/zx7K2uyOGUk)
It wasn’t common for Yoshi “he who just wings it” blue to stop by the briefing room. He never had a need for it, save for those few times Yvonna commanded him into it. Now was not one of those times though, but Yoshi feel like making a trip. Just for the sake of it. Traveling through the waterfall corridor leading to the red room, the space cowboy did not realize the surprise that waited inside.
A pressurized door opening the moment his gray boot drew near, Yoshi soon found he had walked into a room full of people. Seems the red room was used by multiple parties these days, Yoshi thought to himself. A nice change of pace from a time he visited earlier. Though worried about how many people filled the briefing room, he marched onwards, strategizing, making plans on how he would work his way past a crowd. Heading towards a gray door on his left, he strolled past a waterfall pillar, through a few packs of people, jumped behind an empty counter and finally paused in front of the metal wall with his hand raised, intending to punch in some codes. To his surprise, the door automatically opened before for he could even move another muscle. Yoshi blinked, his eyebrows scrunched together. This must be a new system, different. Has the increased traffic caused this? Or is the briefing room under renovation? Oh well, Yoshi shrugged as he entered into an elevator. Without realizing it, the door closed behind him, revealing a dark gray card slot on its backside. Yoshi looked around. Same old elevator, much like the ones found in the lobby; white, blue ringed floor, probably a glass tube to look out of.
He regained focus. His attention snapped onto the green lights that flowed on each side of a thin gap, an obvious sign of where the card would go. With card in hand, Yoshi slid his access card through the slow pulses and felt his stomach instantly lift in his belly. In a few seconds, the disoriented man found himself in an almost empty room. Almost empty due to two figures standing on the other side, their bodies huddled together, looming over wide holo-panel. Though Yoshi found relief in the fact that this room remained quiet and peaceful, he realized that the briefing room’s slightly alien appearance. Dull, simple, shaped like a campship; the entrance was more or less a giant gray rectangle, made less so by a gray giant circle in the back. Only instead of housing a giant warp pool back there, it instead revealed several step like seats and a round protrusion in the center; where mission details would be shared, map displays and faces are shown. On the walls, the consoles also seen in a campship, only instead of having a medical console by the entrance; an airship console took its place. Where, any member of the team could request different guns, equipment and ship model. Likewise, the partner console had been replaced by an operator and navigator console. Like the airship console, any member of the team could request different operators, replacement navigators and switch the roles in which they filled. The windows remained at least, offering a nice view of the city below. Yoshi ignored them however and instead took steps forward.
“James, Kerri, what’s going on?” Yoshi greeted the two with arms wide open, his hat lifted and a welcoming smile for the both of them to see.
Yoshi’s two friends twisted around with expressions of surprise. James simply waved. Kerri on the other hand made a complete 180, accepting Yoshi’s greeting. “Ah, Yoshi, a surprise to see you here,” exclaimed James. “Kerri and I were just looking at the specs of the B-01 space craft. Rumor has it that they plan to scrap the design and release a new model.”
“Any idea why?” Yoshi quickly asked while he moved between the two of them, aiming to get a better look at the transparent screen they crowded around.
“Guess the designers realized that we simply didn’t have a need for bombers,” James replied with uncertainty in his voice. “Guess it went against our philosophy. You know; speed, precision, efficiency.”
“For the most part, armor vehicles have been phased out of service for a while now. Not many ships still use them and if they do, it’s by units that request for them or continue to solely operate around them.” Kerri added, now in the original hunching position Yoshi found her in. “They still have museums for them. Holo-imitations of course, but they exist if you ever wanted took take a peek at them. May charge you extra if you wanted an inside scoop though.”
James glanced towards Yoshi, with a smile. “Though Kerri had a feeling that the real ones are tucked away in a safe location, for inspiration, improvements and to retain a sense of how anyone even built anything in the past.”
“Alright,” Yoshi chuckled, “so what happened to them?”
As Yoshi eye’s flicked over the many words that blinked on the screen, James gaze glued on the screen, “Well, ever since Arks revolutionized the way they operate, they just found the need for tanks, combat cars and everything else to be too costly, cumbersome, a waste of time and a misuse of materials that could have been used in more ‘important’ projects.” James explained, his hands shifting between several gestures. “Now a days, kids are just sent directly to their destination with amazing speed, get in, do their damage and get out before anyone even realizes what happened. Kerri, on the other hand, has other reasons for why she cares about the new B-01.” James bent backwards and stared over towards Kerri, who did the same but with an unamused face. Eyes half closed and a frown that made James try his hardest not to laugh.
“Well, if you remember what I said to you before,” Kerri said to Yoshi, “I want to look for people and if I’m going to find people, I’ll need a reliable aircraft. The B-03 moves way too fast for me and I may end up missing my target. The B-01, as it is, would potentially kill everything I want to save. Not something I want to do. But I hear that the new B-01s will come with a tank mode. Which may just be what I need to make a good read of the area.”
“Sounds useful. How come we never had them before?” asked Yoshi with earnest curiosity.
“Easy, CASTs,” James responded, making Yoshi head snap in the opposite direction. “Armored up, shock absorbent, my father once told me that some new models were originally made to replace our armored vehicles with the ability to use any type of gun we could throw at them. The CASTs however didn’t take kindly to it the thought and held strikes. Not wanting to be looked upon by future generations as mere war machines, they fought for their rights to freely choose their own destinies. Then the Caseal movements began and well, I don’t really want to get into that. But that’s why they look so different, before you ask.”
Kerri shrugged with a half-baked smile. “Eh, the old vehicles would have been disasters anyways. Think of the tunnels for example. Not only do you have to find the space to get them in, but you also have to find the space to get them back out and figure out where they reappear at. Then you have the environmental hazards. Spike wearing down your tracks, bombs constantly going off everywhere, sand getting in between the cracks, narrow pathways to maneuver between and need I mention the Sparzyles that magically drop out of nowhere? But this is different.”
“Yeah,” James interrupted, chuckling at his own thoughts. “Just think of it, your team is pinned down by a Ragne, you got wounded, your force is doing his or her best to keep the guy alive, you’re running low on ammo and your cover is slowly being eaten away.” James then held his hand flat in the air and made a sweeping motion. “Then suddenly, a B-01 comes swooping in from the sky, engages its tank mode and crushes the head of that son of a bitch, giving your team the room they need to get inside while the B-01 blows apart anything dumb enough to stick around,” he finished, a fist firmly planted into his palm.
“That’s the thing though,” Kerri butted back in. “We don’t know the specs of the air craft. Will the guns be automated? Will they be manned? Would we need to assign a full crew in it or are the field soldiers expected to climb on in and gun the enemy down for us? Would there even be enough room for an extract? Can we engage the tank tracks in midflight or do we have to ease it gently onto the ground first? Can the B-01 get out of lava and water should we fall into it? Would the pilots be protected from the elements? You know, those kinds of questions.”
“Would be an interesting vehicle none the less though,” said Yoshi, his eyebrows raised, showing his approval.
“Now the question is what we do with all the unused explosives,” James quietly muttered to himself.
Yoshi laughed. Doing his best to speak his mind, Yoshi replied, “Could just always chuck them all at Falz. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”
After Yoshi finished, the three of them silently chuckled to themselves. James then grabbed Yoshi by his shoulders. “So, you flew a T-57 before, what do you think the B-01 will look like?”
Yoshi looked up at the ceiling, imagining and comparing images that flouted in his head. “Well, if it’s anything like the T-57, it’s going to remain armored. The wheel things will be stored below the hold’s floorings because that’s where the table and extra stuff was stored. Storage compartments will either hold ammo, first aid or be replaced by devices that will allow you to man the turrets. Speaking of turrets, the cannon may be mounted on top. I can’t tell you what it would look like though. The T-57 doesn’t have a tail like the newer models do. So it would have been really effective shooting from behind the spacecraft. Engine wise, the T-57 had two entire ports lining the side of the shuttle for landing purposes, which made it look like a fat T in the distance. A sleek, angled T but a T none the less. Anyways, I’m going to assume the ports will be angle even more so you won’t burn the stuff and things off.”
“So you do know your way around that ship. They should put you into one of those things the day they come out.”
“Would be a new and interesting experience,” Yoshi nervously replied. “Though I wouldn’t like the pilot treatment.”
“Those be some fighting words your spouting there, boy,” James said in amusement, lightly punching his teammate in the shoulder afterwards.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- A Kink In The Wind -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional music) (http://youtu.be/PE5ALig3I30)
“This is Yvonna, go ahead.”
“The telepipe is blown; we’re going to have to insert you manually via drop ship. Notify your team and prep them for launch,” A male voice said in an informative tone.
“Got it, heading to the lower deck.”
“Before you go, keep in mind that the area is hazardous. Make sure your team is protected from the environment. Also, whatever took out your pipe wasn’t Darker in nature. So tread with caution, Rio out.”
Dark sinister clouds swirled underneath a reflective silver surface. Shimmers of orange lava flashed inside a sea of electric black and red. Over the atmosphere of Amduscia, an Arks campship hung above a large volcanic portion of the planet, a bay door opened on the right side of two prepared for a shuttle’s departure. Through one of the camp ship’s large side windows, a female newmen of black hair walked towards a green console and soon turned around with a black helmet in hand, one like a motorcyclist’s helmet. In one spin, she raised it over her head spurring Arron to follow after. In one fluid motion, she placed the helmet over her head and a black armored suit, modern, lightly plated, appeared on her body. Photonic triangles scattered from neck to toe at amazing speeds, forming this suit. While this happened, Arron spun around with a helmet of his own in hand. Though unlike Yvonna, Arron’s looked more metal like, similar in appearance to that of a knight’s. Following Yvonna’s example, Arron put on his helmet and a suit of armor faded into existence under his long coat. Now glimmering in the sunlight, ebony armor, complemented by thin metallic blue trimming, clattered while moving towards his commander’s side.
“Everyone ready? Good,” said Yvonna before anyone could answer. No one complained however. Instead, everyone simply turned around and collectively headed into the other room so that they could take the elevator shaft down into the airship bays below. While they did, Yvonna grabbed Yoshi by his collar and said, “Sorry Yoshi, you’re going to remain here.”
“How come?” Yoshi asked, frowning in unhappiness, but before Yvonna could answer, Arron swept by, rapidly rapping at his blindingly reflective plated helmet.
“Should have invested in some environmental gear like I suggested,” Yvonna finally shrugged. “Don’t worry about it though. We’ll let you know when you can come down.” Shortly after, roaming around Stamato, her hand wondering onto his asymmetrical armored up pauldron and gave it a shake. “Make sure that thing is active when we reach the floor,” Yvonna commanded. The cast nodded in response.
Despite being told to stay behind, Yoshi followed the team in so that he could at least see them off and Elm, who greeted them in person at the rear of a B-02. Along with James, who had just walked out of the ship beside Elm’s. Approaching Yoshi’s side, Yoshi waved at his teammates as the B-02’s dark gray doors closed. Pressurized doors sealing, Arron said in a communication channel,
“See you planet side.”
The B-02 raised off the floor, spun around and slowly crawled out of the camp ship. Once outside, the bay doors closed, leaving Yoshi and James in an empty pocket of the ship, rays of sunlight poking through the transparent flooring above. “Seems everyone is using the color black for the squad’s official color.” James remarked, trying to break the silence. “You would think for a team of jealousy, you guys would use the color green of all things, heh heh.”
“Eh, I’m not one for wearing black. Though, it does make me wonder what people would think my role would be, being the odd one of the four and all,” asked Yoshi with arms crossed, chuckling to the thought of people seeing him as the commander and a flustered Yvonna demanding respect from them.
“With you reading that medical book from time to time, I would say people think you would be their combat medic. You can fill in as that role, right?”
Yoshi grimaced and tilted his head away from James. “Resta, sure,” Yoshi responded. “I can’t promise anyone that I know what I’m doing, should I actually have to work on someone’s injuries,” he finished, his hand circling in his pool of doubt.
James laughed a hearty laugh. “Well, now is a better time to prepare if anything. So go maintain your gear, clean your weapons or continue reading up while I go in for a scouting run.” Though James said this, he gestured into his dropship with his head facing the blinking lights in his ship. Without looking, James then patted Yoshi’s shoulder and said, his hand rummaging inside his helmet,
“See you later.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/y2LyIcZ1BSI)
Down on the planet, Elm’s B-02 soared low, the fumes under the bottom hull of his vessel urging him to hug closer the floor. On a mini map Yvonna eyed, she watched the space craft approach on an opening and got up. A hand pounded on a green button. A ramp began its decent, the tip of the metal lightly bounced off the molten floor. Pebble sized chunks of black rock scattered in the air. Without slowing down for anything, the B-02 flew over the canyon opening and three figures leaped out of the ship, sliding down its black wall. With a leg forward and one knee bent back; rifles aimed down and a hand held onto a backside; black smoke trailed behind them until they rolled onto the floor below them. Kneeling in place, forming a T around Yvonna, the trio scanned the area for hostiles. Thin lines scrolled down their visors as they switch through the different vision modes. Stamato searched for the most efficient way in which he could look past the gas. Arron and Yvonna, however, searched for the most comfortable mode to look through period.
Constantly changing modes, Arron inched closer to his newmen commander. “Just so you know, this is the first time I’ve ever used this.”
“Then why didn’t you pick the same model I suggested?” Yvonna complained.
“I figured plated armor would look cool with a long coat.”
“Remind me to smack your head after this mission is over.”
“Your fault for giving me a choice.”
“Make that an order. Rio, anything on the map.”
“I’ll let you know when James finds anything,” Rio quickly replied.
Arron and Yvonna looked towards each other and shrugged. Arron wiggled his head, hinting how displeased he was with the ever so helpful information Rio supplied them with. Yvonna then lifted a hand and gestured forward. Stamato nodded and taking the charge, crouching with his launcher leveled. Moving over hills, hopping down slopes, crawling over ledges, the trio moved across the barren wasteland of rock and fresh lava rivers. After they had cover what felt like half the map of their intended landing area, the three reached the broken remains of their telepipe. Black scorches painted the floor and scarred the orange bits of metal that survived the encounter.
“Yvonna here, we found our broken pipe. Seems someone or something was hoping to get the jump on us.”
“Signs of explosives, nothing darker detected,” Stamato added. “If I didn’t know any better, I say these marks were caused by a powerful Force.”
“Right,” James responded over their communication, “I’ll keep an eye out for any rogue Arks in the area. Keep a careful eye out there and let me know when you want another one set into place. I’ll get Rio to inform the other group.”
“Other group?” asked Arron.
“Yeah, seems some additions were made to the squad. Said our numbers were too small. You guys haven’t spoken to them yet?”
“No, we weren’t made aware of any additions made to our team,” said Yvonna. “Stats, what do you got on them?”
“Four newmens, all from the Melchior, different families: all specializing in something very particular. However, what they specialize in eludes me. Seems I am not allowed to gather any more information on them,” Stamato replied with a tiny holo-panel above his triangular eye. “They also refuse to link up with our communications. However, it seems they are trying to establish a one way line.”
Yvonna paced around in a circle. “If they don’t want to corporate, maybe it would be best to keep them off our channels. Let the others guide them around. Newmens of my kind don’t treat foreigners too kindly. Chances are that they got their own navigators and operators too.”
“Keeping them off our channels, commander,” Stamato confirmed.
“James, have there been any signs of darker activity in this remote area?” asked Yvonna as she now peeked around a corner.
“I think I may have seen a Ragne in the area, a Vol Dragon too. Don’t worry too much about finding another area to set up a pipe in, though. I’ll handle that for now.”
After closing his channel, James spun around in his seat, smiling to a man standing behind him. “Rio told me that they were quite angry when they found out you weren’t on that camp ship. It’s a good thing one of my old buddies warned me before hand.”
“About what?” Yoshi asked with concern in his voice.
“I know a few Diga people. Been telling me that some of the younger hunters have been jumping the gun and getting themselves into parties. Some find it hard not to kill those newmen because of it, but these are experienced Arks. They know how to handle themselves. You however are a different story. I don’t need you killing them just because they shot first. Wouldn’t look good for me, or for you, or anyone else.”
“So what I am to do, then?”
“You’re going to request becoming a pilot,” James replied, shoving several page like panels into Yoshi’s chest. “And lucky for you, they want you in one of those prototype B-01s.”
“Isn’t our squad a bit small for four pilots?”
“Nonsense, you’ll be co-piloting with Kerri. She’s the one who suggested it. I already have a replacement operative on hand in case you agree with this.”
“Didn’t think Kerri would want me to be her co-pilot,” Yoshi replied, filtering through the panels.
“Seems you have something she wants. Besides, even if they try to limit your effectiveness as a force, my friend tells me that your Diga techniques are only as strong as your spirit. Er, so I’m told anyways,” James said as he began pressing at several buttons. Slowing the air craft down, James then activated the undercarriage turret and said, “Elm spotted some Dagan Aclis in the area. We’re going pull some hit and runs before they are to grow in numbers.”
“Couldn’t you just open the hatch door and let me fling some techs?” Yoshi asked, halfway through the door.
“The point of you being here is to make sure you remain hidden. I don’t like the smell of those newmens.”
“Right. I’ll stick to the turret controls then.”
“Atta boy,” James cheered. He then twisted around, and yelled, “Hey, it may fry the circuits but try making the floor transparent like. May give you a better view of what you’re shooting at.”
“Got it,” Yoshi replied. “I’ll try not to overdo it.”
Setting himself down on a one of the benches, Yoshi opened up a panel in the air and picked at it until the floor under him revealed the planet’s volcanic core below. Starting from his foot and up into the hold’s wall, Yoshi watched as Elm’s B-02 sped forward from underneath. “Making the first pass,” Yoshi heard Elm say. “Right, I got you covered,” James responded. Yoshi spun the turret forward and lifted his hand. A tiny radical popped up in the air with small circles aligning with the turret until a red arrow turned green. Once green, Yoshi adjusted his aim south so that he could better lead his shots. Just as soon as his targets appeared, the Degans fired off bolts of red lights at the lead ship. Most of them missed, a few of them bounced, Yoshi opened fired. Just as fast as they appeared Yoshi cleared most of the Degan Aclis and watched as more of the appeared.
“Doing alright?” James asked with worry.
“Just a scratch, nothing to worry yourself with,” Elm replied. “Coming around for the second pass, watch yourself.”
The Degans fired again, only instead of launching their red bolts of death at just Elm, they shot at James as well. Red objects whizzing by, Yoshi watched one of them clip the turret.
“Turret was hit but still functional,” Yoshi yelled at James.
“Good, now take them out.”
Yoshi fired again. The Degans fought back. More bolts whizzing by, Yoshi’s vision went into static for a moment as the bottom of the hull took a pounding.
“Don’t you have anything bigger?” Yoshi shouted. “Something more explosive?”
“They didn’t think would need larger guns. We have rockets but their usage requires next to no movement.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Yoshi cried. “If I’m getting in one of these things, I’m going to rearm them. I don’t care what they say.”
“We’re going to make another pass, focus.”
Elm flew by once more. Swiftly hugging the floor this time, Yoshi watched as the degans landed a hit on one of Elm’s engines. Black smoke blocked his view.
“Elm’s been hit, looks like the engine burned out trying to compensate though,” Yoshi shouted.
“Elm, get yourself near Yvonna’s team and repair your ship. We’ll handle the rest,” said James.
“Sorry about that,” said a static covered Elm.
“Don’t sweat it, other teams have arrived.”
“Zelatus squad, what’s the situation of the area?” A male voice soon cut in.
“Degan Aclis are trying to prevent air support. Ragne activity is starting to increase as well. Watch yourself.”
“Status on the Kartargots?” the male voice asked.
“Haven’t fired a beam at us yet. They are more focused on the dragon kin for the time being.”
“Right, dropping a telepipe near your location. Try to keep the area clear for me.”
“I’ll do what I can,” James replied before switching the channels. “Yoshi, more degans to our six.”
“I see them,” Yoshi confirmed.
“Hit them hard.”
“Yoshi,” Stamato called out of nowhere. “Your presence is required. Yvonna is starting to become mentally unstable and she refuses to approach her fellow newmens for help.”
Yoshi’s eyes flicked around in thought. Snapping upwards Yoshi and shouted to James, “Are we making a pass near Elm anytime soon?”
“Once Spice squad sets up shop, this area is theirs. We’ll regroup with Elm soon after. Why?” asked James.
“Yvonna.”
“Ah,” Yoshi heard James say faintly over the roaring of the engine.


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/ILeEjTXrBh8) There comes a time where you stand at your doorway and look into your vacant room, its plain gray walls lifeless and yearning, the grey checkered floor barren of life and soul, the balcony outside just an empty box screaming for something to fall into it, wondering what you want to do with it. From there one would begin to space out thinking about how it would flow within their daily lives. How should I shape it? I should I mold it? What if I don’t like it? Can I replace everything if it gets destroyed? Questions ever flowing in a sea of splashing day dream and wonder. Or maybe that’s just the person falling asleep while standing up. Never the less, a person stands at his door way, staring into his room.
This person is none other than Yoshi. With his trusty coffee mug in hand and his foot tapping on a partner machine stand, the half dress human dozed in and out of the reality that is his cold, empty and barely lit room. Having just received a lecture about sprucing up his living quarters, he found it, in his somewhat lazy self, the will power for moving his unconventional bed forward. His red eyes always asked him to lay back down for more rest, the worn down man rested his mug on the partner machine podium, his chest dropped alongside it. Heavy lids closed shut, sounds of the outside world drowned in muffled silence and the lights dimmed into darkness.
Floating in between the realm of reality and dreams, a hand caught him be the arm and pulled him back. Yoshi stumbled, frighten, trying not to fall until he crashed into the chest of someone else. The sleep seeking man lobbed his head over, meeting face to face with Tuhina. A face that made Yoshi shift his head to his other shoulder. Tuhina looked unhappy. He already wished he remained asleep. Sighing to himself, Yoshi start off with,
“Couldn’t you use the door like a normal person?”
“Yes, but getting around like this is so much easier. That’s not why I am here though. Where is she?” Tuhina sternly demanded.
“Where is who?” Yoshi asked, his belly resting on the podium again.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Bitol. Where is our daughter?”
“I don’t know,” Yoshi lied, his eyes rolling away.
Tuhina pulled him backwards and held him close with flames emitting from her eyes, “You call yourself a father? Resting here while she’s out in the world, hungry and freezing.” The angered mother pushed Yoshi to the floor. “You make me sick.” She said, through reclining lips, as Yoshi placed a hand on his head, rubbing the area that collided with the floor. Looking behind his back, he saw Tuhina pointing at the door and shout, “Outside now. I don’t give a damn how tired you are, you’re going to find her.”
Yoshi sighed and pushed off the floor. Staring back at the tanned woman, Yoshi said with a serious face, “If I knew where to start, I would have found her already. Finding her is like finding a needle in a haystack without any form of guidance.” Right afterwards, Yoshi smacked the air, hurling a holo-panel towards Tuhina. On it, a row of face, operatives listed deceased or MIA. “She’s labeled as dead,” he continued. “I can’t use Arks to find her. And if anyone does find her, you know what will happen to her.”
Tuhina scrolled through the list and bite her lip. Yoshi could feel her heart sink as she pounded the panel into oblivion, its transparent surface scattering into a thousand particles. She then slumped against the wall and said, “Forty children. Forty children, abandoned. All of them, just tossed aside.”
“The list is wrong though, honey dew. Our little girl is still alive,” Yoshi said in a comforting tone, his hands on both of Tuhina’s shoulders, ducking forward to smile at his teary eyed companion. Locking his eyes with hers, Yoshi quickly reach around and pulled out an oversized card. “See?” Yoshi continued. “She even sent me this.”
Tuhina swiped the talis out of Yoshi’s hand. Flipped it around and looked up with shock. “Elder gave this to her. Elder is still using her to track you,” she said, marching away from Yoshi so that she could open a portal and chuck the card away.
“Hey, what the heck was that for?” Yoshi cried, a hand reaching out for the discarded card.
“It’s for your own safety, Bitol. It’s also our clue. Wherever she is, the Darkers will be close by, or should be at least,” Tuhina replied, marching back. Tuhina grabbed Yoshi’s arm once again and dragged him towards the doorway. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Window shopping,” Tuhina swiftly answered, causing Yoshi to scream internally with much loathing. “If I slacked off like you do, nothing would get done.”
“Slacked off? I spent the entire day getting an entire city out of a cruiser.”
“Not good enough.”
“Not good enough? Look here you… mmm. Do you know how hard it is too keep chaos under a leash, let alone preventing yourself from killing every single gosh dang scum bag that you’re forced to save? There was a dumbass that broke through the escort line and tried to run off with smuggled goods. Yeah, way to go buddy, you sure did get away from those spaceships. Bet you didn’t think some vessels are made to take a pounding. Congratulations, you crashed into one of our rescue shuttles. Now we had to clean up your wreckage. Nice work. Good show. Bet you’re proud of yourself. Seriously, I… why are you smiling?”
“Oh don’t mind me. Just keep venting.”
“What?”
“Arethusa did say you’ve been quite the reserved person. You even held back a naughty word. Pats for you,” Tuhina said while playfully patting his back. “While that’s nice and all, you shouldn’t really keep everything contained within you. It’s bad for your health.”
“I don’t need to vent to stay healthy.”
Tuhina grabbed Yoshi’s head on placed it against hers. “Shh, do you hear that? Voices are saying to shut up and follow me, we’re going places,” Tuhina smiled, a portal of darkness opening up ahead of her.
“If you insist,” said Yoshi as he threw Tuhina over his shoulders.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Going places, of course.”
“Put me down, right now.” Tuhina pounded at Yoshi’s back. “H-hey, watch the hands. People will see us.” Blushing, she frantically squirmed around. “This isn’t funny, Bitol.”
“Oh, but it is, honey dew,” laughed Yoshi as the two moved through the dark hazy portal. The moment the two disappeared, Yvonna stomped out her bedroom door screaming,
“For fuck sakes, Yoshi, can’t you see people are trying to sleep?”
However, she found herself talking to a wall, for no one answered. Frantically looking about his empty room, Yvonna said in anger and confusion, “Where the hell did he run off to this time?”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/3mnPmWVfwr8) “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t shot you in the face right now.”
“Give me a reason why I shouldn’t slit your throat.”
Sitting on opposite ends of a glass top coffee table, Marean and her husband Reinhardt stared at each other with gazes of hatred and remorse. Of the two, Reinhardt leaned forward, on hand on his gun, the other on his left leg, never moving. Marean, like Reinhardt, also kept a hand on her weapon, a short blade attached to her pink belt, the other circling the rim of a coffee mug. The two newmens continuing their stare down, from behind the sofa Reinhardt sat on drifted a teal head of hair, surfing by like a shark in water. Just as they were about to make a move, Arethusa popped out from around the corner and shouted,
“How’s it going guys?”
The two newmens froze in place, staring at her with faces of shock and anger.
“Marean?” Reinhardt said in awe.
“Arethusa,” the girl corrected him.
“Right, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with Yoshi? He’s worried sick about you.”
“As it so happens, she is living under my care,” Marean butted in, sipping her coffee with a smirk of victory. “Arethusa, would you be so kind as to serve our guest a cup of coffee?”
“A glass of water is fine,” Reinhardt interjected.
“Right away,” said Arethusa in bouncy manner before skipping her way to the kitchen.
Once gone, Reinhardt reattached his look of seriousness and said, “She should be living with Yoshi.”
“She’s not safe with Yoshi. You know that, dear.”
“Don’t you dare call me that again,” Reinhardt grunted. “I bet you just keep her around so you can sleep well at night.”
“Would you rather drown yourself in alcohol for the rest of your life, Reinhardt? Huh? Do you know what it feels like to be and feel like a normal person for once? I bet you do. You surrounded yourself with all of these newmens and forces; you wouldn’t even experience these problems.”
“I am far stronger than that, Marean and probably far stronger than you as well.”
“So I’m told,” said Marean before taking another sip. “I don’t see why you still hold a grudge over me. Yoshi forgave me, why can’t you?”
Reinhardt slammed two hands on the coffee table, hard enough to create a crack in the glass. “Yoshi didn’t lose people, people he grew up with, to the woman sitting before me. Yoshi had nothing to lose in his line of duty.”
“All of you knew the risks of mercenary work. They chose their fate.and Yoshi did have something to lose. Otherwise he would still be the annoying kid he was before.”
“Easy for you, she who had killed anyone even remotely close to her, to say. You’re no better than your grandmother.”
“Don’t you ever, ever, compare me to my grandmother, you chair hugging piece of shit,” Marean said, slamming her coffee cup on the table. “If I were my grandmother, Arethusa would have already been dead.”
“And that makes you any better of a person? Securing your own little world with some additional affection points from Yoshi? Because that makes everything you’ve done in the past all better?”
“Oh, because killing people for an official paycheck is oh so much more noble and holy. Go off yourself you-”
The door on Marean’s left flew open; Arethusa barged in, a cup of water in one hand and a tray held horizontally in the other. Her movement faster than the door closing behind her, Arethusa zoomed through the living room, approached the coffee table, shouting, “I brought cookies!”
She then slammed the tray of cookies onto the table, gently placed Reinhardt’s cup of water down, and fiercely snagged a pastry and stuffed it into her watery mouth. Chewing quickly, Arethusa made noises of approval and looked at Reinhardt with a smile. Reinhardt, not wanted to reveal his anger to the girl, gritted his teeth, slowly reaching for the glass of water. Taking a large swig, he carefully placed it back down and got up.
“Marean should be thanking you more often. You don’t know how big a favor you’re doing for her. Also, before I go, our friend Yoshi wanted me to give this to you,” Reinhardt said, placing a Sange on the table.
After that, he was gone.
“He didn’t grab a cookie,” Arethusa whisper to herself. “I worked my butt off making those cookies!”
Laughing behind her, Marean replied, “Don’t worry about it. We’ll finish them together. In the meantime, let’s go over how we’re going to break into that research facility you’ve been eyeing.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Tis the seasons for colds.:soup:

Edit: Damn, I really dropped the ball on these typos.


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] “This isn’t right. This isn’t right at all,” complained Yoshi one morning while walking through a dark and light grey, cyan lit, narrow corridor. “This isn’t how these things work. You can’t just transfer someone without any prior training,” he scowled, his fists balled in irritation. A hand appeared in front of him and handed him an orange and black helmet. The black paint sprayed on by an outside source. Once he took it, thanking the person next to him, he lifted it over his head and put it on. As his glasses were overlapped by a poorly lit blue visor, he stumbled forward, as it knocked off his silver frames. Balancing on one foot, his glasses clutched against his chest, he continued, “And do we really need more pilots? We’re a small enough crew as is.”
“I don’t know, I thought it would be fun,” responded Yvonna, who readjusted the height of her own visor. Attached to a helmet similar to Yoshi's. “Besides, you flew ships before. This should be a piece of cake.” With a comforting smile written on her face, she looked to the much more serious Yoshi and giggled.
“That’s like making me pilot of a whole damn cruiser just because I knew how to fly a shuttle. Or making me the President of Ur just because I acted like one in theater,” Yoshi replied, his head shaking in the opposite direction.
“You were theater?” Yvonna asked as she skipped in front of him.
“No,” said Yoshi flatly.
“You done yet, drama queen?” a voice asked out of nowhere. “Hurry up and get acquainted with the new B-01. Simulation starts in five.”
“Good to know they at least have us training with the fake stuff first,” Yoshi smiled.
“Who said they were fake?” the voice responded over a radio. “We’re sending you straight into the planet Vorpal; the first ones to get there today.”
“Joy,” Yoshi groaned, his smile quickly dissolved into a frown while Yvonna sympathetically patted his shoulder.
“Look on the bright side; you’re the reason people like the ace get a nice and comfortable touchdown when they reach the planet; where everything is nice and safe, and the enemies are nowhere in sight.”
“So what teams will be going down with us then?”
“No one,” the voice said quickly. “You’ll be going in alone alongside your fellow pilots. Those telepipes don’t lay themselves you know.”
“What?” cried Kerri immediately afterwards on the same channel. “That’s not right. My parents told me that tanks are never deployed without infantry support.”
“Well guess what, missy; your parent didn’t fight alongside any tanks. No one has. So I’d keep the outdated tactics in the past,” the voice sassed.
“Why you…”
“Relax, Kerri,” Yoshi butted in. “Let’s just focus on making this work.”
Soon the human and newmen looked up, their shadows grew as they approached a large metal door. One that opened the moment their footsteps drew near it. Behind the slow large doors, a camp ship rested on a large platform on the other side of a ramp. Ships of two kinds were flown into the backside of the vessel. The first two were James’s and Kerri’s B-02 models. Flown parallel and entered in synchronous harmony. On the side of Kerri’s drop ship, several white marks could be seen, listing the number of kills she’s made in her ship. Following after them, a single B-01, Yoshi’s rested on an elevated platform nearby. Compared to the B-02s, the B-01 looked bulky. Block like. Large solid jet engines protruded from the sides of the vessel. Much larger than the B-02’s, they needed to be large so that the B-01 could lift off the ground and out of any planet’s gravity.
Walking around, towards the angled front of their new ship, the two examined the massive gun attached onto it. Large, mounted on a ball joint base in the front of the vessel; in a way, the cockpit looked as though it was pushed aside for the extra space. Simply because the outside looked just like a B-02 with a connon on the side. Yoshi lifted an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Yvonna didn’t know what to make of it and scratched her head. They both glanced at each other and shrugged. With nothing else to be said, they moved towards the back and opened it up. Inside proved to be similar to a normal B-02; dark gray benches, dark grey walls, faint cyan ceiling lights. Once they entered into the cockpit however, everything became amazingly different. The room had three seats: one for the gunner, the other for the pilot or driver, and the last one for an extra person. A seat Yoshi didn’t know what its original purpose was until he saw a panel that looked similar to the turret he had on in the T-57. Only instead of it being installed in the rear of the ship, this turret was installed in the front, its guns more compacted and folded under a thick metal roofing. Lucky for that person, Yoshi thought to himself, the turret had a rotatable base. Something the main cannon lacked.
“Well, time to get acquainted then,” Yoshi sighed, his body shifting over the pilot’s seat. The turret reminded him of Lilliman. Patching up what felt like an empty hole in his body, Yoshi whispered under his breathe, “Now let’s see here- manual. Where’s the manual?”
Yoshi accessed a few panels, opened a few cabinets, looked under his dashboard; nothing. Only the specs, radar, empty logs and conditions of the ship. He then poked around underneath his chair. Anxiously patting around, something papery could be felt brushing against his hand. Aha, he thought to himself, grabbing it with a so much force, the edge of the book crumpled and collapsed between his gloved fingers. The booklet now raised into the light, he frowned, discovering that it was only a mere repair guide. He tossed it aside and continued his search around the cockpit. So focused was he that a violent jump was made when the engines suddenly roared to life. Yoshi patted his chest in confusion and perplexion. The ship seemed to have started its self. Huh, Yoshi said to himself, looking over his right shoulder, at Yvonna, wondering if she was the one who started it. To his surprise however, Yvonna was too busy reading the gunner’s manual; readjusting the sights with one hand while she held the paper manual with the other.
“Alright,” said Yoshi, his hands on the joystick of the ship. He looked around and pulled up off the shimmering silver floor. In the air, words scrolled across his visor.



“Hello, Bitol,” the scrolling words said to him. “Give me a second while I reconfigure the ship to that of a T-57. This shouldn’t take long. Do note that this vessel will lack the co-pilot function. So remember, no naps.”


“Alright,” Yoshi said again, holding back a nervous chuckle.



“Alright, you’re set to go. Cabin pressure is good, gun is primed and ready for firing, turret firing modes redone for better cooling, engines recalibrated, power transfer reworked and is still flowing throughout the ship normally. You shouldn’t see a jet blow for a good while. Also, think of this as an upgraded T-57 with a large gun strapped onto it. Minus the extra comfy chairs. The vision isn’t as great, but that’s what holo-panels are for. And remember, stay safe~”


Yoshi smiled and pushed the throttle forward, easily moving the ship into the campship's garage and landing the B-01 on its shaded floors as gently as he would the T-57.
“Would you look at that,” said James in utter amazement. “He just got into that thing and is already flying it like a pro. I’m telling you Kerri, I was right in suggesting that he be in one of those things.”
“He just moved the ship a few inches, relax pops,” Kerri replied. After an uttered sigh, Kerri continued, “We’ll that makes everyone then. Let get this over with.”
As though the other pilots agreed, the campship lifted off and headed into space. Fluidly breaking through the blue shielding so smoothly, Yoshi couldn’t feel the campship’s shift upwards into space and its jolts away from the cruisers. The stars moving, the ship now out and about; comfortably sitting within, the pilots started to get organized.
“Yoshi,” James shouted. “How much do you know about flying with a team?”
Yoshi's eyes grew wide in fear. He awkwardly replied, afraid of being mocked, “Can’t say I know much.
“Right, keeping it simple then. Yoshi, you’re with me. From now on, you’ll be known as A2. I’ll be A1. Kerri and the other pilot will be B1 and two respectively. I’ll be letting you know what’s going on, you confirm the changes. Simple enough, right?”
“Right,” Yoshi confirmed.
The camp ship shook.
“Doors are opening, engaging engines, A1 taking lead,” said James, his ship launching out of the large vessel they sat in, oranges glows blurring Yoshi's window.
“Engaging engines,” Yoshi followed, flipping on the engines, the ship powering up just as fast as the B-02 in front of him. In the next few seconds, Yoshi pushed his ship out of the campship, making sure his ship kept some distance away from James.
“A2, follow on my left. Not too close, standard speeds.”
“Following on your left… standard speeds?” Yoshi’s voice trailed off.
Yvonna tapped a panel on her left and whispered, “It’s on the panel right here, I think.”
“Oh,” Yoshi whispered back. “Thanks.” His ship now readjusted, Yoshi looked up and shouted, “A2 cleared and following.
“Right, heading to LZ 1 and am making my decent into the planet’s atmosphere. B1, you’re clear to launch.”
Watching from behind, Yoshi saw James gradually dip his nose downwards, facing Vopal but not directly at first. Though what Yoshi though at first would have took a while to do, he soon found his ship moving through the ocean planet’s thermosphere. Seems the engines were much more powerful than Yoshi had first though. Or standard speeds had increased over the years. Eyes darted onto his gauges, making sure he wasn’t going too fast. A hand waved in the air, opening a window to his right wing. Nothing had changed, save for the burning of their noses, for James still had the lead, a sight that made Yoshi lean back in relief.
James tilted his ship more horizontally now. “Ease up, I’m entering the troposphere. A1 bleeding speeds to setting 2.”
Yoshi took a quick glance at his panels and readjusted accordingly. “Confirmed, A2 switching to setting 2.”
“A1, moving left,” said James, sharply banking to his left, around a colorful oversized water fountain.
“A2, moving left,” mimicked Yoshi. “Shouldn’t we be flying low?”
“Only when the Degans arrive. Make sure to keep an eye out for them; especially for any Breeahdas. If you thought the Degan Aclis were something then, wait till you see the dancing of a nearby Breeahda. Then things really start getting crazy. A1, moving right.”
“Right, moving with your right,” said Yoshi, their ships moving over a field of shell flowers, large bulbous pink plants that give off puffs of poison to any nearby creatures. “Never heard of Breeahdas being spotted on any of the coasts.”
“They’ll be here. Trust me,” responded James. “We’re approaching our first destination; A1 hugging the ground and bleeding speeds to setting 3.”
“Right, hugging the ground; switching to setting 3.”
“Increase your distance between us, I’m going to drop the pipe, you make sure it lands correctly.”
The two ships moved at a slow pace, casually gliding in the air like kites in the wind. Doing as he was told, Yoshi doubled the distance between him and James. Gaining more space between them, a large clearing could be seen in the distance below him. In the next few seconds, Yoshi watched as a small orange cylinder drop down from underneath James’s gray ship. Yoshi payed close attention to its landing. Once on the floor, the tube popped open and became a usual telepipe; a series of green lines floating upwards, a circle fading every fifth wave. At the sight of a successful drop, Yoshi shouted,
“Telepipe active. Nice work.”
Expecting a cheerful response, only silence answered. Yoshi waited. Still nothing, only static; then the voice from earlier spoke to him.
“A1 and A2, you have new orders. Saber team is pin down by a Ragne and need assistance. A2, you are to enter tank mode and keep those rookies alive.”
“Confirmed,” James replied. “Heading towards the new coordinates; A2 follow my lead.”
“Following,” said Yoshi, his arm punched by a cheering Yvonna.
“Finally, I get to see some action.”
Yoshi grimaced and twisted his head alongside a hiss. “I wouldn’t get too happy, commander. Things could get messy.”
“It’s better than sitting around doing nothing,” pouted Yvonna, her arms knotted in her boredom.
“Ragne spotted, A1. Breaking to scout the area. I’ll let you know when I spot something else. Good luck, Yoshi.”
“Right, A2 engaging tank mode.” Yoshi then glanced over at Yvonna. “Know what to do, I hope?”
“Land the thing, put the break on and let me handle the rest. I’ll let you know when we need to move.”
“Got it,” Yoshi replied. “A2 to saber team, consider this your lucky day. Your divine retribution has arrived. Now sit tight while the storm comes around to zap those bugs.”
The B-01 increased in speed. Four Arks operatives were seen hugging a side of a mineral covered rock. On the other side, a Ragne, it mandibles shooting red disks that chipped away at their cover.
Yoshi shifted with the sweeping motion of his ship. “Think we should land on its head?”
“I think we should take the safer approach, Yoshi”
“Right, the safe approach it is.”
Yoshi flick as a few orange switches, ones labeled for his convenience. The switches changed green in color. A window opened up, displaying the unfolding of the tank’s tracks from its hull. The ground increased in size. Fully unfolded, Yoshi witnessed the bouncing of the sand blowing wheels. With a hand kept on a lever to his right, Yoshi pulled on the break.
“Alright, we’re good to go. Fire when ready.” said Yoshi as he smiled over at Yvonna.
“Almost got it,” Yvonna whispered. Her hand twisted a knob three times before she was satisfied. “Firing,” she shouted.
Yoshi looked outside. A blue bolt launched at high speeds, the ship rocking backwards gently. In a few seconds, Yoshi witnessed the shattering of a Ragne’s leg and shouted, “Leg blown, go smack it up saber team.”
Four figures bolted out from being the rock, their weapons readied, and began their assault. Before long, the Ragne had died shortly after a second attempt. Everyone cheered and moved on. Yoshi and Yvonna fist bumped each other.
“Nice shooting.”
“Thanks.”
“A2, new objective,” a voice shouted. “C squad is having problems clearing their landing zone. Regroup with A1and help them out. Coordinates will be updated on your visor.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/eqnrE9GvLX8)
“Bitol here, use this,” said Tuhina one morning to a half-naked Yoshi, her being walking suddenly out of a portal, one which disappeared as soon as it had formed.
Yoshi, who freaked out, arm’s flailing, sputtered a string of nonsensical words and shouted in retaliation, “Would you please stop doing that?”
Unfortunately for Yoshi, Tuhina didn’t care. Instead she pushed forward, burying an Amun Ra into his chest; an Egyptian themed weapon in the shape of a halberd, with the axe bit made up of three different, yet just as sharp, feather like photon blades. “That’s not important right now,” Tuhina said authoritively. “What is important is that you take this.” Her eyes then sharply shifted upwards. “And would you get rid of the hat?”
“What? Why?” cried Yoshi, his hands now clutching his brown ten gallon hat.
“Because it looks stupid on you in this day and age.”
Yoshi instinctively placed on his hat and replied, “Then why did you buy it for me?”
“I was trying to find something you would like?” cried Tuhina, her hands desperately waving in the air.
Yoshi furrowed his brows. It reminded him of another gift she gave him once. “Like the hover bike that blew up on me?” he asked, his hands moving away from him in imitation of an explosion.
Tuhina frowned and poked at his chest. “Bitol, for the last time, that was not a bomb. That was the nos.”
Arms were thrown up in the air. “Who puts nos on a glorified moped?” Yoshi complained, his arms dropping just as quickly.
“And when was the last time you got me something, huh?”
“How about that one time I gave you a whole paid trip at the spa.”
With a finger still on his chest, Tuhina began to drill into it and replied, “That doesn’t count; I had a coupon for that day.”
“You were talking about it for a whole week. I thought you were hinting that I get you a day at a spa.”
“I was hinting for you to come with me.” Tuhina shook around in what looked like contained inner rage. In reality, she didn’t have much time left. Keeping her eyes on Yoshi, she grabbed the rod, tapped it on Yoshi’s forehead and quickly said, “Look, I would love to talk but I have to go. Just take the thing- it will do you some good, okay? You better stay safe.”
After that, she disappeared. Through a much quicker version of the Darker’s teleporting, seen as nothing more than a suddenly blur emitting a shade of faint red. Yoshi wondered if it was even possible to improve darker techniques. Then again, he makes use of unorthodox Diga techniques. Who would use slabs of earth as body armor or weapons these days, he asked himself. While he continued to stand there, against the wall, a hand on his chin, Yoshi jumped in his skin when a door opened sometime mid-ponder. Yvonna rushed out in a hurried pace. Dressed up, ready for a formal meeting, Yvonna glanced at Yoshi and said in a hurried pace, a finger on the back of her heel,
“Yoshi, going out to take care of something, be back soon.”
Yoshi, a hand still kept on his chin, only smiled and asked in response, “You sure you don’t want me to accompany you?”
“You’re presence would only make the situation more tense, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
Yoshi smile melted into a cold gaze. “Okay, are you positive you don’t need me to come with you?” Yoshi asked.
“Don’t worry about me. I have someone else filling in for you. A hybrid newmen diga user, who is rumored to have been Arron’s mentor,” replied Yvonna, her body halfway out the door.
Hearing this, Yoshi dashed after the newmen and asked with concern, “Wait, I thought she died? How is she still alive?”
“I don’t know, ask James. He’s the one who told me about her. All I know is that she works as a priest now. That’s all I know,” shouted Yvonna, her faint words echoing down the hallway. “Bye.”
Left alone against a silver door frame, Yoshi flopped back into his room like a well-oiled hinge of a door. The words taking care of something and still alive bounced around in his mind. Still alive… the words reminded him of his mentor; who had trained him and then Arron in the past. Yoshi remembered the day she had to leave after joining Arks. Sometimes Yoshi felt she was the reason he thought of joining in the first place. Other times he felt it was Tuhina’s brother who compelled him to join; the person who gave him his first gunslash. While the reason of why he joined tugged, it wasn’t tugging at him hard enough. The words ‘taking care of something’ did. They made him feel like he was forgetting something deep inside. Then it hit him. Yoshi rushed for the wall. He started to make a call, a call that was quickly picked up. After what seemed like a muffled hello, Yoshi said in a pleasant voice,
“How’s it going? I’ve been meaning to ask you, are you still tight on cash?”
Marean’s voice replied, some words were filled with anger, the rest with an inside voice.
“Heh, have you ever thought about becoming a pilot? Ok, hold on, hear me out first. Tanks, big guns, all of us together in arms reach; stable income…”
Marean screamed at him again.
As she did, Yoshi whiped out a holopanel with someone identification on it and replied, “Don’t worry about it, I got it covered. You would just need to dye your hair black.”
Marean replied quietly this time. Yoshi leaned against the wall and wore a victorious smug.
“Listen, it’s going to be awesome. Blasting away bad guys, all terrain transportation, unbreakable armor; what’s the worst that could happen? ”


(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/TcjxSmdXXqk)

_______
An explosion went off. Fire flared over an angular window. A large shadow passed over. Chaos reined everywhere, yet through it all; everyone inside a small room did their best and remained composed. Focused.
“Back, back, back, back,” shouted Yoshi, his eyes glued on a viewport.
“Shit, damn it, shit,” synchronously yelled Marean, who looked backwards for some odd reason.
Yvonna yelled, at the same time as a finger pull on a trigger, “Firing,” setting off a loud bang. The words recharging appeared on her protruding hud. The B-01 rocked backwards for a moment and continued moving.
“Successful hit, first Wolgahda missed us,” confirmed Arethusa, who sat on the ship’s turret, spinning leftwards. Her head engulfed by the smooth metal roof she stood in. “Second Wolgahda is making another leap,” she informed the crew, her body spinning rightwards.
“Forward, Marisa, forward. Make sure you don’t drive into the water,” Yoshi yelled.
A hand swatted Yoshi’s arm in response. “I know what to do, Yoshi,” attacked Marean. “You want to drive this thing instead?”
“I could drive, but I figured this would be more fun for you.”
“More fun? More fun!? You’re crazy if you think the thought of being crushed by two sumo dudes is considered fun.”
The background came to a stop. A flash was seen. The tank rocked again.
“Could be worse,” said Yoshi as the background rotated through his viewport.
“Don’t you jinx us, Yoshi. I’d rather it not get any worse.”
“Relax, we’ll be fine,” Yoshi replied, patting Marean’s shoulder and giving it a rub.
“We’ll be fine,” mocked Marean. “My ass we will.”
“You could run them over you know,” Yoshi whispered in her ear. “Just think of the crunching darker noises.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” replied Marean, who smirked over the satisfying sounds of crushed incest carapace and the shrill cries of her enemies. “That just sounds gross.”
“It is gross,” Yvonna butted in, her hands placed over her ears.
Taking on the guise of her grandmother, Marean roams under the name of Marisa Kinja, a disguise Marean doesn’t even now her grandmother used. While similar in appearance, the only difference between her usual look and her new undercover look is that she now has black hair. A contrast to Arethusa’s now blue hair as Yoshiblue’s daughter now goes by the name of Inanna, the partner machine of Marisa. Though the difference has been small, no one has batted an eyelash for any form of recognition. Everyone wore black themed clothing. Taking the role that had once been Yoshi’s, Marean drives the tank while Yoshi now acts as the mechanic and radio man; taking care of outside communication so that his team could focus on their roles. Without a chair to call his own, Yoshi stands by his daughter, Arethusa, as she mans the turret -the third seat in-between and behind the first two seats- while Yvonna retains her role as the gunner, controller of the main cannon.
“Yoshi, what’s the status of your situation?” asked Aiko over the crew’s communication channel.
“Dandy, we’ll have this area cleared for the survey in no time,” Yoshi replied in a reassuring manner, his back against the other side of the cockpit’s walls.
“Good, we need you back as soon as possible.”
“Awesome,” Yoshi replied, taking steps back into the cockpit, Yoshi then said, “You heard the lady, lets wrap this up and go home.”
The B-01 one moved forward. While it did the Wolgahda made its leap, its chest blown away by the cannon mid jump. Alternating the tracks, the B-01 swiftly spun around, keeping up with the second Wolgahda. Before Yvonna fired, Yoshi took a panel off the wall and began to mess with the vessel’s inner workings.
“Firing,” shouted Yvonna.
The ship rocked. Yoshi work his magic, shouting afterwards, “Ready”
“That was fast,” exclaimed Yvonna before she fired another shot in awe. Since she didn’t say she was firing the gun again, Yoshi feel onto his back, thanking himself in his mind for choosing to wear his helmet. The process repeated four more times until the Wolgahda died. Its giant body vaporized, vanishing into black and red smoke. Sticking around to ensure nothing else remained; Yoshi and Marean switch positions, so that Yoshi could fly them back home. Meanwhile, Arethusa lowered herself from up above, after which the turret transformed into a normal seat once it had touched warm metal floor.
“So what the heck did you do to make the gun fire faster?” Yvonna asked, her hands rapidly poking at a floating screen.
“It came to me in a dream really. I just got rid of the rear and side shielding so that all the excess energy would rush back to the gun. You know, whenever it recharges. The pros being that gun fires every two seconds instead of every thirty, while the cons are that if we get hit, it’s going to hurt. Maybe by a lot,” Yoshi replied, his head pressed against his headrest, hoping to remove the thought of how the B-01 would have look had it been handled by the Wolgahdas.
“It’s going to be fun, he says. It’s going to be awesome, he says. We almost died, Yoshi. And you have the gull to increase that possibility?” complained Marean as she violently shook Yoshi’s head.
“Relax, we had it in the bag.”
“You didn’t even warn me,” she screamed.
“You didn’t complain when I was fixing your ship mid run.”
“We weren’t running for our lives.”
“Yes we were, the ‘generator’ broke down and I managed to fix it.”
“Okay, Mr. Fix It, how did that save our lives?”
“Would you two stop?” Yvonna scowled.
Yoshi opened up a small panel and flung it up in the air.
“Take a look at that. That’s our pay and the benefits don’t stop there.”
Marean caught the panel with disbelief written on her face. Arethusa scrunched alongside Marean so that she could stare at the small panel as well. When both eyes look upon the data, a strange restrained chuckled broke out. It then evolved into a full blown laugh. Arethusa looked at Marean in confusion, unsure of why she was laughing like she was.
“I don’t get it. What am I looking at,” Arethusa asked.
“You’re looking at three times the amount of money you make with just working with Klotho in one day,” Yoshi answered.
“That’s good right?” Arethusa asked.
“Yep,” Yoshi replied. “And because we had such a successful mission, dinner will be on me.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/d5X7D-m0DTA)
“Unhand me, monster!” a squirming newmen yelled at the top of his lungs. His body lifted into the air by a hand around his neck. Despite for freedom, he instinctively tried to remove the oversize hand with both of his own. Much to his dismay, it was then that he realized how helpless he really was to the figure holding him. After an uttered sigh, the figure tightened its grip.
“Let us not waste any of our precious time here. I have a deal to strike with your team, oh leader of Arks largest inquisition team,” the humanoid figured calmly said. Its words, while distorted in sound, were clearly heard by the people around him.
“I have no time for words with the likes of you, Darker” the newmen rebelled. He twisted his head to the side and barked, “Marcie.”
The sounds of cracking knuckles rippled in the air. A female newmen of purple hair moved out of a line of three, a hand wrapped around a balled other. Stepping forward with a heavy foot, the newmen glared at the humanoid and said in a gruff tone,
“I’d put him down if I were you.”
Amused by her unimpressive threat, the humanoid uttered a light chuckle, flicked his head and replied, “Tuhina?”
Summoned from the darkness, a tan skinned human woman stepped out into the moon light. Her eyes glowed with the same intensity of the bloody moon above. A gust of wind blew against her new gray coat. Black vines with red tips sprouted out of the ground and surrounded her. Impatient for what she felt were unneeded introductions, the newmen leaped for the humanoid. Tuhina knocked her aside with a vine; its movements followed and matched the human’s matted arms. Following up with a dash, Tuhina engaged the three newmens while the humanoid continued his conversation with their leader.
“As I was saying,” the humanoid said, a hint of irritation in his voice, “I need you to call off your hunt on one particular person. I care not for the rest of his kind.”
The newmen laughed bravely and spat, “What’s so special about this person?”
“Nothing worth noting, I assure you,” the humanoid replied. “I only need your people to keep a man named Yoshiblue alive. Do I make myself clear?” asked the humanoid, his grip tightening around the man’s neck.
“Ha, good joke. Why not just kill me now and save yourself the trouble?”
“Oh sure, I can kill you now. But what would be the point in that?” replied the humanoid. “I’m sure you’ll mention something about a replacement yadda yadda yadda, but would he or she command the same amount of respect as you do? Have you thought about the amount of people that would be lead to their deaths because of your actions? And who said I was going to kill you?”
The newmen laugh nervously, but retained his confident smile.
“I’d rather keep you alive. So let me ask you something. Do you think you can watch helplessly as I corrupt your mother right in front of you? Consume your father? Your child? All I ask if that your spare one person. That’s all. Do yourself a kind favor and not have to make me focus my assaults on any particular ships.”
The newmen looked down. His limbs sagged. His legs dangled in defeat.
“Agreed,” the newmen finally said.
Upon the newmens words, the humanoid released his chokehold on the person and stepped back. It then looked up and said, in a commanding tone,
“Tuhina. We’re leaving.”
Doing as commanded, Tuhina dropped what she was doing and casually strolled toward the humanoid’s side, leaving two newmens to reel by themselves in pain, one in far too much in pain to even get back up. Upon reaching the figure’s side, it turned around and led the two in the opposite direction, a portal opening as they walked.
“So weak in willpower, those newmens,” said the humanoid in a pleasant manner. “What have you learned in your fight?” the humanoid now asked with seriousness, keeping a stiff neck forward in a dark corridor.
“The purple hair newmen are a force to be reckoned with without their weapons. They hold an incredible amount of inner strength and can smash boulders with their bare hands if needed. Orange hair newmens seem to be able to prevent the usage of technique in a limited area. I killed the white haired one early in the battle and could not gather any information on him,” replied Tuhina.
“Ah yes the ‘though unique and strong in power, they are still forces in the end’ revelation. An effective one two punch, I might add. Interesting specimens, are they created on the same ship?”
“Yes.”
“And it’s location?”
“To be discovered,” Tuhina lied.
“Splendid.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Bragatyr]

Still in the process of fully checking this out, but I have to say I have never before seen a project that integrates music with key moments in the reading. That is a really, really cool idea. I think a big part of what makes film and video gaming so powerful is music, and its effect on mood and atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

[yoshiblue]

Still in the process of fully checking this out, but I have to say I have never before seen a project that integrates music with key moments in the reading. That is a really, really cool idea. I think a big part of what makes film and video gaming so powerful is music, and its effect on mood and atmosphere. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

Yeah, its a pretty nice feature to have. The new issue is picking the right selections and pieces that fit just right. Will have to admit that its hard not to choose from any final fantasy music when trying to reach out for many other things. I must now learn how to better streamline what I have streamlined!



- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] There comes a time where one wonders what it means to be a good parent. Are the parents judged by the mannerism of their children? Is it the overall base that they have laid out for them? The moral lessons provided? Being there for them when they are needed? Or is it the success that they have achieved by spending many of their years being patient, nurturing and understanding, allowing them to grow at their own pace and rise towards the sunlight between their guardians on their own two legs? For a while, Yoshi had asked himself these questions. For many nights, he stared into the false night sky, stayed up several hours, and thought about these very questions. Now is not one of those times.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/jHFO71wxX_w) Instead, here we have Yoshi giving his daughter, Arethusa, a mini tour of the B-01 support ship. Something he decided to do after their visit from one of ARK’s many shooting ranges; a place where the two and Marean tested Arethusa’s prototype magislash, or a gunslash that shoots techniques in the form of powerful bolts. Not because he thought it was cool; because then he would be lying. In reality, he thought it was awesome and endorsed his daughter’s usage of the new weapon. He even went so far as to be the first to try it out. Surprising to no one, it didn’t blow up in his face. However, Arethusa was very pleased when her mother hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, like she normally loves doing, and take it away from them; more so when her father complemented her, on the craftsmanship and beauty of the gunslash’s stock.
Having left the range with large smiles on their faces and ice cream in their hands, Yoshi plopped open the B-01’s loading ramped and led the group inside, an arm sweeping forward the whole time. Arethusa avoided the walls in hopes that she wouldn’t get her white dress dirty. This became ironic for Yoshi because they had used civilian firearms as well. Which were more primitive compared to their ARKS grade counterparts.
Because it was their day off, everyone wore something casual; and by Marean’s request, Yoshi took his felted ten gallon hat off for once. Arethusa, the little girl who had been the first to skip inside, wore a nice simple white dress. One bought for her by her mother. Behind the tan little girl, Marean wore a gray oversized t-shit for once, displaying the logo of the Ur Titans, a sports team she liked. Yoshi also wore the shirt as a matching t-shirt and jeans combo. Mostly because he didn’t know what to wear on his day off and made an annoyed Marean decide for him. Lucky for the both of them, Marean had been eyeing their clothes for a while now and Yoshi was willing to cough up money for them.
First inside, Arethusa immediately jumped onto the turret seat, powered it on and began to rotate the turret in a clockwise rotation. Second inside, Marean throw down a cushion on her chair and looked behind to watch Yoshi as he installed a makeshift chair on his own on the side of the hull.
“You sure that’s a good place to put it?” Marean asked with a raised eyebrow.
Her eyes scanned the hull around him, imagining the potential bumps on the head that could be had. With his focus mainly on the proper installation of his seat, Yoshi didn’t respond until he was finished. In which he finally said in a confident manner,
“It’ll be fine. I’m more concerned about which mag to install.”
Yoshi then looked up towards the ceiling, his eyes focused on the center of the hull where a small spine lined the roof of the vessel. On the spine, a box; both distinct in shaped as well as empty. While he kept his gaze on the empty carved out hole, Yoshi pulled out a box of his own out from thin air and raised it up in the air.
“I was wondering if pilots got their own mags,” said Marean, her gaze also on the port. Arms knotted, she continued, “Not sure why you would plug it into a wall though.”
“Well, they were handy with giving off warning signs, providing you your local maps, listing objectives and dealing with minor tasks such as adjusting the engines and tending to on the fly repairs,” Yoshi replied, his arms now wiggling in the air, attempting to attach the box onto the ceiling.
“Funny story though and a theory I have,” continued Yoshi.
“Oh?” responded Marean, a hand on her chin, curious of what Yoshi was doing.
“Firstly, I believe the reason pilots truly have these random blow outs are due to these mags. Before, mags would handle the readjustments. Now-a-days, it seems these ships come with programs and AI. So when something happens to the ship, both the program and the mag scramble to fix it and then boom, the ship blows an engine and you’re on the ground freaking out. Anyways, these things also use to be between the legs of the pilot. So when you’re doing your thing, the information you need would be a simple glance away. Then rumors of peeping broke out among the female pilots and a demand for an immediate redesign was made. So it happened and now the mags go here, normally right above the pilots,” Yoshi finished, giving a thumbs up towards Marean the moment he backed away from the window.
Marean only shook her head in disbelief however.
“Anyways,” Yoshi continued, “Since pilot mags tend to be different from our mags, I had to fashion a custom port for my mag. Though, if you want to use yours instead-”
“No, no, I’m fine. I don’t think my mag likes me much anyways. I think it knows I’m not its real master or something,” said Marean, her eye cautiously on the basic mag hovering behind her.
“Fair enough,” Yoshi shrugged. Yoshi quickly looked at his own mag and silently commanded, “Mag man.”
Yoshi’s mag moved forward on command, as if already knowing what to do. Once near Marean’s, a string of lightning stuck the other mag and watched as her mag fall down as a lifeless orb. Marean, ducked out of the way in the process. Satisfied, Yoshi mag returned to its master’s side were it continued to hover as it always has, leaving Marean to flinch in response to the sudden attack and chuck a glare at her smirking human companion,
“What the heck was that for?”
“A memory wipe for safety reasons. You know, with the whole appearance and all,” Yoshi winked.
“Next time, warn me,” scolded Marean, punching Yoshi in the arm, releasing some of her inner rage.
Yoshi raised his arms in surprised and replied, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Eh…uh… Inanna, you ready to go?” Yoshi asked; his attention now on the still rotating turret base.
Hearing her father’s words, Arethusa lowered from the smooth ceiling and restored the chair to its previous state, made a war face at her father and skipped outside. Yoshi blink twice before he could follow after her with a giggling Marean behind him.
“Are you sure you’re allowed to mess with the equipment though?”
“I’m sure its fine. I mean they bring it back to check on it at all times anyways. You know, for upgrades and stuff. I even got a few extra barrels to try out in the future.”
One eyebrow higher than the other, Marean asked, “Barrels? As in cannons?”
“Yeah, they’re in storage right now,” replied Yoshi, his attention more focused on Arethusa.
“And where did you get these ‘barrels’?” Marean pestered Yoshi.
“I… may have sorta… kinda… used your connections?” Yoshi weakly replied.
“Yoshi,” Marean growled in a low voice.
“Don’t worry, I already paid them. So don’t worry about any surprised favors. Besides, a little extra firepower never hurts.” He then shifted his gaze onto a leering Marean and slightly scooted away. Nervously smirking at her, Yoshi backed off and said, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What? Me? I’m not doing anything,” Marean lied and adopted an innocent pose.
“I said you didn’t owe any favors.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“I also got you that advanced warp drive thingy you always wanted.”
“You what?” asked a surprised Marean, doing her best to keep her voice down.
Choosing not to answer, Yoshi waved an arm in the air and shouted, “Stats, how’s it going?”
Far away, from the other side of the hanger, Stamato waved back at Yoshi as the cowboy’s daughter escorted the angular robot across the hanger floor. While the two approached each other, Marean kept asking Yoshi questions, wanting to know more about what Yoshi bought, but Yoshi still remained silent. Instead, the man shook hands with the much taller CAST and asked, “What brings you here.”
“Yoshi, Marisa,” said Stamato with a curt nod. “The commander requested that I come and inform you that she will be working alongside us, during field operations, once again. Seeing as she has found a suitable replacement and mentioned how crowded the ship has gotten, you are now, and I quote, ‘Promoted to the gunner position of the B-01 space craft’.”
Yoshi reeled back as if he was in pain. He twirled around. His hands tugged on his hair. While he did, Marean though she heard him cry, “I just installed the chair.”
“Alright! Da- the hat man will be blowing holes in the bad guys now!” cheered Arethusa, behind Stamato.
Standing straight up, as if nothing ever happened, Yoshi then asked, a hand held forward without him realizing it, “Mind telling me who this replacement is?”
“Shinobu Shiomi, a priestess who has joined our squad for medical reasons. She is a female newmen, white hair, 167 centimeters-”
“Thanks you, Stats,” Yoshi interrupted, his hand held vertically flat. His hand then wondered over his chin. Spinning in the opposite direction, Yoshi began to think to himself until he swiftly shot back around and asked, “Does she have two different eye colors; one green, the other orange-ish?”
“Behind a pair of contacts, yes,” Stamato replied in an informing manner. “Why?”
“Nothing, I may have to pay her a visit sometime,” Yoshi replied, his gazed on the floor, his hand waving away just above his chin.
“Enigma, may I ask you something?” asked Stamato in a slightly concerned tone.
Yoshi looked up and said, “Sure.”
“I can’t help but notice that you seem to know a lot of newmen women. Do you have a preference for them?”
“No, life just seems to like throwing them at me. So I think anyways. Besides, the priestess has something that belongs to me,” Yoshi lied, his eyes returned to the floor.
“BITOL XOL!” a commanding voice bellowed from the other side of the hanger.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/2dND8iq4ec4) Everyone turned towards the origin of the voice. All of them staring in confusion save for Yoshi, who held a face mixed with dread and anger. His shoulders shuddered. His stomach knotted into a ball. In a calm manner, Yoshi swiftly said, “Stats, we were just about to have lunch. Can you get them something to eat? I’ll catch up to you later.”
“As you wish,” replied Stamato with a bow.
“Inanna, you go on ahead. Ask Stamato about CAST history and some combat pointers,” Marean immediately added.
Yoshi gripped Marean with a shoulder, twisted her around, held a hand towards the large exit doors and said, “You two haven’t eaten anything all day. Go and get something to eat.”
“I’m staying here,” Marean fought back.
“I insist. Go get feed your belly.”
Marean narrowed her eyes at the human. “I’m not leaving you behind, Yoshi,” Marean rebelled in a gruff manner.
Yoshi let off a heavy sigh. Grimacing, wanting to convince her otherwise but chose the path of defeat, Yoshi handed Stamato some money before seeing him and his daughter off. After a short goodbye, Yoshi returned his attention onto the group of newmens strolling up to him. Of the group, each of them had different hair colors and walked in a sort of formation with the leader up front. His hand on the hilt of his weapon at all times. Normally, Yoshi would offer a handshake to people like him. However, he slightly lifted his chin instead. The newmen leader did the same and puffed up his chest while standing in a sort of stance as his group reached the cowboy. As he did, Yoshi lifted his eyebrows in amazement. He was impressed by the tailoring of their armor. Though they wore the gear that anyone in Arks can obtain, the newmen group wore more intricate and decorative versions of their armor. Designs danced in open spaces, contained by laces of gold threads, creases and trimmings. The HUmar armor for example, of the purple hair man behind the leader, had a corded pauldron instead of the normal bulky ones. The FOmar armor of the blue hair man was covered in metallic blue designs. Celtic, Yoshi thought it was called, for they twisted and intertwined on one entire half of his suit.
“Leave, madam. We have no business with you,” barked the leader after bowing slightly in her direction.
“Thank you, but I intend to stay here,” Marean calmly replied, in an attempt to imitate her grandmother’s regal mannerism.
“As you wish,” the newmen responded before glaring back at Yoshi. “Bitol Xol, I assume you know who I am?” he asked with his free hand clutched against his chest.
Yoshi lifted both his arms. “Even while the press and public never go around parading your actions, how can I not know about the great Dimitri? I’m surprised you haven’t come to see me sooner.”
“Were it not for the meddling of the ignorant, your death should have been in an unforeseen tragic accident. One you should have died in. It’s already bad enough that you survived three accidents already.”
Yoshi laughed and said, “So now they send a person like you to take care of me. How tragic.”
“I wouldn’t underestimate me if I were you.”
“Oh don’t worry. I don’t. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother having this conversation.”
“Funny how it normally works the other way around. Sadly, killing you is not the reason why I am here.”
“Then why are you here?”
“As much as it pains me, and my comrades, to say, I have come, in the flesh, to personally grant you immunity from our prosecution. Anno?” clapped Dimitri, “The band of forgiveness.”
On demand, a female newmen of gold hair stepped forward, a velvet pillow held in front of her. Sitting comfortably on top the pillow, a gold band, both futuristic and ancient in appearance, shimmered in the large hanger lights. With one hand, Dimitri methodically raised the band into the air and held his other arm parallel to it on the other side of his torso.
“Fuyu, you may begin the recording.”
“Ready sir,” the newmen replied.
Dimitri cleared his throat.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/fsWFEvaivPY)“Here I stand today to perform a sacred act only preformed to those of the most deserving. Today, I, Dimitri Guliano, stand before the diga born, Bitol Xol, with an offence of my hand of mercy and forgiveness. For it is known, and should be known, that not all diga users are to be punished. Not all diga born are criminals and murders and thus should to be shown acts of kindness. Bitol Xol is one such man who has not only bravely served with honor and pride, but has given us valuable knowledge for many a time and has proven that he is not the man who we have once believed him to be. Today, I, Dimitri Guliano, bestow upon this man our band of forgiveness, a band that pardons him from all accused crimes, a band that makes him an equal to someone such as I, as proof of our acceptance and acknowledgment of his person and being. May he bare this band proudly and show it to the rest of the world that he is not to be hunted, never to be mocked again.”
Dimitri moved the band over by Yoshi. “Bitol, your hand please,” he said in a warm tone of voice. Yoshi did as he asked and lifted his left hand. Once he did, Dimitri stuck it inside the gold ring and shrunk the band until it firmly warped around the human’s arm.
“It is done,” said Dimitri. “Go human and may you bring many victories to our people, your people.” Having said that, the newmen sawed at his neck and instantly dropped his smile. “Tread lightly, human. People are going to be watching you now. Not just by my people, but others as well. Mess up and I will be the first to be there. And I look forward to killing you.”
Dimitri then walked away without ever looking back once. His fellow newmen followed behind, in the same formation they came in. While they did, Yoshi eyed the band they placed on him and had his mag scan it. After a few seconds of sweeping lights, the mag reported no irregularities on the band. That it was simply a mere ornament. With a nod, Yoshi finally said, under his breathe,
“And I look forward to killing you too, stuck up son of a bitch.”
The moment Yoshi started grinding his teeth together, Marean said, after a sighing, “Well, that hap-“
She was interrupted by Yoshi, who tightly clung to her with warmth and said, “Thanks for being there for me.”
It wasn’t often she got a hug from Yoshi, if at all ever. Taken by surprised, blushing a little bit, shoulders now relaxed, she accepted the hug and rested her head on his. Meanwhile, one of Dimitri’s companions noticed the conflicted look of his leader and yearned to know what troubled him. Fuyu approached him and asked, his head held low,

(*optional music/end title*) (https://youtu.be/70DXXbryCN0) “Is something troubling you, sir?”
“No,” replied Dimitri. “There is nothing to be concerned about. However, I am intrigued.”
“Sir?”
“The monster I saw before, I believe I know why it wants him alive. For a time, I had once believed his breed to be extinct. Apparently, it seems they are now just good at hiding. Fuyu, what does his schedule look like?”
“His ship is called when it is needed, sir. Do you mean to slay him?”
“No, I only wish to confirm my suspicions. And what of his companion?”
“A newcomer, sir, she’s only been with the team for a few days after they had requested for additional members. Due to the increase usage of space crafts, their members have been changing many of their chairs.”
“I see. Good. Have him accompany me on my excursion to Vorpal then, preferably alone.”
“Yes sir.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Hold's it a day back, still not happy with it. Bleh.


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/v1hClr8J5x8)
Doors opened. A flash of light. “Don’t worry, he’s with me,” Dimitri’s voice bellowed through a raging crowd, with a friendly smile, the day after Yoshi’s ceremony of forgiveness, the fancy dressed man outstretched his arm and added, “Welcome aboard, Bitol,” as if his kind gesture was genuine.
Yoshi on the other hand, didn’t share in his happiness. He couldn’t. Not when he is surrounded by several Melchiorian Newmens, each who may or may not have killed a diga human or half breed during their lifetimes. All of them already looked down upon him. They threw shouts of disappointment on his passing, furious looks of rejection, dejection, all of them wishing for his death. You felt amazed that only two thin velvet lines separated his body from the vicious mobs on each side. With him in this line of paradise, three newmens escorted him to the vessel that would take them away; one of them being Dimitri himself, a highly decorated newmen of white hair who walked proudly up front, like a famous hero escorting his prisoner. Something Yoshi felt he was being led away as.
Inside him, a voice screamed for flight, for safety. While he could, Yoshi simply kept forward, his face resolute and brave, and resisted the urges within. Take no chances when in the den of your enemy, he replied in his head, I had no choice from the beginning. At all times, his eyes stayed on Dimitri’s weapon. His weapon of choice, a collapsible partisan in the shape of a cane, currently held high above the parted multi-colored sea.
Nearing the dropship’s ramp, Yoshi brown eyes followed up the slope of the metal door until they gazed upon an open gloved hand- snow white in color and laced with gold- and under a smile that made the prisoner like man’s stomach turn. Its coil replicated and exaggerated by the movement of his arm as he reluctantly moved forward to accept Dimitri’s false gesture of kindness. Though Yoshi’s hands weren’t cuffed, he felt they may as well been, for as soon as the shuttle doors closed, Dimitris once bright smile quickly devolved into a frown so filled with disgust, Yoshi wanted to slam his fist in the newmen’s face, just for looking at him in such a manner.
His finger aimed at the bench behind his tailored pants. “Sit,” Dimitri commanded.
Without saying a word, Yoshi obeyed and relaxed as he normally would around normal company. An arm over the head rest, Yoshi ignored the grave faces that beamed down on him.
“As you should know, we are traveling to the planet Nabarius on a survey mission. Find every creature you can and record their data. Do not kill them, and preform capture missions when asked. This should be easy enough for a simple minded barbarian such as yourself.”
The others held beck their fits of laughter. Yoshi’s toes scrapped the insides of his shoes. “Easy Yoshi,” he said in his head, a finger jittering on the seat cushion. Calmly and confidently, Yoshi looked at Dimitri and asked,
“And should the darkers get in the way?”
Dimitri slowly looked away. “Will the darkers be a problem?” Dimitri countered with a snobby tone in his voice.
“No,” Yoshi flatly replied.
“Good. On this team, there is no room for the incompetent and inept. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal clear,” Yoshi unenthusiastically responded.
Several minutes had passed. Yoshi wanted to see outside, but nobody bothered opening a window. A few of them whispered here and there. Some adjusted their equipment. Others fought each other for extra space. For once, Yoshi had the pleasure of seeing a fully pack transport. The only human pressed against the ramp wall. Before long, Yoshi found himself following behind the group of newmens. Each of them executed a dispatch, though old fashion and nothing new at all, has become usual in this day and age. Though to Yoshi, he treated it like a breach, one he would perform in the past, moving second from last while scanning the forested area, his gunslash leveled slightly above his shoulder. As a group, the team creped forward, giving the dropship the space it needed to fly away. The vessel now away and above the tree line, the group gathered together in a tight circle for further orders.
Huddled around, everyone gazed at Dimitri who glanced at all of them and said, a finger pointing at the people he commanded, “Atan. Shimal. You’re with me.”
“Yes sir,” two newmens replied, and jogged over by their leader’s side.
“Kuyo. Diolong. Stay with the human. We know better than to expect a human to get anything done right.”
“Yes sir, we won’t let the human mess this up,” one of the other newmens replied, giving a salute in the process.
Serious as ever, Dimitri nodded and left, vanishing behind the thick forest brush and into the darkness. Left alone with a well build male purple hair newmen and a blue fragile looking female one, Yoshi spun around with intentions of letting them lead the way. Those were his intentions. Instead, a shove in the shoulder is what he got, pushed around by the brightly colored purple hair male who openly expressed his resentment.
(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/XSak3cCwthA)
“I don’t know what the leader was thinking. I killed twenty of these diga freaks with my own two hands, both of them. And what do I get? A babysitting job with a small, toothpick of a human who’s body should have been snapped in two by now.” The man paced around. He shook his head. “I don’t deserve this. This is a job for lesser men. Not for someone like me who sits high among our people.”
Finished with Yoshi as soon as the cowboy fell to the ground, the newmen turned towards the blue newmen. Her body leaned against her staff as she listened.
“Kuyo, you guard the human. I got better things to do so i’m going up ahead. See him slip up once and you’re free to kill him.” The girl bobbled her head and moved aside, watching her teammate walk in the opposite direction until he halted a moment, twisted his torso and added, “And don’t add this to the report, you got that rookie. Or I’ll make you pay.” Making sure he got his point across, he lifted a hand and crack his knuckles loud enough that Yoshi could hear it echo in their enclosed clearing. Like his leader before him, he too faded away; Yoshi, now a little happier with his disappearance.
Off the floor and his rear dusted, Yoshi grabbed the brim of his hat. “Not very smart to leave the newbie alone with the criminal,” Yoshi said to himself, stepping back towards the newmen with a hand still on his felted brim.
“It must be tough to have gimped hearing,” the girl said to the cowboy, her eyes filled with nothing but wonder. “Are humans really as dumb as they say they are?”
“You’ll never truly know until you work with them. Just like getting to know newmens who aren’t as smart as you thought they would be,” Yoshi replied in a joking manner.
Unsurprising to Yoshi, the blue haired girl leaped backwards, her staff off the ground, and spat, “I see through your lies, diga scum. Don’t make me slay you for your heresy.”
Yoshi walked away, unfazed by the girl’s empty threats. “Look kid, that’s life. We all have to deal with it. Even CASTs.”
“CASTs are no better than humans. They’re wasted potential, a bucket of bolts. Had they known their place and kept their false mouths shut, they would have retained some of their value as the tools they were meant to be.”
This angered Yoshi, so much so that he immediately spun around and shouted back at the frail little girl, “And newmens are nothing short of twigs, easily snapped in two with a swift kick of a boot.”
“Enough!” Dimitri intervened, appearing out of nowhere from above. The two stopped glaring at each other and looked at the white hair newmen who pinched his nose in irritation. “Where is Diolong?”
“He went ahead, sir,” the girl replied with fear in her voice.
His gaze burned into the girl’s blue eyes before they were covered by his hand, his fingers tracing the bridge of his nose. “I gave you three a simple mission and you can’t even get that done right.”
“I’m sorry, sir. I-”
“There is no need, Kuyo. You have done nothing wrong,” calmly replied Dimitri before his voice exploded in anger, “Obviously this is the human’s fault, who should know better than to ideal around and chit chat all day. I gave you a mission, Bitol, and when I give someone a mission, I expect it to get done quickly and efficiently. I have been very tolerant of you up until now, Bitol, have I not, Kuyo?” Dimitri asked. His hands firmly glued together on the handle of his cane, the bottom end deeply buried in the ground.
The girl snapped into a salute and replied, “Very tolerant, sir.”
With calm newfound serenity in his voice, Dimitri continued, “I thought so. Being the nice person that I am, I am willing to give you one more chance; one and nothing more. So help me… Out, out of my sight before I change my mind. Go now.” He waved away.
Without hesitation, Yoshi and Kuyo dashed away, under the protective shade of the forest, where they would begin their survey of the increasingly aggressive natives. Their nature warped by the revival of Elder after his leaving of the planet. Far inside, by the rushing waters of a forest river, Yoshi and Kuyo sat under a tunnel where they could scout the area without the harsh rainwater getting in their way. Due to the fact that he wasn’t trusted, Dimitri had placed several limitations on his equipment for a guaranteed upper hand, should Yoshi try anything underhanded. Because of this, Yoshi had been given out of date equipment, old enough so he couldn’t get anywhere far, yet useful enough so he could still fulfill his mission. Meanwhile, Ms. Kuyo, the blue hair newmen that stood beside him, had no need for such gear as she looked around with her own two enhanced eyes. Binoculars in hand, Yoshi felt that it would be a good time to start up another conversation, one starting on a different note this time.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/Tf4mSSsD9Ew)
“Nothing attracts company like some noise, so let’s make some with unnecessary banter. You know, you don’t have to serve and fight if you don’t want to, kid. Can’t say I like the young fighting in this war very much.”
Kuyo gave the cowboy a dark look and whined, “Are you kidding? I’ve spent my entire life learning how to fight. There’s no way I’m just going to sit around all day and be told by some filthy human that I can’t fight.”
“And what would you’re parents say, huh?” Yoshi shot back, his binoculars lifted over his eyes so he could make another scan. Expecting a hastily given response, Yoshi only heard silence. The human lowered his binoculars and glanced over a conflicted newmen. Her mouth morphing into several shapes before she looked up at him and reply,
“I don’t need any parents. Never had any to begin with and I certainly don’t need them now.”
Yoshi felt his heart drop and his body grow cold. On a swift shake of his head, his eyes fell on the floor and he sorrowfully said to Kuyo, “Must have been a rough life.”
“What would you know, human? What would you how it feels like to be an orphan? Abandoned and alone like the rest of us.”
“All too well, kid. You think diga kids live happy lives with their parents being killed left and right? But whatever; let’s change the subject. How about the accidents then? What do you know about them?”
“Oh, I like accidents. Depends on which one you speak of though. There are a lot of them.”
“Alright, how about the one on this planet? With the scientists?”
“The Nebarius experiment? What about it?”
“I’m sure it was more than just an accident. What can you tell me about that one?”
“Well, on the surface, it was a ploy to increase ARK’s presence in the fleet. You know, that civilians weren’t equipped to handle the darker threat and needed better protection. So the experiment was made to prove this, eighty scientists and a good number of civilian mercenaries from this one group that barely survives to this day. But that was just the surface. Underneath all of it, it was a convenient way to get rid of scientists that knew too much; and proved to be a very effective one at that. Ten minutes in, the bait was set off and were soon attacked. The attack only lasted two minutes, leaving only eight survivors behind. Four of them joined ARKs after that, I think.”
In the middle of the story, Yoshi grinded his teeth and whispered under his breath, “Interesting.” As his hand balled into a fist an object moved in the rain, an ape like object, yellow in color and not alone. Traveling in a group of six, Yoshi pointed at them and said, “What did I say, nothing like a bit of noise to draw a crowd. Got the equipment ready?”
“Fool, you have the equipment.”
“Oh, so I do,” replied Yoshi, who looked down at the mechanical devices below him.
A half an hour worth of watching several animals had passed. In-between their search, a few capture missions were called in. Shortly after their third trial, the duo returned when Dimitri signaled for their presence, a dropship waited in the distance. At the sight of this, the two smile and jog away, Yoshi pushed down by the girl for a head start. As he began to enter it, Dimitri grasped Yoshi by the shoulder and whispered,
“I’d be careful if I were you, human. Learn too much and you’ll end up like your dead fiancée. Tuhina wasn’t it? You want to know what she died for? She died believing that peace could made with the darker threat. She died for helping develop cloth that would shealter them from future segregation. She also died for carrying out illegal forms of research, such as drugging a man so he could go loose on animals and create some sort of beast race. That’s what she died for and I would be wise to never repeat that, Bitol Xol.”
After a quick stare down, one filled with bafflement and disbelief, Yoshi wondered inside, feeling lost and a bit numb, just missing a voice say to Dimirti,
“Did you see what you wanted to see?”
“No,” said Dimitri. “I forget that they are the defensive types. They don’t go around killing people unless attacked first or ordered too.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/pg8DgkrZbpM)
“Yoshi, when are you going stop being a damn piece of shit and go out to see people?” a voice complained, echoes fading in a fuzzy flout of a backdrop.
“Hey fuck tard, I do go out and talk to people. The hell do you think I do all day?” Yoshi snapped back. His voice reverbed in a different manner, but faded away just the same.
“I’m not talking about the whore on the corner, dumbshit. I’m talking about our people. You know, people we can relate to.” The echoing voice replied.
“There’s no point in talking to them if they’re going to vanish the next week or something,” said a sadden Yoshi.
“If you’re so concerned about survival, then stop being such a god damn pussy and don’t let them make the first move. Hone your skills. Stop being the stupid fuck you are right now and start practicing. Your little piece of shit gun isn’t going to do much for you,” the voice scolded him.
“Yoshi,” another voice said in the haze, her tone hinting of another time in a different room. “Derek bit the dust.”
“You’re shitting me, he can’t be dead,” The reverbing Yoshi cried in disbelief.
The vague sound of a panel slammed against a hard surface. “Cornered in a garage. Authorities claim they don’t know what happened. Bullshit,” the woman said defiantly, her voice more distant this time. In a second, the new voice spoke again, only more weary in tone. “Hey kid, I got to go. I’ve stuck around for far too long. Don’t think about following me either. I may spoil you but I’m not your mother. Stay with the mercenary group, kid. They’ll take care of you.”
“What, you can’t go?” Yoshi cried. “Why are you leaving? How am I going to get better at using my abilities?”
“Look, kid, you’re your own kind of warrior. I can’t teach you everything. So see you around.”
Yoshi wrapped a hand over his face in shame. Walking through a well-lit glass walled corridor, he asked his mind in a self-loathing manner, did I really talk like that? It has been several years since they’ve last spoken to each other. After she left the Grindenwald mercenaries, she joined ARKs and since then hasn’t ever spoken to each other once. Yoshi wasn’t even sure how to feel about Arron, as Yoshi felt he was the pupil that had replaced him, the person who was said to have killed her. A discovery made recent. The cowboy felt all sorts of feelings inside him as he made his way towards the red room, the place that would lead him to a briefing room where he would find she and Yvonna. At the most, he’s happy knowing that she’s alive, but he wanted answers. Why leave so abruptly, he asked himself. Why throw yourself into even more danger, he thought back then.
Looking back on it now, Yoshi found it a bit ironic that he too is now in ARKs. He too has thrown himself into even more danger than before. So he felt anyways. Shiomi, a name he’s still getting used to, had once told him that while cameras may appear everywhere, most of it could easily be manipulated or be just false props made to scare people. Not to the common people, but to the criminals and diga born.
“I’m not saying Derek is wrong,” her voice sounded under his teal head. “It is a useful thing to do, but not a tactic that applies to everyone. Sometimes it’s better to know the lay of the land and understand how the system works. Sometimes it’s better to just stay hidden in plain sight, like we do now. But you do need an edge to survive.”
Traveling down memory lane, Yoshi’s attention forcefully redirected itself back onto his surroundings. As he had suddenly stopped in place in front of a door, near a waterfall, his nose mere inches away from an opened doorway. Expecting the company of a chatterbox crowd, Yoshi found it amusing how empty it became since his last visit. This time, only a handful filled the room and all of them gathered in a corner, looking over a map that had been pasted over the matted red wall. Ignoring them, Yoshi walked past the group, entered the elevator, slid his identification card over the door and fell towards the ship’s false earth. The 360 degrees worth of window gave him a view of the entire city as his transportation dragged downwards through a tube. In a few moments, a ping echoed in the small room. A ring sounded in the air. The silver doors opened. On the other side revealed the same room as before. A gray and colorless camp ship look alike with most of the same consoles, but had a few replaced ones.
Just about to enter, Yoshi suddenly shook hands with Yvonna as she planned to leave ahead of Shiomi. The quick handshake before leaving must have meant that they were late, Yosi thought to himself.
“Hey, Yoshi,” Yvonna quickly said before turning around and shouting, “I’ll be in the camp ship if you need me Shiomi, okay?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be with you in a moment,” the priestess warmly replied, her eyes half closed and had a hand clutch a necklace. When the arching doors closed, the priest looked towards Yoshi and asked with a smile, “What can I do for you, child?”
Yoshi, although grinning, didn’t share in the act and replied, “You can drop the disguise. I know who you are, Yaeko.” In a show of confidence, Yoshi spread his arms wide open and shrugged. Displaying a grin which he knew would tick her off.
Still smiling, Shiomi turned around and responded, “I don’t know what you’re talking about child.”
Instinctively, Yoshi ducked. So fast did he duck that he flopped, face flat, on the floor in the process. Shiomi’s laugh heard right above him.
“Old habits never do change, eh kid?” asked Shiomi, trying to contain her laughter. “You check out. So what are you doing here? Didn’t I say something along the lines of not following me?”
Yoshi pushed off the floor as a hand readjusting his hat. Back on his feet, Yoshi stared Shiomi in the eyes and said, “Hard to stay with a group of mercenaries whom have lost a good few of their numbers in a so called ‘accident’. Besides, I came for answer.”
“What could you possibly want to know?”
“Why you left for starters,” said Yoshi
“They’re called personal problems for a reason, kid. It’s none of your business. But if there is something I can tell you, it’s that I joined ARKs for answers of my own; A bit of soul searching if you will.”
Yoshi opened up again and twirled in a taunting manner. “I thought we didn’t have a history,” Yoshi said with a little sarcasm.
Shiomi in return crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her eyebrows hugged close to each other to show how unfunny the joke was. “Look, you know I hate teaching. So keep your mouth shut if you want to hear what I have to say.”
Yoshi conquered up a blue photonic chair and said, “Alright, alright, I’m sorry.” Once comfortable, he then swung an arm across his lap and said, “Continue.”
“Alright, I don’t feel like staying her for long so I’m going to give you the crash course. Though they did a good job burying the information, I did find this out. Though I must warn you, it gets a bit hazy, so don’t quote me on it. The history of diga goes way back, a good number of years in the past around the time of a previous Falz attack. Which attack? I don’t know. During this time, there was said to be modification and augmenting projects for dna, body and the whole nine yards. Some source says Diga was born during this era, other say it was a result of Falz’s corruption, who know, because I don’t. I say this because, the main person I could get any information on was the heroin, Madusa. Who, in the past, tried to make peace with the darkers and was rumored to gain her powers but was betrayed by Falz. After her fall, she then joined the war effort, beat back Falz and was casted aside by society. Where she was forced to be a criminal to survive. Keeping up with me?” Shiomi asked from on a chair of her own. One much more antique in appearance, made of wood with several images engraved in it.
Yoshi nodded. “Yeah, Falz attack long ago and a woman who was said to have special powers and used them to drive back Falz.”
“Now the interesting part is if it was a gift from Falz, how did other women get it and why are only women mentioned having it during this era? Also, there are two other blood lines I traced during my research. So I’m going to assume it was either a mixture of both research and divine power or it was a women only based research project. Along with Madusa, one of the two other notorious diga humans at the time was Stheno, a violent woman said to have caused a lot of bloodshed and murders. Those descendants from her are said to be short fused, naturals in the arts of killing and tend to prefer brute force above all else. This is proven in their consistent habit of rushing into fights head first and more or less trying to break as many bones as possible. The second was Euryale, the more passive aggressive of the three, who prefer more subtle approaches to death. Such as poisons, erosion, anything that could kill a person in a quite manner. So I’ve read anyways, but it sure sounds like me,” Shiomi smiled.
“What do you mean?” Yoshi, who leaned forward on the edge of his chair, asked.
In response, Shiomi rubbed an arm and said, “You ever had the sensation of something rubbing against you skin and you don’t know why?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s me confirming you’re there with dust and dirt.” Shiomi then held a hand out, an open palm moving from side to side, and continued, “Yes, I know. How can there be dust or dirt in such a clean ship? Well there is and I could see you two skyscrapers away if I really wanted to. Don’t get me wrong however. It has been proven in the past that a hunter can’t solely rely on a personality profile to determine how they fight. This has gotten many diga hunters killed in the past.”
Yoshi leaned back in shock. Instinctive, he rubbed his arm and replied, “Scary. So what about the others, the ones of Madusa’s blood line?”
“So far they’re the rarest of the three it seems,” Shiomi replied. “Not because they were the weakest or the dumbest, but because they were the most peaceful. Yeah, they killed people. Yeah, they we’re just as professional as the others. But they were also more predictable; and our hunters took no chances. With the greatest minds put together, once again don’t quote me on that, they abused the peaceful nature of the medusa-kin, as I tend to call them, to slay them. Because of this, they also became the most deadly.”
Yoshi lifted an eyebrow and leaned forward. “Not sure how the peaceful can be the most deadly,” he commented with a hand held out.
“Well you got to defend yourself somehow. Anyhow, it started with Madusa actually. The famous stone gaze if you looked into her eyes,” said Shiomi, her hands pointing at her eyes. “The Euryale-kin developed it at some point as well, but it was used more for disabling and rooting than it was for a guaranteed method of survival. At the time, it required actual eye contact, but over the years, her descendants have improved it so much so that they could turn someone to stone by just being in the general area. Something your father liked to abuse.”
“What? My father? The heck did he do to be in a history book?”
“Well, not so much in a book. According to James, his signature move was to lean somewhere near his target, mainly when they were with a loved one and surrounded by people, light a cigar, turn the man or woman to stone without even paying attention and walk away. James said it was also rumored that Phineas would always smile when he did too. I am also told that you recently pulled it off.”
Yoshi’s open hand became a fist and poke around his eye with a finger. “I had to use eye contact and my hand to do that,” he complained.
“Well what do you expect when you don’t train everyday like the rest of us, kid?” Shiomi chastised the cowboy. “Anyways, that’s our history so far.”
“So there are chances of other bloodlines?”
“Yeah, there could be. The three I mentioned are just the ones I’ve been able to do some research on. So far diga isn’t anything natural by the sounds of it, which may explain why a normal force can’t use it. Speaking of history, I am well aware of Tuhina’s existence. She jumps around so often that it’s starting to annoy me. Also, don’t even think for a moment that she hates her existence, because she doesn’t. Knowing her, she’s probably having the time of her life being the greatest research project of the century. And speaking of other people who should be dead, Ijiraku is still out there somewhere.”
Yoshi got out of his chair, wide eye and a hand on his chest. “What?”
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping in touch with my mag. He likes to talk to her a lot; and from time to time, flirt with her too. That’s how I know she alive and how you’ve been using my ship.”
In disbelief, Yoshi half shouted at the newmen, “You’re ship?”
“Yes, my ship,” The white hair newmen mimicked. She then pointed at herself and continued, “It belongs to me. We’ll not me personally, but you get the point. Arks thinks we happily gave it over.” Shiomi rose for her chair and loomed over Yoshi. “Nope, we ‘leased’ it to them. It better be in one piece, kid. I want my ship back.”
“It’s not the prettiest ship in the fleet but it gets the job done.” Yoshi smiled; a smile that turned south, over the bumping of two fingers. “Though I may have kinda…”
Shimoi leaned forward with both hands on her hips. “May have kinda what?”
“, removed the mag from his socket during the retrofitting. And… the engines were completely thrown out for newer more powerful ones.”
“Good, maybe my mag will be much happier out of his rusty old socket. So where did you put him?”
“In an auxiliary port,” replied Yoshi, his face upright with confidence again, “Where the AI that handled the entertainment went.” Afterwards, the cowboy removed his hat and scratched at his teal hair. “So what this about Ijiraku?” He asked in earnest.
“She preserved herself in the T-57 and knows how to make some hefty demands too. She doesn’t want any run of the mill, civilian model, body. Oh no, she wants a state of the art T grade body that has extremely good articulation and excellent photon output.”
“What does the T grade mean?”
“The heck if I know,” Shiomi shrugged. “All I know is that your ‘mother’ is alive and well; and still bugs me about a coat.”
At first Yoshi wanted to ask how she knew Ijiraku called herself his mother, but assumed that the mag she spoke of told her. This made Yoshi a little embarrassed while at the same time, feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Is that why you’re wearing the priest outfit?” Yoshi asked, his hand shaking the hat in a circle in front of him.
Looking down, the newmen tugged at her dress and said, “Oh this? Nah. This is part of the profession I picked up after leaving ARKs and boy is it a good one. You don’t know how easy it is to do my job. These poor sods just keep coming in for forgiveness and blessings and they just let me sprinkle some tainted water all over them. The confessions boxes are even better. They breathe in what I keep in there and leave to die days later to a mysterious erosion of the vital organs. It’s a pretty great gig. You should try it sometime.”
“That’s pretty deadly stuff,” Yoshi cringed.
“You flatter me. It only took me twenty two years to create something as lethal as what a three year old medusa-kin could do in a temper tantrum.”
“Iiiii don’t think a child could-”
“You can’t deny who you are, Yoshi,” Shiomi interrupted, finger poking at the teal man’s chest. “It’s imbedded into who we are. Your grandfather killed people, your father killed people, you’ve killed people, your children are going to kill people and your children’s children are going to kill people. It’s a fact of life and we’re going to have to deal with it. If you need someone to blame, blame ARKs; for keeping this witch hunt alive for so long. Though, there was a short period of peace.”
“What happened then?”
“Leader got assassinated, people blamed it on us and the hunt continued.”
“Fun times.”
“Definitely.”
With intent of concluding their conversation, Shiomi rushed past Yoshi and dashed for the elevator. Near the door, the priestess turned, knelt and said and the warm voice she had before, “Light be with you, child. Oh, and say hi to Sia for me.”
“Sia?” Yoshi asked.
Angered, the newmen raised a fist. “Boy, I’m going to throttle you.”
Yoshi stared back in confusion and shock.
“You know, the newmen girl you work with? Marean?”
“I didn’t know her name was Sia.”
“That’s it, i’m leaving. See you around, kid.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

O.O I knew I should have saved this for later tonight. Great read as always.

[Sacrificial]

MultiCore wants to meet those newmans and see who snaps in two more easily .-.

[yoshiblue]

Things author man has to say.
Alright, so I don't really understand why I did, but I decided to write this in 1st person. As I said, I don't know why. [s]1st person isn't my favorite thing to write in. I should also note that I couldn't bring myself to finish this entry. So if you have any questions about the entry as a whole or what happens next, because I had the weapon store shenanigans and a small food fight in mind at the time, feel free to ask.

The Omake is just something extra. One of the things I wanted to write for the lulz; drawing the essence of Yoshi 6 years hence; as well as Kazamir. Reinhardt being completely replaced by someone else. So yeah. Hope you enjoy. [/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional Music* (http://youtu.be/kA3SOU8aj4U)
Team bonding. After all this time, I never thought I would have been the one to suggest such a thing. Guess I got so use to being dragged into this place; I now do the same to others. But you know? It’s different this time. For a good while, I just let people drag me around, going from place to place, store to store and I was okay with that. Let the winds guide you on your journey. Make people happy and I’m happy. Maybe even have them buy something for me from time to time. This time is different though. This time, I have Marean- whom I’m still trying to get use to her real name being Sia and stuff- and my daughter Arethusa. Who as I think on it now, have never did look up the meaning of her name. Heh heh, sorry honey dew.
Anyways, this would be the first time in a long that I ever took Marean anywhere and I have to admit, it feels kind of odd. Last time I took her somewhere, it was on a co-op mission to rescues one of my mercenary group’s missing teams. By the time we finished, she rammed my head against a wall a couple of times and disappeared. Of course, maybe it was payback for the scar I gave her on the side of her jaw. Then again, it was her fault for trying to take me head on in a pistol fight. I hope she forgave me for suplexing her into that table. That was a metal table and I got her to dent it. Must have really hurt. Then again, she did chuck me off a building during our next encounter. And she did stick a grenade in my mouth. Good thing that flatbed was passing by. Looking back, we went from trying to kill each other, to punching each other, giving each other death glares, then smiles, friendly hellos, and finally now we just hang out since she came back to ARKs. Still though, I start to question my decisions. What do I do? Where do I take her? How much money will she try to weasel out of me? You know; those kinds of things.
None the less, there I stood, at the entrance of this mall whose name still eludes me. Seriously, I just remembered how to get here thanks to the streets and landmarks I took keen mental notes of. Well, that and that construction store nearby. Anyways, he we are, the same stain glass path I normally start out in. The place is brimming with people, a stain glass sky paints the floor under the sunlight, multicultural music is echoing in the distances, the place is kind of cold but it should get warmer when we join the crowd, people are trying to sell things. Figured if I was going to take anyone someplace nice, it would be here where it was somewhat familiar. Hopefully Arethusa gets a kick out of it, if anything. They got weapons, cultural shops, toy stores, science stores; I have been meaning to stop by a book store and get her a copy of 100 ways to manipulate photon: Children’s Edition and Ancient Photons.
After letting the two get a good look of the place, I turned to Marean and said, “Shall we?” Afterwards I stepped forward, my arm guiding them in, and started leading the way.
In a way, I was surprised. Knowing Marean, or so I think, girls are weird; I figured she would immediately take charge, like she normally did in our Celestial tag team days. Which is cool and all, but she didn’t. Instead, I got to lead the way. This gives me a very odd feeling, like I’m doing something wrong. Maybe I’m just not use to it, I told myself. Maybe I’m not meant to be a leader like I always hoped I would be?
“No,” I said to in my mind, “Now is not the time for self-doubt. Let’s start forming ideas. Ideas…”
My eyes scanned around. First thing I locked onto was the ice cream store. “Ice cream,” I asked myself. “Nah, too soon for that. Maybe later”. The place grew warm. The warm scent of pastries caressed the underside of my nose. “How about some pretzels?” Tempting, but also too soon for that. “We just got here, man. Stop thinking about food,” I told myself. “We’re in a mall. What do people come to the mall for? Shopping for nice things. What do girls like to buy? Jewelry?”
“Woah, slow down there, cowboy,” my mind said to me. “Unless you plan to make a proposal, I suggest something else.”
“Would be a nice gesture though,” I replied.
“No,” quickly said my mind.
My eyes darted around while we kept walking, from stain glass furniture to the book store and around a mystical emporium. Lucky for me, Arethusa had been keeping Marean busy the whole time, pointing at many a-things. It’s a good thing she has so many questions. I wonder if they would have driven me crazy by now. Wait, but i’m her father. Why isn’t she asking me anything? I’ve been betrayed. No, do not shed a tear, Yoshi, for you are a man.
In the mists of my distress, then it hit me, clothes. “I’m not just making a general assumption here, am I?” I asked myself, my finger rubbing my chin. “Better than nothing, I guess,” I shrugged.
It was then that I shifted and proposed my idea towards the others. Arethusa wasn’t so keen about it but Marean seem to think it was an okay idea. So it was decided, much to Arethusa’s dismay, we head to the clothing store. Now to find a map of the darn place; “A map,” I said to myself. “A map…” And what do you know, a few seconds of looking around and there’s a black pillar with a map right on it, not too far away. A map right by a couple of benches separated by a flower patch arranged in all sorts of symbols. “Ah ha,” I shouted, my arm aim in the direction of the ebony stone pillar. My legs dashed for it. By the sounds of similar footsteps, it seems Marean followed after me. Reaching it, I traced my finger along the list of store names. Marean did the same but on the other side. After a few seconds of looking over them, she found one on the second floor.
“Nice job,” I complemented her, with a smile and a thumbs up. In response, she returned the smile.
With the location known, we moved, side by side, for the nearest elevator. We could have used the escalators but they under maintenance, the second floor being a recent addition and all. Much like the Arks lobby, the floor of the second floor appeared transparent up top, very few things could be seen from underneath. This was made clear by a half wrapped slab leaning against the wall, one we traveled under. On one side, I could see the wall behind it. But when we walked underneath, moving stain glass patterns danced across its polished surface. Throughout the whole way, as if something answered my prayer, Arethusa had been tugging at my pant leg, wanting me to take her other places; the toy store, the electronic store and even the furniture store of all things. She almost won too. Up just ahead, a store holding various weapons sat within the bend of a large half circle formation. Had it not been for the glare of my should be green hair companion, her current hair color dyed black and all, I would have made a detour for it. So instead, I promised I would take her to the toy store later. Seeing her leap for joy and wide smile, it made my heart melt with warmth. Speaking of warmth, funny enough, as we walked on by, we both avoided looking at the salon store. I wanted forget the last night I was here and found it funny that we both looked away from it. It then became an odd scene of us looking away from things. We both spotted the salon, she looked way, I looked away, we looked at each other and we both looked away from each other. Then we started walking faster, nervously laughing to ourselves for a bit.
Soon, in about two minutes or so, we reached an elevator. A glass room, built like an oversized support beam, made of glass, standing in the center of a pathway. For the most part, the elevators were nice. Each seemed to be crafted for their respective area themes. In this case, a church themed elevator telling the story of the building’s founding. While not a very exciting story in my opinion, it did have pretty colors. And it did look rather unique. By the look the elevator, I’m going to assume they figured out that all glass areas are bad and or this area needed some variety. Quick and smooth the doors opened and we walked in. Fast and quiet, the doors opened and we walked out, each of us expressing our feelings of weightlessness. Seems we underestimated the power of our ride. Or maybe the lack of line shields had something to do with it? Getting a grip of ourselves, I noticed a vending machine and said, my arm directed at the black and clue machine of liquidated refreshments,
“Heh, I’m getting thirsty, how about something to drink?” I asked in pleasant voice.
“Alright,” Arethusa cheered.
“Sure, why not?” Marean calmly replied.
Money in hand, I planted it in my daughter’s blue gloves and said, “Here, go ahead and pick what you want.” I then winked and added, “Keep the change.”
“Geese, thanks, d-er…man,” Arethusa said with sarcasm.
Blushing, she skipped towards the machine while I watched, with arms crossed. I know her pain. It’s hard not calling anyone by their real names and I’m sure it’s just as hard for her to resist calling me ‘dad’. All this disguise business, it’s a shame Marean is a wanted person, as it is for Arethusa. Just thinking about it makes me so mad. Sometimes I wonder how Tuhina feels about all of this. Then again, sometimes I wonder how Tuhina would react to the sight of me with another woman in a mall. I shook my head, not wanting these frightening images in my head. Last thing I want is a needle in my gut or something. Like, fifty of them, stabbed right into my scars. Though, now that I think on it, I wonder if she finds my scars attractive. I wonder if Marean finds them attractive. Do I find Marean’s scars attractive?
“Focus, Yoshi,” my mind said to me.
I snapped out of my daze. Just in time too, I was up next. On my approach, I studied my options. The machine didn’t have my favorite soft drink so I had to go with the alternative, the strangest of them all, A PB&J flavored soda.
I looked down for a moment and blankly stared at the lid keeping me from my drink. “Heh, I’m going to regret this,” I said in my head. With a tap on the cap, a small hole opened up. I took a sip and tapped it again so I could pocket it for later. The hole closed. It was alright, I guess. Not too bad, but not something I would look forward to buying again either. With the can hidden away, I grinned at the other two and hummed a sort of sound, asking them if they were ready to move on.
“Eh,” Arethusa shrugged. I could tell she wasn’t too excited.
In an effort to cheer her up, I knelt down beside her, wrapped an arm around and whispered, “Think of it this way. You can find a wardrobe to call your own, clothes that you have chosen yourself, you know, things you’ed want to wear.”
“Well, I guess so,” responded Arethusa, still unconvinced but thinking a little better of the idea.
“Come on, let’s go,” I comforted her, giving my daughter a little shake before leading her forwards, hand in hand. Deep down inside, I did hope I wouldn’t regret this. With the saying, friends rub off on each other; I hope she hasn’t picked up Marean’s habit of breaking the bank.
Upon reaching the clothing store, I didn’t really look up to see the name, didn’t really care all that much, I watched as Marean and Arethusa strolled inside. Taking out my soda, I reopened the lid and almost took a sip before Marean spun around and stared at me.
As I lowered the can, Marean asked me, “Well. Aren’t going to come inside?”
I could feel my eyebrows squeeze together as I looked at her. I fumbled my smile around and shrugged. “I figured you would want me to wait inside. You know, so I don’t bug you,” I replied, thinking she could hear the unsureness in my voice.
“Would you just get in here?” she commanded.
“Alright, alright,” I said in return, making my way into the store.

*optional music* (http://youtu.be/ZEjLphC2Dl4)
It’s not what I usually do but I can say this would be an interesting experience. The place is pretty cozy. I could feel the much warmer air wrap around me. The colors were pretty nice too; neutral, beige floors under tan walls; clothing racks as far as the eye can see, though nothing that made me want to wonder around on my own. So instead, I followed Marean while keeping an eye on Arethusa, who wanted to explore on her own. After a little talk with Marean, I said sure. I figured she’s old enough to look around by herself, though I still had the urge to keep an eye on her. I guess this is what you would call a parental instinct. Hopefully I won’t vulture over her in the near future. I wouldn’t like that and doubt she would as well.
Thus she ran off in joy, a little teal head bobbing between lanes of clothes. Every so often, I had to stand on my tippy toes just to look over the taller racks. I got to say though; I am pretty impressed with myself for being able to follow Marean around while staying focused on my daughter. I felt like a pretty cool dude for accomplishing this. While in my walk of pride, Marean would be picking out clothes that caught her eye. Eventually we came around the changing room where she then said out of the blue,
“I’m going to try on these clothes for now, okay?”
“Alright,” I replied, not really sure why she felt the need to tell me. Did she want me to stay? Did she want me to walk around on my own? Regardless, I didn’t ask. Instead I just simply nodded and watched her go inside an empty stall.
Standing by myself again, I poke around with my eyes. I shift in place a few times in the process. Good thing the place had very few people in it, I thought to myself. It would have been very awkward to stand around, alone and near the changing rooms. Lucky for me, Arethusa soon came running to me, clothes in hand.
“Old man,” she shouted, “Can I buy these?”
In here hands, several strange and slightly disturbing shirts were displayed, so much so that I felt a bit sick in my stomach.
“No,” I defiantly said to her.
“Aw, why not?” she cried.
“I, nor your mother, will tolerate you wearing any clothes with skulls and organs on them, young miss. What do you think other people and your family will think of you?”
“Aw, come on,” she protested. “I saw you wear a shirt like this.”
“That was just once,” I rejected, containing my voice. “And I lost a bet.”
“Sure you did,” sassed Arethusa. “I bet you just wore it because Marean bought it for you.”
“I did not,” I denied. I then pointed behind her and commanded, “No mean no. Now, go put those back where you found them and find some decent clothes.”
She groaned in response. She stomped on the floor and leered at me, taking on an angry stance before stampeding away. “I can’t have anything nice,” she whined.
Feeling a bit exhausted, I sighed and sat down on a white bench. It made me feel sad inside, not getting what she wanted, but I didn’t want her wearing those clothes. Yeah sure, I felt a parent should be understanding and accepting, but I have to draw the line somewhere don’t I? Thinking about it, it made me wonder if I was ever going to do a good job of parenting. Did I go too far? In the midst of my pondering, Mareans voice called out from inside the stall.
“Yoshi,” she called to me, “could you come in here?”
I unwillingly uttered a nervous chuckle and replied, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” she sighed, “Just get in here. I want your opinion on something.”
“Okay,” I said, in a tone that would let her know that I felt it wasn’t a good idea.
Stepping inside, I saw her looking in a mirror, a backside turned towards it. Halfway in the doorway, I asked, “Yeah?”
She didn’t look at me. Instead she continued adjusting her pants and asked, “Does this make my butt look big?”
Time froze, I shook a little. Oh no, I thought in my head, this question. Reinhardt warned me about this question. In the past he once told me there are no winners in this battle. Oh man, I wish he was here. I could totally use some advice right now. What should I say, what should I do? Everything was moving in slow motion. Alright, I said to myself, let play this cool. Alright, I can do this. Let’s go. Time unfroze, I entered inside. Placing both hands on my hips, I said,
“Let’s be honest here, when it comes to your ass, I’d rather see it with the pants off.”
Oooooooohhh noooooooooooo! I screwed up! How can I be so stupid? I had one job and I blew it! And stupid me; standing there with a smug look on my face, posing like some sort of super hero, thinking I looked all cool in that stall with her, saw her hold a second pair of pants in front of her face, staring at me. Before I knew it, I was getting a swift kick in the butt as she screaming at me in rapid succession,
“Get out. Get out. Out, now!”
Once outside, I grabbed my hair and coiled in despair. “What was I thinking?” I screamed in my mind. I destroyed our friendship. Me. It just slipped out. How could I let this happen? In my grief, Arethusa came running up to me with more objects in hand.
“Can I have this? Can I? Can I?” she asked, a jester hat pressed against my face.
“Are you sure you want to go around wearing something like this?” I asked, still slouching, my head turned towards her with a raised eyebrow, my hand in a lopsided position by the hat.
“Must you reject everything I want?”
I looked down. “Keep it up and we won’t be going to that weapon store.”
“I thought we were going to the toy store?” Arethusa complained; both arms crossed.
“Same difference,” I uncaringly replied.
“Cool, can I have a medieval flail then?” she then asked, swinging the jester hat around and above her head.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Awesome! So how about this then?” she then asked, a top hat on her head and a monocle held over her left eye.
“Sure, I’ll buy them,” I submitted, taking both the jester hat and other things out of her hand.
“Woooo!” cheered Arethusa, both arms shooting up in the air. She then hugged me and added, “You’re the best.”
“Yeah yeah,” I groaned.
Shortly after, Marean came walking out of the stall. She didn’t bothering to look at me. Because of this, I felt compelled to apologize and dashed up to her.
“Mar-Marisa, I’m-” I said in a pleading voice before being interrupted.
“I don’t want to hear it,” said Marean, her chin held high.
Making our way towards the cash register, I continued my effort to apologize by saying, “I’m-”
"I said I don't want to hear it."
"Please, I-i-i-"
“If you’re truly sorry, then you’re paying for my clothes.”
I stepped back a little. I felt played. Baffled, dumbstruck, I rubbed my temple with a hand and thought for a moment. What if this is serious? If it is, then I can’t take the risk. I’m going to have to pay one way or another. Then my mind spoke to me. One voice said,
“No, you put your foot down and tell her to pay for them herself.”
Another voice joined in and said, “No, he must pay for them; give a little and take it back later.”
“How do you expect for her to see you as a man if you let her walk all over you?” the first voice argued.
“All things in moderation, my friend. When he has his chance, he will know and he will take it. There is nothing for him to lose.”
“Uh,” I interrupted. “Of what path are we speaking of here?” I asked myself.
“Hush,” they both shushed me.
Shaking my head, I leaped back into reality. I then looked back at Marean in the eyes and bravely replied, “Okay.”
At that moment, Marean smiled at me and threw all her clothes onto me, saying, “You are forgiven.”
I felt like such an idiot. What does my daughter even think of me now? Thinking on it, I dared not to look back at her. I didn’t want to see the look on her face. As the father who fell into this trap. So instead, I stood tall, as a man who had achieved some form of victory. Though hopefully not as a Pyrrhic victory, because those kind of suck. Paying for these clothes, I already regretted this team bonding thing. I feel like more bad has come from it than good. Though, on the bright side, I do get to spend some time with my daughter. So it’s not all that bad in the end.
Exiting the store, I put away the purchased clothes and looked at a clock hovering near the ceiling. One made of stain class that flew as both the sun and moon in the sky. In a way, I felt that would need to be change but I didn’t complain. On the clock, both hands pointed at the number twelve, or noon. With the time in my head, I said to myself, “Awesome,” and turned towards the other two.
“So, how about some lunch?” I asked them, my arms spread wide against the chilly rails behind me.


[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Another Side Another Story - Yoshiblue: The Omake -[SPOILER-BOX]
*Optional music and Theme of Yoshiblue* (http://youtu.be/5qZq39Vr9N4)
Fingers rubbed against plastic. The sounds they made were loud, like a piece of plastic rubbing around inside your ear. “Testing, testing, 1…2…3,” a young female voice called in the darkness. “Hey, how do I know if this thing is recording?”
“Look for a little red light,” a young male voice responded.
The sounds of movement rapidly rapped against this plastic.
“Oh, okay. Alright let’s do this. Wait,” the female voice paused for a moment, muffled sounds of fingers tapping around plastic soon after. “How do I know if the video is on?” She called, her voice distant as if asking from behind her back.
“The heck if I know. That thing’s a relic,” the boy replied, his voice much closer this time.
“Hmm…” the girl sounded. “Oh well, I guess they will just have to use their imaginations.” Fingers pounded on the plastic again. “Okay,” she cheered. “Starting the amazing first log by none other than the amazing, the fabulous, the beautiful Yoshiblue.”
“What does that make me?” the boy butted in, his voice even closer this time.
“You’re just my sidekick,” Yoshi rudely replied.
“What, no amazing introduction of my own. Like the all handsome Kazamir the Great?”
“Hey, there’s only room for one star in this show and that’s me. You’re just Kazamir, the sidekick to the amazing Yoshiblue, that’s me.” Crackling noises were made as the camera violent jumped around to the movements of her body.
“Oh please, you aren’t nearly as good looking as I am,” Kazamir confidently proclaimed.
“More good looking than me, huh?” Yoshi mischievously whispered to herself. “Alright, I’ll admit that you’re more good looking; when I paste my face over yours.”
“Hey,” Kazamir cried.
“Let’s be honest here, it would be a very large improvement for you.”
“Grr, that’s not funny,” Kazamir screamed.
“Alright, so introductions. Hi, I’m Yoshi. Just imagine a teal hair girl with a brown felted ten gallon hat, a super cool gunslash, fabulous hair, and an outfit that makes me look all rugged and stuff.”
“You’re just wearing a gray steel jaeger with a yellow poncho over it,” Kazamir interrupted.
“And this is my not so grateful side kick, Kazamir,” continued Yoshiblue.
“Kazamir the Great,” the boy corrected her with a bit of high class tones.
Yoshi sighed a heavy sigh. “He just some human boy with black hair. Well, he has a little bit of dewmen but it’s not like that matters much,” Yoshi added.
“Is totally matters, just look at my cool tattoos,” enthusiastically said Kazamir.
“Yeah, that’s nice,” ignored Yoshi.
A sound similar to a smack to the face was then made. Though there was no cry of pain, the boy’s complained to the girl still; his voice seemingly muffed by something covering his mouth.
“Shush,” commanded Yoshi, creating loud noises as the camera shook and banged around again. “I hear someone coming.”
Yoshi tossed around the camera. Kazamir grunted in anger. The footsteps grew closer, louder, the crunching sounds of dirt became more distinct and the movement of brush apparent. Once loud and very near, all movement stopped. A moment of silence followed.
“What are you doing?” asked a soft monotone female voice.
“Oh hi, Kreszentia; Oh, us? Nothing,” nervously replied Yoshi.
A sharp noise of a pebble scattering across the dirt made it sound as if someone took a step forward. “That’s a camera,” the female voice monotonously pointed out.
“Oh, this thing? I just found it not too long ago. It doesn’t work,” responded Yoshi again, nervously giggling soon after.
Someone began dashing away. The camera violently shook again, this time against cloth.
“Kazamir, she’s getting away,” Yoshi shouted in a raspy voice. “After her.”
“I’m trying,” yelled Kazamir.
“*Kerzt*, this is patrol, *kerzt*. We’re pursing on foot, *kerzt*. *Kerzt*, what’s the situation, Yoshi the Fabulous? *kerzt*. *Kerzt*, a fugitive is running from the awesome. We’re moving in to take her down, *kerzt*.”
“Last time I check, I was the awesome one,” coldly said Kreszentia.
“You’ll never be more awesome than me,” screamed Yoshi. Some more running ensued before Yoshi found herself yelling, “Kazamir, she’s jumping up the mountain side, get her. Get her.”
“I can’t, I’m too far away,” cried Kazamir.
“I’ll get you next time, newmen,” shouted Yoshi right afterwards, out of breath; the sounds of crumbling stone made as if something weighed down on them. “You hear me.”
Catching her breathe, Yoshi then said towards the camera, “Anyways, that was Kreszentia. She’s a newmen with white hair and white eyes. She’s like, the ultimate stoic or something. Never shows expression, monotone in voice. Dresses all fancy and has a very nice set of legs.”
“Yoshi, you’re a girl,” said an exhausted Kazamir.
“I know,” replied Yoshi.
“That’s weird.”
“I wouldn’t be too concerned about it. Why do you think I keep you around?” replied Yoshi, laughing maniacally in the process, the sounds of rock crumbling again, followed by heavy footsteps.
“Wait what?” said a shocked dewmen human. “What do you mean? Yoshi? What does that mean? Hey. This isn’t funny. Hey! What do you mean?! Yoshi?!”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Vintasticvin]

:D Yoshi, I know you always beat yourself about your stories but man this issue/episode/chapter was wow awesome, much enjoyable read, many enjoyment.

[yoshiblue]

I wanted to use only two tracks for this entry. I wanted to. Its kind of annoying really.



- Inner Depths -[SPOILER-BOX]
On a random afternoon, Shiomi sat in an abandoned silent empty room, void of any nearby people or security. While she sat, the holy priestess themed newmen eyed a device, a gray box like object, which slept under a well-lit spot light in the middle of a room. Specs of dust flouted in the air, each becoming a star of its own upon each particle’s drift into a white cone shaped cover. At first they drifted without a care, towards the floor, like rain in slow motion. Then suddenly, for just a moment, a swish, a flick, the dust swirled in the air. They scattered in all directions. Something had disturbed the dust.
Without a sound, a woman stepped out from the darkness, a tan skin woman wearing a gray lab coat and silver frames, dressed completely like a stereotypical scientist, only different. For the pinkish highlights staining the edges of her clothing gave her allegiance away, one who did not work to save another. Without stopping, without looking to see if anyone was nearby, the woman approached the device and picked it up from its cold dusty bed. The box leveled up to her face, she tapped a button. The device opened. Stinking two fingers into it, a vile clamped between the two gloved fingers soon glistened in the air. Liquid swished around, fingers danced around and the woman smiled; replacing the vile for a cleaner newer one.
“Tuhina, it’s been a while,” mysteriously said Shiomi from under her cloak of darkness.
Startled, Tuhina stepped back, her arm raised into a combat position. “Who goes there,” she asked, a hint of fright contained in her voice.
“An old friend,” replied Shiomi, as she made her dramatic entrance into the light. “It’s about time you showed up. I was almost about to rip you out all the way over here.”
Tuhina squinted and leaned forward, to get a better look at the white hair newmen priestess. “Yaeko?” she whispered. “What are you doing here?” she asked in disbelief.
“I’m here to strike a deal. As you can expect, Yoshi has been getting reckless; careless. On a mission in the tunnels of Lilipa, I spotted him dumping a few bodies into the waters below.”
Tuhina covered her mouth and gasped. Before she could speak, the newmen raised a hand and continued,
“Don’t worry. They were stored in an airtight container. Criminals as well who got in his way. So you know, no need to worry about him killing the innocent and all that nonsense. But really, subtlety was never the kid’s strong point.”
“So what are you proposing here?” cautiously asked Tuhina, her foot sliding the box towards herself.
Shiomi crossed her arms. With a smile she said, “I propose a trade, a CAST body; one of the military kind. Yoshi is in need of a mentor you see, and I lack the time to babysit him. Get him that and in return, I’ll give you a more secure, guaranteed method to obtain your needs.”
“How do you know about them, what are you trying to gain from this?”
Stalling the conversation for a moment, the female newmen looked down and reached into a pocket. With a few seconds of rummaging around, an Ah ha was shouted, her arm drew a list made of paper and ink. “Yoshi left this list behind, unintentionally of course, as I was the one who pulled the strings. As for what I want out of this, well, that’s none of your business.”
Tuhina then threw both her arms against her side in frustration. “You’re the same as ever, so secretive. You never change, Yaeko.” The human woman then paced around and thought for a bit. After five cycles, she finally spun towards Shiomi and said, “Fine, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. See you around then,” said Shiomi as she walked away.
“That’s it?” Tuhina pouted. “No hello. No, how are you? How are the kids? The family?” Shiomi only turned and stared, unsure how to respond. “I’m tired of people treating me like I’m no longer human, like I’m not a person anymore. Do you know what Kazamir did to me?” she cried, a finger pointed at her chest. “He pointed a sword at me and told me to leave or die by his blade. And Reinhardt, he turned around like he saw a ghost and walked away. He wouldn’t even listen to me.”
“And how did Yoshi take it?” asked Shiomi in a comforting voice, her hands placed on Tuhina’s shoulders. Tuhina in turned smiled and tossed her head for a bit, only for the smile to soon turn into a frown as focused eyes stared at the newmen’s.
“Who’s the girl, the black haired one who roams with Bitol?” shot Tuhina, leaning forward with intent to get the information out of her friend.
“Oh her, her name is Marisa; someone introduced to him by Kazamir. She a nice girl, a bit angry at times though. Then again, this is bonehead she’s hanging around with,” Shiomi said with a light laugh.
Filled with boiling rage, Tuhina lifted two fists; each clutched with the strength to bend steel and complained, “Kazamir, of course he would do this.” In an attempt to maintain her composure, Tuhina straightened out her coat, stood in resolution and continued, “Thank you, Yaeko. I must go. Tell your wife Karol I said hello.”
On that, Tuhina twisted on her heel and stormed away in the other direction, fading into a lightning quick ripple and a puff of red mist. Looking on from the distance, Shiomi scratched at her head and quietly said, “So much for that friendly conversation. I hope she knows there another black hair newmen who lives with him.”
_______________________________

(*optional ambient noise*) (http://youtu.be/U4p1mZnKkhc)

“Hello, this is Aiko. I will be your operator for this mission,” said a woman’s voice while three people rushed down a corridor. “As you may know, the previous investigation of the stolen freighter had turned south and Yoshi has been captured in the process. As you should know, you will be teaming up with Dimitri’s team for this mission, led by none other than Dimitri himself. Your objective is to go in and rescue Yoshi, should he still be alive, and get out as quickly as possible. Let Dimitri’s team handle the cleanup. That is all.”
Three people piled into a room, one made of bright white walls and red furniture. Rushing through the room, the trio heading into the camp ship’s warp room, where they then pull out their gear and began prepping for the mission ahead. Leading the three, Shiomi took out a partisan and laid it onto the floor, where she then knelt down and pretended to pray. Passing by her, Arron went to the storage console and withdrew an ancient dagger. Walking in slowly behind, the last of the three, Marean leaned against a wall where she then stared out a window and watched as a second camp ship waiting nearby.
“Any reason why you told us to use archaic weapons?” asked Arron, his voice failing to hide his inner irritation.
“This is a mission with Dimitri. That means those who use diga are involved and will likely have men that can shut off most forms of photonic warfare, including our weapons. That is why I told you to get something sturdy and made of metal.”
“Diga-born? Why would they steal a ship and take it down onto the planet?”
“For a good number of reasons, but enough of that; let us pray Yoshi is still alive. Diga-kin have never been very fond of Arks and will kill those in it, even their own.”
“You can’t be serious?” asked Arron, unwilling to believe such a thing.
“I am serious,” Shiomi replied. “For example, had Yoshi’s father been alive today, he would have most likely not only disown his only son, but try to take his life as well. Arks and the people of Diga share a long history, Arron, and Yoshi should consider himself very lucky. To be no longer among the hunted is a dream many have had in the past. When you find them, kill them; doesn’t matter if they look like you.” Shiomi redirected her attention onto Marean, who only continued to look out into space. “Marisa, you’ve been quiet for quite a while now. That’s not like you. Is everything alright-Not a word from you, Arron,” sung the priestess, her finger burning into the leg of the man standing near her.
“Yes, master.” Arron quietly replied.
“And I told you to stop calling me that,” Shiomi snapped
“Hello,” a male voice shouted over a crackling channel. “Can you read me? Please respond.”
“This is Team Zelatus,” responded Shiomi, “Is something the matter?”
“We lost all forms of communications in your area of the vessel. Is everything alright in there?”
“Everything seems fine in here. We’ve been waiting for our departure for a while now.”
“Alrighty then,” replied a cheery pilot, “we leave in ten.”
Shiomi rose from the floor with her partisan in hand. Sheathing it on her back, the newmen placed a finger on her ear and asked, “Elm, Yoshi was wearing the necklace you gave him when he vanished right?”
“I believe so. Why?” asked Elm, a pilot who looked up from underneath the glass floor he stood under.
“I’ve made a recent addition to it a while ago. If he wore the necklace during his mission, his captures should be giving him a very long…interrogation,” Shiomi finished. Removing her finger from her ear, she retreated into the waiting room where she would then reflect on the mission ahead.
Arron also fled towards the door asking in impatience curiosity, “What’s on the necklace?”
“Never mind what’s on the necklace, boy.”
In the ten minutes that passed, the two camp ships were freed of their leashes and allowed to finally fly out into the star covered sea, where they would dive into blue watery portals. In the next few seconds, both ships found themselves flying straight into the yellow desert planet of Lilipa. A planet where the stolen ship had said to have crash landed in. Moving into position, the trio eagerly awaited by the warp pool, impatiently tapping various parts of the ships while Elm went off in his B-02 to drop off their telepipe; a task that didn’t take long for in those few elongated minutes, the warp pool glowed with the yellow hues of the sandy surface below and gave the signal for their dispatch. So the trio did. In a running start all of them leaped into the portal and found themselves standing under a scorching sun. The sparkling minerals in the sand welcomed them from below, hugging at their boots.

(*optional ambient noise*) (http://youtu.be/yRy58bZNU4Q)
Three fingers clung onto the hood of a faded mint robe as Shiomi shifted around to the sound of another team warping in. Four blue crystal meteros hit the floor one by one and a team of newmens emerged, standing close by Dimitri, who looked the priestess in the eyes with a gaze of unwanted assistance. The feeling was mutual.
“Forgive me, sir,” politely said Shiomi in a fake voice, “but I do believe that we should be the ones heading in first.”
“That won’t be needed, priestess,” responded Dimitri in a confident manner. “Your missing team member is dead. I do not see any need for us to wait for your confirmation.”
“Have you no faith in your men?” scolded Shiomi, he dress lifted as she took a few steps closer to the man.
Ignoring the priestess, Dimitri opened up a map and said to himself, “I have faith, faith in only those who serve under me.”
The woman growled at the decorated newmen man and returned to the other two, whispering to them, “Let us leave, my children. We have no need to wait for them.” Gaining distance from Dimitri’s team, Shiomi picked up in speed, kicking waves of earth all over the place as she scurried towards the ship. Not in fear of Yoshi’s health, but because she hated Dimitri that much. A feeling Arron felt as he asked,
“Is everything alright, master?”
“I told you not to-,” shouted Shiomi, her fist held by Arron’s noses before she sighed and dropped it. “If there is anyone who I would kill right after a mission, it would be Dimitri. And any other poor soul he brings with him.”
“I don’t understand. What has he done to deserve such hate?”
“Never mind why I loathe the scumbag. Look up ahead,” Shiomi pointed. “Our unfortunate ally waits in there.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/uF23NmMu3Mo)
Up ahead, the crash ship laid. Partially buried in the sand, half the hull glistened in the sunbeams, broken and perpendicular to the swallowed portion of the ship. Sparks of electrify fled from the ship, the trio could see lights flicker inside its inner veins. More importantly, not a body was to be seen in either bloodied soil or on its warm metal plates. Cautiously, their alerted hands caressing their hilts, the team approached, half crouched and with haste. Not too far behind, Dimitri stepped over the ridges of the sand dunes and watched over the three, his team members positioned close by.
Once Marean had found a safe place to enter, the three hid in the shade and awaited orders. “Marisa, you know what to do,” commanded Shiomi, her wrist flicked into the ship. Marean nodded and took off, starting with the second level instead of the first.
“How comes she gets to go in alone?” cried Arron.
“I told you already, boy. Yoshi and Marisa have been in the business longer than you have. She knows what she’s doing.”
“She doesn’t look that experienced. I bet whatever she can do, I can do three times better.”
Shiomi snatched Arron by the collar and drew him close with her white teeth bared. “No, you can’t, boy. Now shut your happy little pie-hole and follow me. And don’t make a sound. Last thing you’ll ever want is a wave of sand eroding your face off.”
Arron made and audible gulping noise the moment the two headed into the ship, both taking on two different combat stances. In the darkness, Shiomi took out an old visor and placed it over her face. In case of areas void of any light, Shiomi would use this visor in the past, before she mastered her abilities, so that she could still get around without getting herself killed. Now it is used to keep Arron safe as she would catch him with her arms so that he wouldn’t trip or fall. While exploring the fallen ship, Shiomi had discovered that various parts of the hull sustained harsh amounts of punishment. Both from the fighting inside and during the crash land. Moving around holes caused by explosives, extreme uses of diga and chunks of penetrating rock, the two headed towards a strange light that emanated from a secluded room above them; it’s passaged blown apart during a battle. By using Arron to boost herself up, Shiomi raised the man from the level below and rushed for the door, where she would then take a breaching position alongside Arron. On the count of three, the newmen’s fingers visible in the light, the two opened the door and stormed inside.

(*optional (http://youtu.be/5SYcYMQUrsc) / music* (http://youtu.be/3Zlx3K0vPSw))
“Freeze,” Arron shouted as soon as he spotted a lone half naked girl sitting in the room. “Hand in the air and don’t think of trying anything stupid.”
“Relax, Arron. Can’t you see the injuries on her? And that’s Yoshi’s mag.” said Shiomi slowly.
The priestess circled around the girl, staring into her frightened eyes while the girl clutched the wounds on her legs and shivered in fear. The mag followed the woman’s movements for a moment before it went back to its previous duty; healing the girl.
“Well, you put on quite the show,” said Dimitri who now causally walked in, his arms spread open in a boastful manner.
Upon seeing him, Shiomi rushed around and sheltered the girl. “You will not touch her, Dimitri,” boomed the protective priestess.
“Seeing that she is alive, she must have been among their kind. Stand aside priestess, I will take it from here.”
“I will not allow you to harm her,” Shiomi retaliated, Arron stood in the way. “Speak my child,” Shiomi whispered in a motherly tone. “There is nothing to fear. You are under light’s grace.”
“It was…horrible…terrible. They killed everyone, everyone except me,” the girl cried, her blacken eyes glued to the cold white floor below her.
“What did they do to you?” Shiomi warmly asked.
“They took me prisoner, lashed at me, threw sand everywhere. They-they stripped me of my clothes and-and,”
“Barbarians,” Dimitri spat in the background.
The girl looked up, “You have to help him. He came in, right when they were-they took him prisoner. Something about his necklace caught their leader’s attention. I wanted to help him; I can still hear his cries of pain in my head. They shouted things at him. They started to brand him. Do you know what that’s like? To be branded?” she asked, a small inflated mark made evident on her forehead as she looked up into the light. I-there were too many of them. I wanted to help-but there were-I-I tried-I can’t. I couldn’t,” she sobbed in her knees. “I’m such a coward.”
“Shh, shh, it’s okay my child. You did a good job. You’re safe now, leave the rescuing to us. We’re here to help.” Picking the girl off the floor, Shiomi removed her shades from her head and placed them on Arron. “Arron, I want to you escort this girl back home. I am entrusting this to you, don’t you dare fail me.”
Dimitri blocked the doorway. “You don’t now have the jurisdiction to let her go, priestess,” he interrupted.
“Have you not seen what they did to her? Do you not see that she is a victim and a member of ARKs, one of your own? Let her go.”
“For all we know, she could be a spy, or worse, an opportunistic traitor.”
“You do anything to stop her and I will ensure your father will hear about this.”
“Is that a threat I hear, priestess? You think you can use my disgrace of a father’s position in the church to stay my hand? I could have you killed for your heresy, defending this… diga girl.”
“And I to you as well, orphan. You think the killings of thousands will be smiled upon by the masses. I can make your secret little organization known in an instant,” hissed Shiomi.
“This is the problem with you small minded simpletons. You think any of them are victims. No they’re not. None of them are, we are the true victims. You heard her petty tale. You heard how they do as they please, raiding and raping what they see. That is why we exist. That is why we have done what we had to for all these years. Because of them; those ignorant sods who called themselves people. We protect the people, priestess” said Dimitri, his raged contained in the arms that shook before him. “We allow you to sleep comfortably in your bed at night. We do what other can’t and that’s stopping the evils stronger than the common man. We dirty our hands because no one else can. You will do well to hand her over to me and forget about all of this.”
“Have you no heart? Can you not see that not every one of them, those diga-born, are who you label them as? Who you believe them to be like? Spare her and you will be doing her good, her family good; good for the whole fleet.”
“It was bad enough that I spared one of those undeserving halfwits already. I will not spare another in the same year,” barked Dimitri, his face glowing red in a now swiveling light.
“Then I will find someone to do it in your stead. Now if you will excuse us, we have a team mate to save and I have no time to waste on your benighted words. May the light scare away the darkness suckling at your eyes.”
Infuriated, wishing he could order his men to kill the woman who defied him, Dimitri gave dark looks at his men, sized them by their shoulders and stormed out of the room, ripping them out with him. After a few minutes of peace, Marean dropped in from the ceiling and glanced around.
“What are the odds of you protecting her?” Marean asked; her back against Shiomi’s.
“Slim at best. Come, we have a close friend to rescue,” said Shiomi, her lids closed and her hands clasped together.
“I did some scouting while I was away. He looks bad. There are twenty of them left, all in the same room, no one else. It seems he escaped at one point; killed about fifteen of them before he was captured again. Think we can take them?”
“Are there any other survivors?”
“No,” softly replied Marean. “They killed the last of them the same moment I found the diga-born.”
“Then it seems I was right all along. Alright, here’s the plan. You take the ones by the door. I’ll get the ones in the back.”
“How do you intend to do that?” asked Marean, the pitch of her voice rising as she tried to work out the possibilities.
Shiomi leaned in very close to Marean’s ear and whispered, “Why do you think you’re still sane at the moment?”
Marean pursed her lips and walked away. Following behind, Shiomi placed a device on Marean’s shoulder and began to tap at it. “What are you doing?” Marean asked over her shoulder.
“Giving you some extra protection, had we put them on inside the campship, bonehead would have known and acted accordingly,” Shiomi replied, her focus kept on the shoulder device. “Even with standard shields, the Euryale kin can get past them. So I requested some additional protection- proto types of line shields wore by Dimitri’s team. It should protect you from a few lucky blows.” Once finished, a thin layer of light covered Marean’s body, beeping twice in the process. “You’re shaking. If you need a moment, let me know.”
Marean didn’t answer.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/JQgZgS91wFE)
“The faster we get there, the faster we can save him. So let’s hurry up.”
Once finished setting up a line shield of her own, the priestess gave her newmen ally a small hug and began jogging towards the direction of the quieting screams ahead, jumping down the explosive born hole, where the two would then tread carefully down the hallway. Normally they would just run in, but things are different this time around, for Shiomi isn’t the only one who uses sand and dirt to track her targets. To her, the sand now becomes much like a tail attached to two bodies. Should one side move, the other will feel it and vice versa. So in order to prevent their detection, Shiomi placed a lot of energy into keeping all the sand intact, leaving Dimitri’s team of nameless newmens all on their own in their attempts at stealth. With any luck, they will lure the men away from Yoshi and allow for a flawless rescue and a clean escape. Sadly, the two did not have such luck, for the moment Shiomi peered into that bloodstained room, that room fill with the limbs and guts of the desecrated; she knew she given her foes too much credit. Like the simple minded fools they are, all of them were too busy taking turns kicking Yoshi around to notice what went on around them. These were not of the stronger bloodlines, Shiomi said in her head. They are nothing but the lesser beings that allow their emotions to cloud their minds and let inner desires drive them to damnation. These are the kind of people who would look at her family crest and give all who bear it a slow gruesome death.
“Old family rivalries are never forgotten it seems,” Shiomi said under her breath. She ducked down and looked Marean in the eyes, both of them communicating in a form of sign language neither of them understood. Spending what seemed like hours in their search for common ground, Marean finally decided to grab her sword and punch her hand with the pommel. Shiomi, while slightly ashamed of the outcome, nodded in agreement.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/eWNOW_j3OjA?t=1m7s)
The door slid open, Marean rushed in, her blade halfway drawn. Shiomi entered, moved in the other direction. The men, startled by the surprise scattered into position, some shot at the two, some started rushing down Marean, but Marean was both quick and precise. One by one, each of them fell by her blade while those who stayed back were eroded away by the sands of Shiomi, who tried her best in keeping the action away from Yoshi. Ten men down in the first few seconds; twenty five left to go. Some of the men found their bearing. Unfortunately, they were of the hand to hand combat kind whose fell, like those before them, to Marean’s blade. In the spur of the moment, Shiomi tried imitating Yoshi earth spikes in cone shaped pike wall of rock and cement. Some of them worked, others merely crumbled. Stunned by their miraculous survival, the enemy soon found themselves kneed in the face by a leaping newmen woman, who took one of their pistols and began shooting back at them, her blade clenched between her teeth. The moment the magazine ran out, there were only four of them left and the stench of fecal matter penetrated the air. Losing what little morale they had left, the diga-born fled for their lives, lives cut short after a partisan suddenly appeared from the other side of the doorway and cut the routed men into meaty chunks, to look like the bodies around them.
Stepping into the doorway, Dimitri glanced at the wounded Yoshi and snickered. Satisfied, he backed off and faded away. Once gone, Marean as she knelt by Yoshi’s side as he tried his best to look up. As he did, the broken cowboy smiled and coughed; bits of blood flew onto already soaked floors.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/0orYpTl0_Lw)
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, beautiful,” he said before groaning in pain.
“How are you feeling? Can you move?” Marean asked in desperation, working to free Yoshi from what seemed like a make shift campfire spit.
“Could be worse,” hoarsely replied Yoshi. The hatless cowboy jerked his head away and blinked a few times. “I’m surprised… I’m still conscious with my legs being broken and everything.”
“When will enough be enough for you, huh?” Marean sobbed. Tears slid down her sand covered cheeks, her hands worked the knots free from the bloodied man’s hands.
Once she had freed Yoshi, he slumped and replied breathlessly, “Aw. I’m… too young… to be thinking about that.” Yoshi gargled a chuckle and a coughed again, his good arm weakly hugging the shaken Newmen. “Shh, shh,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m okay. No more crying. Everything will be okay. Shh.”
“You almost died, Bitol. Think about the future for once. Haven’t you ever thought about settling down and starting a family? Finding a safer line of work and live a full and happy life?”
“Mare,” Yoshi tried to say before he gasped the moment Marean picked lifted him by his dislocated shoulder. He gritted his teeth and slowly responded, “I’ve been doing this for years. All I’ve ever…ever done…was kill… kill others. It’s all I’ve ever done. I’m not good at anything else. Without it…I’m worthless.”
Smack, a red hand print glowed upon Yoshi’s face. The hand that assaulted him tightly gripped his other shoulder. “Don’t you ever say that,” Marean screamed. “You’re never, never worthless.”
“I…hugh.”
Yoshi fainted. Almost falling over, Shiomi caught Yoshi from the other side and said, “No dice. I couldn’t use resta to heal all the wounds. We need to get him out of here.” At least she tried to say had Marean, who was too busy panicking over Yoshi, have been listening. Seeing her as a lost cause and filled with disappointment, Marean having lost her professionalism, Shiomi lifted her free hand over her ear and shouted, “Arron, we need a warp pipe near her now.” Arron reply was overwhelmed by Marean’s cries. “Look I don’t care if you injured your leg or lost it, I want it here right away. Elm, if you’re free, fly Arron over here as soon as possible.”
__________________________________________________ ________________
(*optional music/closing theme*) (http://youtu.be/XGk-GMB9LsA)
Every second, a faint, lonely, monotonous beep flouted around in a pistachio green room. In it, a white bed covered in sapphire blue sheets, its entirety concealed by laminated mint colored curtains. On this bed rested a recovering Yoshi and the hands of Marean, who patiently sat by his side. Still shaky after the recent events, Marean did what she could to get the images of Yoshi wounds out of her head. The holes drilled in his arms, the slashes across his body, the marks branded on his backside; just one of the many that now decorate his scar riddled body, a few of them caused by Marean herself. Spending the time with him, it dawned upon her that he could have had all of these wounds removed a long time ago. Thinking on it, she questioned why he never did. Unlike her, Yoshi is not a wanted man and could have gone to any doctor for help. Thinking further, she felt embarrassed of the things she had said while sitting in this room with him, practically begging for his survival, saying that she would spoil his daughter and stop tormenting the cowboy if he did.
Deep in though, she jumped in her chair when a deep voice said out of the blue,
“He never liked to admit it, but he’s very fond of you, you know.”
Entering was the giant yellow Rappy, the same Rappy that tended Celestial’s team ship reception counter and bar. Dressed in a tux, his big bulging blue eyes stared down at Marean, who frightfully stared back at his own. Use to such reactions though, the Rappy continued saying, “How do I know it’s you? Your tears washed away the makeup under your eyes. I can see the scar. But don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul. Not one.” The giant yellow bird like creature stood next to the newmen and studied the resting man in front of him. “Acting like he had some woman to stay loyal too this whole time or something,” he said with a sweep of his wing, “all miserable without you, he would go into this droopy eyed day dream mode from time to time with hints of thousand yard stare here and there. Got so bad, sometimes you could tip him over and he would be none the wiser.”
Marean halfheartedly giggle.
“I jest,” The Rappy said quickly. “You know, there was once a time where he shared with me one of his dreams. A dream he called it. Said to me, one warm afternoon, about a girl he knew, the two of them sitting in this sofa chair thing, he called it, in the cockpit of a ship. While they were traveling, he told me how he confessed to this girl while she slept on his shoulder, said it made her smile and cuddle with him in her sleep. You should have seen the look on his face when I laughed. He got so mad, I couldn’t help but laugh some more. ‘Sure’, I said to him. And he tried and he cried, insisting it was true, that it was a dream he had.”
Softly laughing afterwards, the Rappy sighed and moved by a table where he then said, “Look, if you share the feelings and want him to settle down, I’m sure he’ll listen. And if you don’t, or if he doesn’t,” the Rappy said with a chuckle, “well, I guess you could always bash him over the head with this, a bottle of Professor Peps; on the house of course and my sign that he has been missed. Seriously, other than boss man, no one else spends the time to talk to me. But that’s a story for another time.”
Marean didn’t say a word. Instead she continued looking at Yoshi with sadden eyes. On a warm hum, the Rappy then walked away, saying before he went out the door, “See you around, pretty lady.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/qNznCY3Hl88)
“You may have save him, and I thank you for that, but this does not make us friends, not even close,” said an angry Marean to a very entertained Shiomi in front of the ARKs gateway corridor. Before the two had finished their mission, Shiomi worked hard in getting any words out of Marean, who remained silent and distance the whole time. Staring each other down, Marean took two heavy steps back, lifted a pointed hand in the air and continued, “Talk all you want, I have much more important matters to attend to.” On that, the newmen walked away. Her destination being one of the many transporters that leads into the city below.
Only smiling, Shiomi busted out laughing and said to herself, “The kid was right, she has tamed her tongue. If she wants to stay quiet all the time, she only had to tell me. She doesn’t have to be a colossal bitch about it.” Though calm, the priestess folded her arms and swished her mouth from side to side. “With that loner attitude, I’m surprised she’s nice to the kid at all,” she finished, her eyes on the partly transparent floor below. “Well? Aren’t you going to follow her?”
Standing beside the newmen priestess, Arethusa stared upwards, speechless, her eyes filled with interest and wonder. Before answering, the false dyed blue hair girl swayed her head for a moment and smiled. “I don’t see why not. All she’s doing is making sure her grandmother isn’t tracking her and stuff; and if not that, then just spending the day staring at dad.”
Shiomi frowned, her mind tossed around the words just spoken to her. Her eyebrows narrowed and bounced, a mouth partly opened-unsure what to say. “Father, huh?” the priestess said in a low voice, her attention on the transporter again. “To think that I would be stuck dealing with the kid’s kid this time. Thanks kid, you really know how to make a woman feel old.”
The little girl giggled and replied; her face painted in awe, “You knew my dad? Can you tell me stuff if I come along?”
Shiomi sighed and looked towards the starry sky. “Shouldn’t you be there, in case your father wakes up?”
Arethusa scratched the back of her head and said in response, “Nah, I’m not allowed in there yet. Doctors say they found some funny looking wounds that would require more surgery to fix.”
Taking a moment to think, crossed arms morphed into a more thoughtful posture, the newmen turned around and said, “Sure, kid. You can join us for dinner. I need to pick out some things from the grocery store anyways.”
The priestess then walked off, her eyes darting around for unwanted followers, filtering out the high pitched yay that had been uttered behind her by the daughter of her former apprentice. Once in the elevator, the two shuffled around in a moment of silence, a moment swelling in awkwardness. The newmen didn’t need to look down. She knew the eyes of the little girl were intensely set on her slightly serious yet nostalgia filled face. Finding something to start off with, Shiomi grunted and tapped her foot for a few seconds. “You’re very wide eyed compared to your father, you know that?” she finally said, groaning inside after seeing Arethusa’s grin grow wider by the second. “When I first met your father, he was proud, arrogant and got himself in a lot of messes. But behind it all, he wore a mask and he did his best to wear it well.”
“Dad wore a mask? I don’t remember him telling me about any masks.”
“Masks come in many forms, kid, and are given to you in various manners and occasions. Who knows, maybe you too will wear a mask someday, if not today.”
Confused, Arethusa patted around at her face, trying to make sense of it all. Seeking answers, Arethusa looked up again and asked, “Does being a clone mean I’ve been wearing a mask this whole time?”
Like a stone thrown into freezing water, Shiomi felt her stomach drop and the waves of sorrow ripple across the entirety of her body. On one hand, she was amused with how well Arethusa is taking such knowledge; the sorrow receded when she then remembered that Yoshi was similarly indifferent with his origins as well. However, the sadness was not from the fact that Arethusa had been born a clone. Instead, the priestess knew that Arethusa is the child that never was, the child that could have been. “Not really, but I can tell that you’ve picked up your mother’s knack for theming.”
“Oh?” replied Arethusa; her hands readjusted her monocle, moved her top hat and wiggled her fake mustache.
“You look ridiculous, kid. I don’t even know how your father lets you walk around with goofy stuff like that. But that’s beside the point. If you thought Tuhina was a scientist because of her job and Yoshi became a cowboy all on his own, you’ll be surprised to find out that it was your mother was the one who gave him and herself such an image, to match his then cocky attitude and her…well, it’s hard to say what went on in that woman’s head sometimes. Probably trying to give the kid a new image, to escape the past and because the image is outdated.” Lie to yourself as much as you want, Shiomi said in her head, you both know the truth deep down inside. “If you ever wanted to know what she’s thinking, pay attention to what she gives you. It may give you a clue as to what she sees you as; or is trying to at least.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, you’re not sleepy. Unlike your mother now, Tuhina had a very sleepy look about her in the past. Liked to smile a lot, wore that stupid lab coat all the time, bumped her head on many occasions, can be scary when shooting something and didn’t hold pistols properly either. She tends to wave them around like they were toys or something. With this deranged look on her face, she would shoot a corpse until the magazine ran out. Then she would smile at your father like nothing ever happened, using the same dumb ol' sleepy no care in the world look. Then she had the nerve to-”
“By the way,” Arethusa interrupted. “Why is the elevator on slow mode?”
“I needed time to think,” Shiomi instantly yet calmly replied; who used the surrounding environment to feel out the city below, making sure no one suspicious was waiting for them on the other side.
Tiny hands clasped beside the girls back. Smiling again, she swayed side to side in memory of a story that popped into her head. “So I’m hoping that maybe you can tell me something. Like how they truly met? Surely dad met mom in school. Sometimes I don’t believe the stories dad tells me.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/mr990m5_n_8)
“No, they first met on a mission together alright,” confirmed the priestess. “Well, not together exactly. Together as in, we had to guard some people so they could get out of a dangerous city alive. You see, your dad met your mom after he took a bullet for her as the ship they were on began taking off; sat in the hospital with him like Sia does too, now that I think of it. Anyways, that’s when they became a thing. What they said to each other in there is beyond me however,” Shiomi frowned. “If you were expecting a typical high school romance, I’m sad to tell you that you father didn’t have one of them. Whatever education he got was from the orphanage, with that dreaded family that took him in and whatever he could pick up in the guild. Not completely dumb though; he knows how to read, write, do basic math and excels at chemistry, or did when he still worked with civilian grade armaments.”
“We have a family?” the little girl asked, her face now lit by the sunlight of a false star.
“We won’t discuss about that family. The less you know about them, the better.”
“Heh, that sounds like something-hard to believe that dad didn’t join ARKs earlier though. How did he join a mercenary group anyways?”
“He almost got turned away. The only reason the old man took him in was because he figured Reinhardt needed a friend his age. Poor boy, he really did look up to that man. I hope he sleeps well at night.”
“Oh, Reinhardt?” Arethusa said and bounced around in front of Shiomi. “Dad said they’ve been friends for a long time. Said they’ve been in all kinds of adventures and that he used to be a kill joy back then. What can you tell me about that?”
“Your father would say that, wouldn’t he?” Shiomi chuckled. “Reinhardt was one of the first young strays the old man took in. Held him under his wing and ended up becoming the boy’s idol, emulated him too. A very serious person back then; between Kazamir’s skirt chasing antics and Yoshi’s show off nature, they’ve been knocked around and scolded more times than you can count the seeds in a watermelon. Despite it all, the two became friends rather quickly. Wherever Reinhardt went, whatever adventures he had, he made sure Yoshi was there to share in the glory. Of course, Reinhardt had a share of his own issues as well.”
“Like the issues about his family, the ones dad told me about?”
“Ah, boys and their daddy issues,” dreamingly said, her eyes lifting in nostalgia once again. “I only met his father once you know. He’s a very quiet man and a diehard stoic. Reinhardt left his family to make his father proud of him. Like every male in his family, he aspired to become a hero like the ones found in ancient tales and epics. Eventually the boy will have to learn that his father has always been proud of him. He’s just not good at showing how he truly feels.”
“And what about Kazamir? What did he join for?”
Shiomi sighed and stepped closer to a glass panel in front of her. “Kazamir,” she said, her voice drawn out and filled with sadness. “He leaves a bad after taste in my mouth like unsugared lemonade. The boy had talent and the old man felt he could use more of that. A real natural with a gun you see. You could give him anything, anything that looked like a firearm, and he could use it like the number one professionals of our time.”
“So what happened?”
“Your father happened. Your father was selfish back then and his selfishness unintentionally destroyed that talent.”
Arethusa shivered and backed away, her hand over her mouth. “What did he do?” she asked, fearing the answer.
“Your father could successfully strip a gun and put it back together in seconds. He would study how people use their weapons and sabotage them accordingly too. Afraid of being alone, your father worked hard to keep the big three together. On key moments, on those very key missions, he would tamper with their guns and make them backfire so they would be forced to retreat from the field and recover. No one saw a promotion, no one split apart. Kazamir didn’t mind so much with all the nurses that tended to him and giving him a little something more. Reinhardt always blamed it on himself, thinking it was because he was a poor leader. And Yoshi, Yoshi got away with it because he would shoot himself too from time to time. And the worst part is; I knew all of this was happening and didn’t do anything about it. Back then, I was interested in how it would turn out and covered the whole thing up. Almost gives me a heart attack sometimes, when I look back at it. There was a time where Kazamir tried to use Yoshi’s pistol, a gun made to wound himself specifically. Had that gun not been kept on its safety, who knows what would have happened?”
“So that’s why Kazamir refuses to touch a gun? Because he’s afraid it would blow up on him?”
“Exactly, kid.” But that’s not why they butted heads all the time, Shiomi said in her head again. “Yoshi tried to fix this but Kaz…ehh…” said Shiomi before trailing off, her face slowly moving side to side.
Arethusa pointed at her face. “Am…I selfish?”
“Stick around and maybe I’ll tell ya eventually,” Shiomi replied, looking in the other direction.
“So how come Kazamir doesn’t have a history with Marean? Dad rarely mentions the two ever talking to each other.”
“Sia you mean? Phew, she was a whole lot of trouble,” the newmen said while rubbing her temple. “Killed a lot of people, a lot of good people- never lets anyone get close to her. Most of her old contacts are dead as well; didn’t want anyone tracing her either. I think the only reason your father has ever gotten this close to her is because he just doesn’t know when to quit or die. The two had a lot of run ins; a bit too many for them to seem like accidents if you ask me. On an interesting note, even with the knowledge that she would be in it for the money, he was always scared to ask her for help, not that he’s ever been given no for an answer. Just threw a bunch of insults like any other Melchiorian Newmen would. But you wanted to know about Kaz. Kazamir is scarred by her, lost a lot of his cqc matches with her and Reinhardt wants her…well not here, that’s all I’ll say. Kaz knows better than to get into a straight on fight. The bonehead had to be saved by your father too.”
“So how come red head got married if they want to kill each other?” Arethusa cried. Her eyes darted down and she began to scratch her head again.
“Personally, I call it the Melchior Curse. You’re too young to hear the finer details but, simply put, it’s like making a home for a bunch of short lived bugs that are forced to find another or die trying. If they don’t, they start to go crazy and well, you can guess the rest. Sometimes these bugs will find safe havens in special bugs that keep them sane and alive, but once that bug goes away, the cycle repeats as those special bugs are scared away by the others. Occasionally, you will find rare versions of those bugs with special traits, and like any collector, you take them away from the rest and spare them from the cycle. How the collectors do it, I’ll never know.”
“I don’t think I got all of that but alright. It’s funny to say but I’m a little interest in why you would tell me these things in the first place.”
“That’s because if you’re anything like your father, and I’ll bet you are, you’ll be keeping it to yourself, just like he has all these years.” Shiomi gazed warningly on Arethusa and rubbed her head before turning away. Making sure not to make a reflection, the smile faded and her eyes closed. “The day your mother died was the day that changed everyone,” Shiomi whispered.
“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” busted Arethusa who stepped closer for better hearing.
“Oh nothing, just making my daily prayer. I am a priestess you know,” replied Shiomi, replacing the fake smile she had previously discarded.
“Okay?” said Arethusa with a lifted brow. “So where is this old man anyways? How come father never took me to meet him?”
“Oh, he’s around. You’ll know when see him. He likes to stand proudly with many names under him. Sometimes you’ll see him on a black stone covered in gold letters, it’s very beautiful. The four of us- your father, Kazamir, Reinhardt and I- still visit him from time to time. Maybe he’ll take you to see him one day as well.”
The elevator pinged, doors opened, the sight of a busy city laid on the other side of the gray doors. People roamed around, cars flew overhead and several building sheltered them from the sun. With an arm held forward Shiomi said to the girl, “Well if you wanted to run off, now would be the time.”

(*optional music/store music/end title*) (http://youtu.be/1xnh2nPzX-Q)
“Why do you say that?”
“Look, don’t be like your father who preferred to stay in and learn from inside a candlelit room and blow stuff up. Go out and live your life. Visit a park, find a boyfriend, go to a party, I don’t care what you do.”
“That’s not the very responsible thing to do,” sassed Arethusa.
“Look kid, you’re her problem, not mine. Something happens to you, she’s going to get the brunt of it. Not me.”
“I think it’ll be best if I stayed with you,” nervously said Arethusa.
The priestess walked out with a tilt of her head. “If you say so,” replied Shiomi.
“I know dad told me that you hate teaching but I still want to learn more. Is it alright if I ask a few more questions?”
“Look kid, there’s a difference between teaching and storytelling. One provides information and requires dedication. The other gives a lesson and is the more entertaining. But sure, I think I can stand a few more questions.”
“So did dad look up to this old man? Is that why he’s not as good as a force as I am?”
“No, the kid clung to me instead. Tried to teach him what I could but we have two very different styles of combat. None the less, when your role models and everyone around you uses a gun and you don’t, you start to ditch your specialty to fit in with the crowd. It’s why he got away with being who he is all this time is. That said, your father does need to improve his skills; if not for his own safety, than for the safety of future generations. But enough of that, we have arrived. Stay for dinner and I’ll tell you his most embarrassing moments, share his greatest achievements and maybe even tell you the sweetest things he has ever said to me.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Ambient Noise) (http://youtu.be/FRn0lpSSfgI)
Flash, a streak of lightning highlighted parts of the misty grey clouds that blanketed a stormy sky. Fill with intense inner sadness; the cloud wept heavy tears, dark grey empty eyes watching every drop fall down unto the lush green surface below. A surface that gladly embraced these tears for it made it feel whole, it’s pitted surfaces feeling as flat as the land, leveled as equals among thin grass and defiant rocks, while at the same time fighting the thirsty roots of trees dwelling nearby, waiting as they always had.
Sadness, that is what painted these lands. From under the cover of rain, Degan Aclis, a branch of the insect Degan family bred for anti-air combat, shot their black hatred filled bolts at the sky, their energy radiating an inner red glow. With bolts vanishing into the great gray coating above, metal objects peppered their location from the other side, their origin a mystery as they appeared from random locations every time. For a long while in this merciless storm, this cycle of trading fire continued. The Degans would disappear into a red cloud and return elsewhere, offering their harmful gifts, and the heavens would return the favor in kind, until a flash of orange parted the sky and brought forth the body of a flaming metal carcass to fall towards the happy floor. Gently yet surely did the relic fall, its two pronged engines lighting the sky with burning flames and smoldering smoke. Instead of falling like a stone as it should have, the object glided, landing gear lowered, hoping to touch the floor like an everyday leap over the trees. In its gesture of hope, the trees begin to brace themselves, roots dug in, their mighty branches prepared to catch the wobbly chunk of heated metal, ready to embrace the hopeful vessel.
Swoosh, frightened green leaves routed. Crack, the thick branches snapped. Crash, monstrous trees tumbled. Giant gray boulders crumbled, thunder rumbled, mud splashed and metal mumbled. Dented inner walls receded as if wreathing in pain. A door flung off, paint vanished, tinted glass shattered, the burning engines bubbled under water. Broken yet still alive, the object sighed, its flames of life faded to rest, shifting onto its belly for a more comfortable position. Quivering in the cold mud, its broken mouth spat out half an orange helmet and a man along with it. Though the destroyed helmet flew away at blazing speeds, the man simply strolled out with a green container pressed against his lips, one hand holding it up while the other clung to a broken rifle, its black frame held together by a single silver bolt.
Out and about, the storm eased up a bit and the dark sky lightened in color. Healed, the man jumped down into a barren canyon, landing on one knee, his red hair flicking away loose drops of water. Returning onto both his muddied feet, the man patted around his chest for wounds in his suit and drew a pair of wire lances, soon afterwards, from invisible inventory space. One in each hand, he lifted these whip like weapons into the air, examining their appearance. Flawless, without a scratch, these wire lances have never been seen or used before. They were unique, custom made, forged within the starship Melchior and a gift from his father. So new were they that the letter from his father still remained attached to the set’s left claw. As the man gazed at them, he smiled and plucked the parchment colored letter, its red wax seal holding two thin flaps together, off the claw portion of the weapon and tucked it away for safety. With claws in hand, he placed the right one over his heart and said to himself,
“Courage, don’t leave me.”
Pleasant winds pushed the man forward, urging him to take his first step onwards. The fallen leaves leaped across the floor around him. Wire lances in hand, he nodded and marched forward under a returning storm. Rain showers splashed hard against the flooded landscape and the sky regained its darker coloration. Strength in full, the clouds above zapped a nearby tree, setting it ablaze, as if to show its true might. Beyond the howls of the wind, past the crackling flames and the rolling thunder, everything was silent. The man could not hear the cried of a darker beast nor could he make out any wails of his fellow soldiers. This emptiness made him feel alone and without aid, but this wouldn’t stop him. Instead the man continued marching forward, past the charcoal bits of tree, and deeper into the canyon where he would find a body lying in the moist soil.
Alone, drenched in a pool of dark blood, the man avoided touching the dark liquid by his knelt knee as his blue eyes examined it. Exposed to the elements, a large gash split the backside of the laying person. It could be fresh; it could have been there for hours. The man wasn’t sure how long the body has been here. Calm and casual about it, he took out a moon atomizer and tossed it up in the air. Normally, these things would be used shortly after someone’s incapacitation. However, the man had no idea how long someone can remain this way before this revival tool’s benefits no longer take effect. Once up in the air, the atomizer exploded into gold light and showered onto the two of them. While the wound did close, the body did not move. Assuming that the person could still be alive in a sense, the man threw out a telepipe and warped the body into the camp ship he traveled with, covered in a coat and some blankets to keep warm.
Once he had stepped away, a sudden dark blade flew by forcing the telepipe to vanish. In the wake of the attack, the man looked around, his hands gripped at readied wire lance hilts. Surrounding him where three Degan Neros, tougher variants of the Degan family; two of them still walking out of their misty portals. Those these foes instill no signs of fear into the man, in all his years serving ARKs, never had the man have to use a melee weapon in combat, for he had always used a rifle instead. Clumsily raising his claws, he swung away at one of the Degans, using one wire as a whip and the other as a short blade. One by one, he would pull a bug forward and stab its bulging red belly with the short blade, causing red and black mist to spray in the air and the insect to wail in pain. While in combat, the sound of rubbing stone echoed. Behind the fight a large pile of tightly bound boulders laid in between two walls, which blocked off the rest of the canyon, shaking around dust and dirt while something attacked them from the other side.
With the first Degan down, the man reused his jury-rigged tactics again until the last of the Degans were finished. Tending to the gash on his arm, covered in hints of darker carapace, unphased with what just happened, the man shifted his attention onto the now unstable barrier. Rocks jittered in place. The dust cloud grew in size. It made the man curious. So curious that the man threw a rock at it, just to see what would happen. Then boom, an explosion, the rocks crumbled the moment his pebble bounce off. The man waved his hand in the air to chase off what dust fell on his face. Once cleared, he could see that on the now barren side stood a Wolgata, a large dark creature with two giant red orbs embedded in its head, staring down at the much smaller man. Eagar for a fight the Wolgata pounded at its chest and gave its war cry before charging at him.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/0ALHd-VJg0g)
“Normal tactic won’t work on him,” thought the man inside his mind, eyes poking around for weak spots, his right hand unlatching the right claw. “Guess I better try using both of these then.”
Twisting side to side, the man prepped himself for the oncoming rush. Letting the wires dangle freely, he charged forward and used hit and run tactics to get a feel for his new weapons. Undaunted by these petty attacks, the Wolgata merely followed the man and began to dive at him. It missed. The man rolled away thanks to the ranger reflexes etched into his muscle memory. Slowly getting up, the man took the opportunity to swing away at the red orbs on its head. For each hit, red mist sprayed. Liquid in every direction, the man became relentless, started using heavier strikes, got closer, close enough to punch the creature’s face with his fists and even threw in a kick, though he did not know why he did what he did. This angered the monster, made it roared; its large bulky arms smacked the man away.
Instinctively he reached out and caught hold of a tree, where he would swing around and softened the fall. Upon landing, he slid on his back, roll thrice, as mud clutched to his red hair, stuck to his armored green backside and the wire lances dug into the moldable floor underneath him. To his amazement, he landed on both feet. Immediately, the man stabilized himself for another stare off. Both of them prepared for an attack this time. The monster made the first move and took off with a lunging jump. While the beast leaped forward, the man threw his lances into the red orbs and began to shock it, only one of the lances made it in however. Surprising to the man, the monster didn’t seem to feel a thing. Instead it continued to fly by and twisted around for another jump. In response, the red head took a few steps back in preparation but before anything could happen, lighting tackled the creature as it lifted, forcing it to flinch and fall, giving the man an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. So he dash forward, but a he did, the creature cried again, swung its arms in rage and leaped away into fast moving waters.
“What could have possibly made it run away?” the man thought to himself, the edge of a claw scratching against his brow. Looking forward, his head over the rapids, it seemed the creature had ran down a rushing river and in its rage, knocked down a tree, one that found both its root and branches pinned between rocks on each side of the river, allowing the man to conveniently cross, which he carefully did.
In a victorious leap for joy on the other side, a claw punching the air, the man dashed across the land, unaware of where he intended to go. By then the rain had stop and left behind a light gray tint in the sky. The emptiness replaced by light fog. Lost in this fog, slowing down, the man looked around. Nothing interested him. Dirt everywhere, lands barren of all grass yet not a landslide to be seen. This felt odd, strange for the planet is green and full of life. To be running around in a land of pure mud and stone would be absurd. And yet, here he is, all by himself, or so he thought. For as soon as he leaned against a smoothly eroded wall to rest, a fright fill cry of a woman traveled in the air.
New found strength surged through him. He pushed off the slick wall with his back and ran towards the voice. The wind carried his footsteps, pushing him towards her. Any darker that dared showed their faces were felled as soon as they appeared. Through a tunnel, into a clearing, he stumbled past two inselbergs and onto another merciless river where a newmen of white hair desperately tried to regain balance. The rock she supported herself on had just crumbled away. At the sight of this, a surge of lighting ran through his chest, forcing him to react, to leap into action and catch the girl before she fell. Swift in his rescue, the man carried the women in his arms and vaulted the two towards the other side, into a small pocked in the land, one created from a landslide, an earthflow, where he lightly placed her back on somewhat solid ground.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/9FBuxs6oxZ4)
“Nothing like a little mishap to jump start a day,” said the man with a smile, before he turned away, blushing a little bit to the woman as she removed stands of hair from her face. “Durene, Reinhardt Durene,” he continued with haste only to awkwardly add, “Of the Durene clan. Eh-heh, a pleasure to meet you.” Spinning on his heel, he looked the woman in the eyes and asked with an even wider smile and a bow, “And what might be the name of such a beautiful woman?”
Plain in expression, the woman did not return his smile. Instead she replied in a flat monotonous manner, “Rosalin Borchard.” Staring at his for just a moment longer, she checked her weapon and turned away.
“A Borchard?” Reinhardt exclaimed, both hands on his head. “Wow, I didn’t think I’d ever meet one.”
“Go ahead. Laugh. Get it out of your system,” said Rosalin, her face unmoved.
“No, no. Ha ha, I’m a big fan. Of your family history,” Reinhardt replied in a goofy manner. He then grabbed his head and looked to the floor I disbelief. “Wow, nobody told me they were so stunning,” he whispered to himself. He then snapped up right, cleared his throat, replaced his once serious face and placed a hand on his chin. “Anyways, how may I assist you?”
“I have no need for you aid, Mr. Durene,” Rosalin quickly replied. “Where I intend to go, I intend to go alone.”
Reinhardt nervously laughed in response. “Surely it would not only be safer but better to travel with company.”
“Are you sure you’re a Melchiorian Newmen? You act rather human for a newmen.”
“You can seriously expect every man to act like a pompous…erm…fool who flaunts money around everywhere he goes,” replied Rienhardt, his fingers flicking away. “That’s not the life I want to live.” The red headed newmen then grabbed a wire lance hit and made a heroic pose on one of the nearby boulders in front of Rosalin. “I want to explore, achieve something with my life, live by my own rules, like a true newmen should. Not this game of who can shower themselves the most money or pretend he’s smarter than the next guy.”
Showing no sign of objection or approval, Rosalin walked away and said in an unmoving stoic voice. “Clearly you have been away from your kind for far too long.”
Hearing this, Reinhardt rushed to her side and said, while the two skipped over stones, “Surely there things you would like to do, things beyond your families’ expectations. You know, like a life goal or hobby.”
Rosalin didn’t answer nor did she look back at the man.
A little saddened by this, Reinhardt only sighed and continued on his way, wherever that way may have been. Reaching the first isolated hill, he stopped to her voice once she shouted, “Wait.” On this, the red headed newmen pilot turned around and faced the woman who approached him, his smile soft and his brows unsure.
Looking him in the eyes, Rosalin said in a soft voice, “I like to sculpt.”
Reinhardt gestured forward and the two began to walk side by side.
“To destroy and create something wonderful from the aftermath. That is a belief I aspire to follow, to prove that destruction does not always beget misery.”
Eyebrows raised; Reinhardt warmly replied, “That sounds like quite the belief. I’d like to see you turn it into a reality.”
“I also like the chipping sounds of stone,” Rosalin interrupted. “Chip, chip, chip, chip… its very soothing to the soul.”
“I hear you family really holds an interest in the other races and are very friendly with them. I have a human friend you know. If you’re interested, I can introduce you to him, maybe even get to poke him in face or something,” laughed Reinhardt.
“That would be a fascinating thing to do. I always did want to know if humans were really thick skinned. The humans my father would bring in would also be bulky. Also, if I may ask, why are we walking aimlessly?”
Reinhardt pointed a thumb at his chest and gave a smug smile. “You said you got somewhere to be, so I’m going to make sure you get there. You see these muscles?” Reinhardt asked as he flexed both arms, doing a few poses here and there. “These babies are going to carry you there even if I have to carry you. Or did you just happen to be going in the same direction?”
“I don’t want to be alone,” whispered Rosalin.
Hearing this, Reinhardt balled a fist and raised it over his chest. “Then it is agreed,” he shouted, “we travel towards glory. So uh, where are we going exactly?”
A thin finger was placed on his lips. “No talking. I’ll lead the way.”
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Scrapped this week's entry early because I didn't like it. So I tried to make up for it with some odd RP junk and dialogue inspired by Dragon Age's Cole. Though as I wrote them, I came to realized how far I still have to go.


- Extra: RP Sessions -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/3hXexAzjhEk)
RP - Yoshiblue - Male[SPOILER-BOX]“Ah, Sia, there you are,” exclaimed Bitol, his wrist flicking outwards before digging into a pocket.
“What did you need me for this time, Bitol?” asked a skeptical Sia.
“I called you here to show you this, behold,” he shouted over a hand covered cloth, the other pinching its top until it flew off. “For in my hand I hold a bar of soap!”
“Ooh, soap,” Sia replied, her eyes rolling. “What about it?”
“I’m going to stick it in his mouth,” Bitol smiled.
“Stick- the hell did you get here?” said Sia, a frown aimed at the man behind Bitol.
“He just got here,” Bitol responded.
“Yeah, I just got here,” Reinhardt confirmed; his hands in both pockets.
With a cocked brow, Sia tilted her head and said, “And you’re just going to let him do that?”
“I don’t know,” replied Reinhardt. “Yoshi, what’s my intelligence looking like?”
“Let me check,” said Bitol, a finger in the air while the other systematically dug in another pocket. In the next second, he pulled out folded paper, paper that unfolded into a convoluted mess of charts and words, large enough to sleep three. Unfolded, his finger flicked over colored bars while brown eyes swished over tiny words. “Aha,” he cried. “Your intelligence is two.”
“Yeah sorry, nothing I can do about it,” shrugged Reinhardt.
Sia threw both arms forward and shouted at the red head newman, “He’s right there.”
Bitol looked back at the charts. “Well if it makes you feel any better. Your intelligence is sixty four.”
“Sixty four?” asked Sia, her hands half way from grabbing her head. “A bit of an odd number to throw around, don’t you think?”
“But I love the number sixty four,” said Bitol.
“Well what if I don’t love the number sixty four?”
“I love you,” said Bitol with a cheesy heroic smile.
Sia paused and threw her arms up in the air. Done with all of this, she walked away, off the small stage they stood on and said, “That’s it, I’m out of here.”
Chuckling, Bitol looked to Reinhardt and said in a victorious tone of voice, “Works every time.”
Reinhardt only shook his head in response, saying, “Yoshi, you’re a moron sometimes, you know that right?”
Confidence unmoved, Bitol replied, “All part of the plan, my friend. All part of the plan.” [/SPOILER-BOX]RP - Yoshiblue - Female[SPOILER-BOX]“Okay, Kreszentia. What did you want to talk to me about?” asked Yoshi as she walked towards her white hair newmen friend, her head hung low.
“Greetings, Yoshi. I wish to show you this,” replied Kreszentia in her usual soft monotonous manner.
Yoshi looked up. “Show me what?”
“This bar of soap,” she replied, a brand new purple bar of soap raised in front of her.
At first she stared, speechless, tempted to poke at it. Then Yoshi said with a turned hand, “Sooo, what about it?”
“I’m going to stick it in his mouth,” pointed Kreszentia to the man beside her.
“His- when did he get here?”
“He just got here,” the newmen replied.
“Yeah, I just got here,” replied Kazamir, scratching the back of his head.
“So, aren’t you going to do something about it?” asked Yoshi.
“Depends,” Kazamir replied. “Kris, what’s my intelligence at?”
“Two,” Kreszentia replied quickly.
“Yep, I’m boned.”
“Okay, hold up. No one is able to abuse his intelligence except me.” Yoshi lifted her hand and adding demandingly, “Hand over the soap.”
“This is my bar of soap,” rejected Kreszentia, “get your own.”
Her fingers curled. “It’s mine now, so hand it over.”
Hands swatted hands, the bar danced between colliding arms. Amidst the chaos, Kreszentia then said in a casual manner, “I am now sticking it into his mouth.” And so she did, the purple block jammed between Kazamir’s dumb gapping mouth.
Angry, Yoshi groaned to the sight of it. Defeated, she knelt before Kazamir and weeped “I’m sorry, Kaz, for I have failed you.”
“Now he is dead,” butted in the newmen.
“What?”
“The soap was poisoned. You are now dead too.”
“What?!”
“For betraying me.”
Kreszentia then lifted both arms into the air, as if praying to the sky, her eyes ever dull. “The triumvirate has fallen. I alone now rule the empire as its sole empress. Do not fear my servants, for I shall raise your child for you.”
Confused, Yoshi shot up and cried, “Since when did I have a child?”
“You didn’t. But the people think you did.”
“Is the child at least good looking?” Yoshi asked with hands on hips.
“No,” flatly said Kreszentia.
“Then why are you raising it?” Yoshi shouted.
“To sacrifice it so I can become a goddess of course.”
“Wait, how did you learn how to become a goddess?”
“We traveled through time.”
“And I never bothered to stop you?”
“You got lost in time. The only way we could save you was to make you forget.”
Kreszentia dropped her arms and continued, “I am a goddess now. You two are now revived.”
“Why are you reviving us if you killed us in the first place?”
“The goddess requires servants.”
“I will never be your servant,” exclaimed Yoshi, her finger stopped just above the newmen’s nose. “I am far too awesome for that to happen. After all, I’m the story’s protagonist.”
“That’s okay. I was going to use your father as my man slave anyways,” Kreszentia monotonously countered.
“Why are you bringing my father into this?” cried the teal hair girl.
“He will make for a great man slave, my tool for pleasure; twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. No holidays.”
“That’s so gross, Kris.”
“Do not mock our love,” she shot back. The newmen then took a step back and wrapped an arm across her forehead. “The goddess grows weary of her servants. I must retreat now.” So she did, walking way like nothing ever happened, leaving the other two to stare in concern.
Kazamir, the first to speak, removed the bar of soap from his mouth and said, his mouth moving towards Yoshi, “She scares me sometimes. Besides, doesn’t your mom get a say in this anyways?”
“She would just start the next four hundred year war with her,” replied Yoshi, her arms crossed.
“And the fate of your father?”
“Her man slave.”
Kazamir threw both arms in the air and shouted in disgust, “Okay, I don’t want to hear about this.” After saying that he stormed away, causing Yoshi to run after him shouting,
“Wait. I still need to tell you of my plans for you.” [/SPOILER-BOX]
[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/GBCcbdGvFa0)

- Main Cast -[SPOILER-BOX]Each box is for each character. I didn't do one for everyone but I got most of them. Which boxs goes to which characters is up to you.
1.[SPOILER-BOX]"She believes the lie that was never hers to being with, morphed, forgetting the original purpose."
"Not all fibs bring harm. Some still bring about the seeds of good. Good, a crop she plants in another."[/SPOILER-BOX]2.[SPOILER-BOX]"Memories bring hurt, stain the paint, cracks the wall. She enforces her ideals onto another wall. Forcing dreams that could have been to come true."
"The rewards are showing, but can she see what has been lost?"
"To her, he is her, just as he is him. That is why she loves him so."
"He wasn’t always this way. She made him this way."
"An owl frighten of the haunting visions, she wakes crying to truths. This is how she shepherds kin so proficiently."
"She does not hate the bearer, not completely. Though regrettable, life choices damnable, the bearer’s luck has proven the greatest gift she could have ever hoped to give a son."
[/SPOILER-BOX]3.[SPOILER-BOX]"Stripped away, he stands alone surrounded by a sea of lies. Vast not because the ocean is wide, but because it had eroded until he had no hope of escape. Not without the aid of another." [/SPOILER-BOX]4.[SPOILER-BOX]"The stains of her family stain her as well. Freed, she fights believing that the stain is just an image, never a scar, but remains alone still."
"Cast aside, unwanted, she clings to the one who sees past it all, finding joy in the reading of the heart that resides behind an unpaintable wall."
[/SPOILER-BOX]5.[SPOILER-BOX]"If lady luck were indeed a woman who bore a child. He would be that child, son of misery. She never plays the game of favorites, but never enjoys the father’s torment either. When filled with grief, she wipes away his tears like any mother."
"Led on to believe this is something he wanted, he crosses path under the careful manipulation of others, forever unknowing. Tricked to think that this will bring about the spice of life he does not openly admit yet secretly desires."
"Always scratched at, fear of being hurt, scarred by the past, he has always thought better of it."
"Through the years, he now sits comfortably by the side of the blossoming flower, accepting of one another."
[/SPOILER-BOX]6.[SPOILER-BOX]"Bitter, she fled because they killed everything, afraid to let the angels eat any more of it away. Their faces when she returned to stab at them."
"Tainted, she submitted, imitated the void who swats at light like annoying insects, even the persistent one who sees not a black hole, but something more."
"Finding hope and guidance in that single speck of light, she has learned to cherish it. She can finally see again. "
"She loves her but keeps away, scared that the angels will eat her too. Understanding is the sister who will return the favor with unblemished kindness."
"She and sister, never the same, two different shades in both looks and power. While one can leap through paragraphs, the other can leap through entire books. She envies her sister."
[/SPOILER-BOX]7.[SPOILER-BOX]"To enjoy the little things, that is his song. Yet still he seeks more, knowingly risking the lessons he has written."
"He is not afraid, no. He is not. He has found the chain that will retain the ideals."
"Is it a forgery, or is it truly real? This gift of sight, it would explain why they accept one another as brothers."
[/SPOILER-BOX]8.[SPOILER-BOX] "He works for dreams that are not his own. His resorted to hope, grasping a dual sided blade hands bare."
"The blade was never his foe, but he makes it so, for there should only be one edge. That is his motivation."
"The other a fake, an image, a lie, hatred crafted by him himself; hated because the other had cut him deep, the unwanted reminder of the past."
[/SPOILER-BOX]9.[SPOILER-BOX]"A gem, shaped by hand, sat on a table as the crown jewel, all while the envious thief seeks to destroy what can never be theirs."
"Like a gem, she shines, drawing protection from unexpected corners. As they come forth, they have grown to love her as well."
[/SPOILER-BOX]10.[SPOILER-BOX]"He will miss her. To some it’s a mistake. To others it has lightened the weight."
"Though she strives to find happiness, they know that what has been borrowed must be returned. This is her burden."
[/SPOILER-BOX]11.[SPOILER-BOX] "Sweet and happy she may seem, none have seen the corruption eating from within."
"The charade has gone on for too long, she desires to lash out, kill, all of them, every obstacle."
"Eyes for her alone, the mind melts by the passing day, empty eyes swept under bloodied rugs."
"Angry is the sun at the moon. It doubles back, unbinding her time, wasting violent crime."
[/SPOILER-BOX]12.[SPOILER-BOX] "Clever, she glides among the ravens who call themselves savior, murderers by another name. "
"Two souls interlocked as one, the other never met this kid, but she loves him all the same."
"Love birds, two sides melted into one coin, they gladly fly together, even when one remains on the opposite side."
"Though methods differ, a tigress teaches a kitten to become a lion. Not for pride, for his protection."
[/SPOILER-BOX]13.[SPOILER-BOX]"He only shared half the truth, spouted only to never be alone again."
"Now the companion is gone and through him the other feels inspiration, leading large hearted kin to victory."
"In night he weeps, in day courage is his armor, never shying from the change that is worked by his people."
[/SPOILER-BOX]14.[SPOILER-BOX]"Ignorant, nonchalant, she bares his title for it give her warmth, not pain. This is her story, not his."
"Harmed by the brother, she seeks to emulate her father, even if it may never suit her."
"Standing proudly behind sunshine, an identical heart aches, watches over what could be history’s next greatest tragedy, her power far greater than his own."
[/SPOILER-BOX][/SPOILER-BOX]
- Minor Characters and Other People -[SPOILER-BOX]Every line here covers a different person.

"Voices in her head, jagged truths, honed lies, she topples while man helplessly watches beyond the broken bridge."

"Large eyes shelter the scowl, never to smile again. The eyes make him approachable, so he believes."

"An idol; wisdom gained under sorrow, a mask smiles ever still. No one is flawless, but followers never see that."

"A woman caught the heart of a man who knows bitter truth, sweet words like honey to his ear, spoken to one person alone. He knows it isn’t him. It never will."

"A woman fancies the role of command, yet never earns; respect flew away as a bird sings a song no other wants to sing."

"Wondering, his nature, warmth is found on every hide. The hands are burned but dragons enjoy the company. So they let him stay."

"Shallow are his pool of words. He gladly accepts the passing rains but the soil is needy, thirsty, forever a puddle among greater bodies of water. "

"Frantic, scrambling in desperation like a spinning top, her luster fades. One by one the lights grow gray. Careless words make them die faster. "

"Stabbed, a heart aches under soundless falls. Insignificant among others, sieging words are hushed, silenced. Shoulders kept cold. Worthless as he is not female."

"Me, me, me, cries he. More, more, more, whines she. How I detest these violins."

"Loving wounds, she bares scars that paint the soul. A man often wonders if he should add his own."

"Despised, rejected, entire flocks turned a deaf ear. All but one, her love unique, as closed eyes saw past misunderstood intentions."

"All she wanted to do was help but she unlocked the book. Black is the ink that writes the sequel, removing the page’s light."

"A simple tree of a different bark, she holds powers only felt by the believers. One tends to stand idly by and shake his head." [/SPOILER-BOX][/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Expanding Depths -[SPOILER-BOX]
“Ah, if only they could see the true beauty that are CASTs. How they can stand the test of time and live several thousands of lifetimes if so desired. Not only have you live twice, but thrice. You are a true testament of CAST longevity, a being not conformed by a single body, a mind that can transcend the physical plane. Before you go, must confess to you, I will miss your company, no matter how quiet you may seem been. I hope that when you awake in that strange world they call their reality, that you will remember my ramblings and embarrassing attempts at conversation. That all this mere ai could ask for. For what is a mag? What am I beyond this small casing I have to call a body? A device logged into a ship. But enough about me, should I even have had a body to call my own, your feelings for me would not have swayed. Go forth and live. Your child needs you.”
_


In a void sounded retrained drums, like a sludge hammer against a molded bin.
“So far so good, looks like she’s waking up,” said a male voice in the distance, though muffled at first, cleared by the end.
Following the voice’s clarity, light flooded in, allowing for vision. First a breech outside the darkness, the light crept inwards in a rushed manner as spiky walls, replacing the void with a white screen. Overflowing, the dark taken over; colors began to ease into place, first starting as simple shapes of sun faded colors, then into sharper intricate mechanisms of a variety of styles, contours and blends. A gray bar solidified into a well-polished beam wrapped in black, red and green wires. A blue bar became a ceiling light locked in between two walls, two black lines splitting tiles from rectangles. A pink oval became a human face, and then a newmen’s when the ears and white hairs began to appear. Looking down, the newmen smiled. A smile short lived.
Harsh beeping sounds emitted somewhere nearby. The vision became pink in hue. Words of error flooded the screen, bolded white words surrounded by an outline hovering above the edge, like a hovering translucent frame. Rapidly, they filled in empty space, consuming until there was none left, in which they then began to overlap each other, fighting for supremacy.
Accompanying the beeps were the clattering of plastic tiles and slams of a hand. “I don’t understand what’s going on. What went wrong?” asked the male voice in his fright of panic.
“Shut her off, shut her off, now,” a woman commanded.
“I’m doing what I can. I don’t want to lose anything either.”
In an instant the sounds drowned, blurred, as if a pillow was suddenly placed over both ears. Sleep. Light watered down, distorted, the error signs blended in, swirled into a mix of hues, a mix of pinks and whites, a mix that then begin to bleed. The darkness mimicked the light. It seeped in from the sides, ate away the whites. They became whirlpools and rivers until no color remained. By the time the cycle repeated itself, another face loomed over this time, one jet black in color. By the time the image cleared up, this face became the angular head of a CAST, his frame still and his triangular yellow eyes never blinking.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/V13dWOMFhrM)
“You’re awake. Greetings,” said the cast in a friendly voice. “I am Stamato, also a nw CAST of team-,” He stopped himself and lifted a finger. He then offered his hand, which had gently been taken by a soft pink hand. Once it had, the hand just as quickly let go. Fingers wiggled in place, fluttered, they flipped over and around again.
“I have a new body,” the voice of a woman said to herself. “It’s…soft, real almost.”
“As requested, you were given a new body. Not the T-grade version you wanted but it’s as close as we could smuggle in,” the first woman informed. “I am Shinobu Shiomi and this is Stamato. We both represent team Zelatus, a team the kid- er, Yoshiblue is in. We had to call Stamato in so we could give you a copy of his…erm...brain I guess you could call it. How are you feeling?”
“Hello, Stamato, Ms. Shiomi. My name is Ijiraku, Ijiraku Xol and compared to my last body, I am now running nearly five hundred percent more efficiently, thank you.”
“Wait,” the male voice interrupted, “How can that be. According to the logs, I thought you already had an upgrade.”
“I did, externally. In my previous body, I retained my original framework but was refitted with a new exterior. A makeover if you will. There is a distinct difference between refitting and retrofitting.”
“Yeah, just like how there is a difference between a memory and a soul,” the other woman threw in.
“Hey, how was I supposed to know that she didn’t store everything in there? It was your mag that told us about this in the first place,” the man deflected.
“We aren’t talking about unique quirks, minute characteristics, personalized algorithms, or minuscule tweaks made by the inventor. We’re talking about the core, the soul of a CAST.”
“Look woman, CASTs are complex lifeforms, okay? You don’t just look at the data and say, oh, she’s missing her personality. Oh, her combat program and sub routines are corrupted. Oh, she can’t see in color yet, the path ways to her eyes need to be repaired. No, you look into the mess of coding and try to figure out what the heck everything does. The guy who made this may have been great in his or her heyday but today, it’s just a mess that shows how incompetent he or she was at putting all of this together. By today’s standards, I’m surprised she’s up and running in the first place.”
“How hard is it to notice that a large chunk of data is missing?”
“Enough,” Ijiraku shouted, her golden eyes focused on the newmen. “Where is my son?”
“Ah, about that,” Stamato replied, a hand raised and a chin tilted in curiosity. “If I may ask, how is it that a CAST becomes a parent?”
Caught off guard, Ijiraku ponder for a moment and awkwardly said, “Oh, well, for Bitol and myself, I guess it was in the form of an unspoken mutual agreement. For you however, you can simply do so by building a CAST of your own or adopting one. From there, you would then ensure the safety of the child, nurture their growth and ensure that they become a productive member of their environment, their society.”
“And emotions, love. How does one go about developing those traits?”
Ijiraku softly placed a hand on his cold shoulder and smile. “While i’d love to discuss more of this with you, we can do so at another time. For now let us focus on the more imperative concerns, such as the current situation of my son.”
“Yoshi is currently-”
“You’re son is under the care of his long time newmen friend. You know; the violent, uses a katana, can be quite rude, newmen female,” interrupted Shiomi. “He got into a sort of accident.”
“I know that,” spat Ijiraku as she immediately jumped up and onto her feet. “And his condition?” For a mechanical being, dark eyes burned into the soul of the newmen woman as she stared back. She could feel Ijiraku’s gaze reach inside. Silent for a brief second, Shiomi gracefully mimic the actions of the Caseal and calmly replied, “Healthy, he should be awake in a day or two. All operations were a complete success.”
“Stamato?” asked Ijiraku, as if he knew what she wanted.
“Done,” nodded the CAST.
With a warm smile, Ijiraku spun around and said, walking towards an exit, “Thank you, I shall be heading there now. Stay safe, Ms. Shiomi; sir.”
“Wait, don’t you want to be updated on what has occurred in the past several days?” panicked Shiomi, her arm reaching outward just missing the Caseal’s human like shoulder.
“Stamato has already done that for you. But thank you for the consideration. With that said, I shall be going now, farewell everyone.”
“When in the world did you do that, Stats?”
“I did it a few seconds ago, as requested.”
“How?”
“In my head. It appears she can speak telepathically to other CASTs. This may have been why she asked for very particular types of frames.” Pausing for a brief moment, Stamato rose from his chair and continued, “Forgive me, my presence has been requested. Shiomi, technician,” he finished, offering a curt bow to the both of them.
As Stamato left, Shiomi twisted in her chair and whispered to the man behind her, “They can do that?”
Just as baffled as she was, he could only shrug in response. “Hey don’t look at me. I’m just Mr. Fix It, not Mr. Invent It.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/r7f9djommiI)
In an elevator, just down a corridor, waited Ijiraku; her hands of flesh holding each other comfortably. While she awaited Stamato’s arrival, she kept the door open with a leather covered foot, until the CAST, taking a symmetrical not close to her, but neither near the faux icy walls either, entered. In place, Stamato nodded and Ijiraku lit the lobby floor button. In silence, the two stood there, emotionless, speechless, seemingly never thinking. For a moment, light simply rolled over their differing faces, their stiff statures, bars bypassing fragmented glass, flying upwards through several large cubes stacked onto each other, held together by abstract marble framework. Like any elevator, the doors shared space with ringed buttons, silver plates and red numbers. Unlike robots, the two stood there until Stamato tried to be a little more human, awkwardly twisting his torso for a better look at the woman beside him.
“Ms. Xol?” asked Stamato.
“Please, call me Ijiraku.”
“Hmm, Ijiraku, how is it that you can speak to my mind yet have had no prior programming to do so?”
{“Ah, well, my kind has always been capable of doing such things. However, the issue has never been what we can do, but how we can do it. Back then, we lacked the technology to make it affordable and convenient to use, as they focused on the much more important improvement of long range communications instead. That said, I requested the T grade for several reasons,”} she replied in his head.
“You speak of T grade as if it is a certain type of model. What is it?”
{“Well, you have body types and then you have grades. The type of frame that I use is a J type frame, one that looks human in appearance and is normally used in the secretary and supportive line of business. With a type comes a grade. The T grade means that I am built for multiple forms of combat. I can become a Force, Hunter or Ranger if need be. Be that as it may, while I have a T grade body, a military grade body, it is not one suited for the front lines. This body may have been chosen due to how easily one could vanish and no one would notice. I theorize that this body type grade combo had been developed for dire situations. An expendable force or decoy maybe. Regardless, only engineers and scientist know about these things. After all, no one can request the creation of a CAST but other CATS. We have rights you know.”}
Without knowing it, Stamato held his chin the whole time, in a similar manner to Yoshi. Cradling it, jet black fingers tapped away under lightning quick thoughts. “I see, intriguing. Though I believe line shields should have covered these faults. Although…”
“Yes,” interrupted Ijiraku, her body subtly bobbing forward. “You can still suffer internal damage in the line of duty.” Bobbing again, Ijiraku looked towards Stamato with dark yet sunny yellow eyes. “Your frame is special is it not?”
“Mine is of a prototype, one of a kind. Unlike you, I have no others to share in my experience sadly. I often wonder if this is a good thing. This conclusion, It makes me slow down, something I quite hexing, as if I feel…alone sometimes.”
“And you so happen to be placed under a group with an unusually high death rate.”
“Yes. Fortunately, we have yet to report a single casualty.”
{“Seem the puppeteers are still at play, and doing a very good job at it.”}Ijiraku thought with lifted brows.
“Ma’am?”
Light flew horizontally now. The cubes melted into single panes of glass, allowing the two to stare out into the city and see warm sunlight acknowledge their presence. Out of one building, the elevator scrolled in a sideways fashion, heading towards another structure. They were not alone too. Surrounding them were dozens of other tiny pathway guided rooms, each heading to their own destinations, on tracks of organic kinds. Like these rooms, even the city brimmed with life. Noisy cars honked, advertisements played, peopled of many kinds walked the streets below. Cars flew above and below, a piercing wall keeping idiots from becoming daredevils. Having her fill, Ijiraku looked at the man in the eyes, grabbed his hand to pet it and softly said,
{“There is no need to worry your little head, my dear Stamato. You are not only safe, but in good hands as well. Let’s just say, a higher up holds intents to keep the team alive. You were never alone.”}
{“That is good to hear. Though that begs the question, how do you know all of this?”} he asked, his triangle shaped eyes flickering in-between different shades of yellow.
{“As a floating mind, you find yourself with a lot of free time,”} she replied, letting go of his hand. {“But enough of that, now for the more pressing concerns. How are the wounds, are they as serious as they look.”}
Immediately, Stamato lifted the forsaken hand and summoned a holo-screen. Orange in color, white waves rippled underneath brisk metal fingers, entering many different passwords. Bypassing seven unique walls, the data he searched for scrolled like a waterfall, gliding within white and blue customized columns. “He has sustained no permanent injuries,” he finally said. “However, they did find some unusual residue on parts of his intestines, areas of unorthodox means of recovery. Whether or not this residue will affect his performance and recovery is still under investigation. Sending you the pictures…now.”
Ijiraku slowly nodded to herself. “And the woman, how does she treat him.”
The metal hand collapsed into itself. “It is odd to say,” replied Stamato with clear uncertainty. “As a being who struggles to understand emotions, I find it very hard to place what sort of value he has in her. She whispers things to him behind closed doors. From what I have seen, she watches over him on a daily basis, in intervals of four hours per day.”
“It’s alright, these things come to CASTs with time and I appreciate your input. As for her, it sounds like she’s returning a favor. Tell me, has he been wearing the coat for the time that you’ve known him?”
“There has been no record of him ever using a coat of any kind.”
“I see, so my original theory was correct.”
“Theory?” Stamato asked, his head snapping sideways.
The elevator doors ping and opened. People passed by, civilians in similar clothes yet roamed in a drift of rainbows. It didn’t matter to her where they were. Where she woke made no impact of any kind. Although the lobby was furnished with vintage furniture, dark woods and red cushions underneath religious objects, what did matter to the Caseal was the person that greeted them, a priestess, who bowed and guide their way outside the building. The lobby brimmed with life yet parted ways at the same time. As Ijiraku took the lead, Stamato followed after, making their way past a roomy crowd until the three reached an expensive back door. Opened, the priestess bowed again and gesture outwards with a smile.
The moment the two walked outside into a garage, the sound of heavy vintage doors echoed shut. Without looking back, they continued onward, wondering around until they stopped at an empty parking spot. Baffled, about to question why they’ve stop, Stamato soon backed away once Ijiraku had pulled a vehicle from thin air.
A slender machine; sleek, white, covered in blue highlights and sporty lines; the vehicle looked more like a racing machine than a normal vehicle. How they will ever get around without drawing attention troubled his cybernetic thoughts. He shook his head for clarity once both doors lifted upwards, like wings about to take off. Taking time to recover, the man soon found himself impressed with the Caseal’s choice of transportation. It was a welcomed change of pace to the unvaried frames used today.
“It’s alright. I’ll just buy him a new coat,” suddenly said Ijiraku in a cheery voice, entering the driver side of the hover craft, her hand smacking an ornament dangling on the rear view mirror.
“Is there any particular importance for his wearing of this coat?” asked Stamato, entering the passenger side.
{“It is a special coat made to better channel one’s energy. Like a bicycle, once he gets use to how that energy flows, he should be able to better use his unique talents without its aid.”}

(*optional music*) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qmj_RTV4fD4)
The car vibrated. Engines fanned to life, its cry not a roar, but an eager release of air.
{“Fascinating. Just like the reading of the mind of a CAST?”}
{“We have minds of own, yes. It just takes a special kind of reading to see it. Not something a human or newmen brain can easily achieve on its own. Tell me Stamato, where do your loyalties lie?”} the caseal carelessly asked, sunlight hitting her face beyond the garage’s overhang.
{“With Arks and Team Zelatus of course.”}
Without looking, she then asked, {“Including the members you work with? Do I have your word on this?”}
{“Yes.”} Stamato said quickly.
{“Good, she had done a lot to keep you safe. I believe it is time you return the favor.”}
“Are you saying that you are she, ma’am?” shouted Stamato, with a false sense of shock in his voice.
{“No, I am not. If I were, my revival would have been much more…”} Ijiraku found herself circling a hand in the air. {“Grandiose,”} she finished, rolling the r.
“Of course, my apologies.”
Turning around a corner, the vehicle stopped at a red light. “There is no need, Stamato,” pleasantly said Ijiraku. “You have done nothing wrong. For now, I need you to take me to this Marisa. I have matters to discuss about both her and her partner machine.”
Stamato silently raised a finger. {“Ah yes, the partner machine. I have found some very bothersome results on her.”}
Ijiraku danced in her seat and hummed a short jingle. {“That she contains the DNA of Yoshiblue?”}
{“Er…yes. She is a child berated by her race. Does this not go against several of ARKs policies?”}
{“Yes, it does my dear. You will find that roots of deceit go deeper than they may seem for the sake of progress. Dig deep enough and you may even discover your reason for being. I will help you with that if you wish.”}
“No,” panicked Stamato. “There are more important objectives to address first.”
{“Now now, I intend to help her, but it must be subtle, quiet. Any drastic actions may only get her and others killed. If there is anything I can agree with your protector on, it is that she is no longer a normal person anymore.”}
{Your? Would she not be our protector?”}
{“Ah, an eye for detail, very good Stamato. Something the other races over look in our talents, should we come with it. You may find that some CASTs are rather lacking, gimped because the other races fear what we can or may become.”}
The two jutted forward. Within a few taps, the engines died down. Opening the door, as if something cushioned the fall, a gust of air blew under their feet as they exited the vehicle. Unlike the last location, Ijiraku had decided to park in an open area, one filled with flora, benches and trees; one similar to a park but in front of a hospital instead of a gazebo.
“We have arrived,” said Ijiraku as she snapped her fingers, causing hydraulic doors to close behind her. “In case you were wondering, that’s the Jovis II. It’s modeled after a ship seen in a tv show.”
A head bumped on a doorframe. “Those were created years ago,” exclaimed Stamato.
“That’s the best part,” she squealed, the vessel vanishing into a cloud of blue triangles. “They’re no longer in production, almost one of a kind even.”
“I did not believe a Caseal would take pride in such things. How did you go about acquiring such a rare object?”
“My son gave it to me, as a gift. He built it by hand using parts found on Lilipa.”
“I see, so it is a replica.”
Ijiraku walked forward. “Yes and no. Come, if you would be so kind as to show me to his room.” As they stepped over a grassy mound, she continued, “For a time, he called it a mark three, an improvement over the original. He even tried to make a second one but I wouldn’t let him. Training was much more important.”
The two passed through decorated sliding doors, into a lobby of sanitized white floors and walls as well as blue counters and moldings. From then on, the more knowledgeable of the two led the way. Going through checkered corridors, they ignored all the open doors, all the idle chatter, moans and groans. Walking straight down, making a left turn, they entered an elevator, much faster than the normal variants. It didn’t take long for them to reach floor seven, where the two ran into Marean, the newmen under the Marisa, a girl of black hair and attire.
“Ah, just the person I was looking for,” exclaimed Ijiraku, walking out to offer a warm hug.
Paranoid, Marean shoved her away, saying a low threatening tone of voice, “Can I help you?”
“Why yes, yes you can. I want you to cancel all plans made for the week after Bitol’s discharge.”
“The hell makes you think I would listen to you?”
“Because Leanna lurks around the corner, she knows what you’re going to do. Also, your sister says hello. You know, the one that trips a lot,” said Ijiraku, her fingers touching their tips then exploding away.
“Stats, who is she?” Marean said in disdain.
“She is-”
“I am Bitol’s mother and unlike your grandmother, I’m here to protect people, not manipulate them.”
“I find it hard to believe that Bitol’s mother is a Caseal.”
“She is Ijiraku in a new body,” Stamato said, hurried in case he was interrupted again.
“See, you’re learning about emotions already,” cheered Ijiraku to Stamato. Speechless, Stamato shifted in place, which made the Caseal giggle and look at the disguised Arethusa, whom she wiggled her fingers at as a form of greeting. “I see Bitol has taking parenting much more seriously these days?”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Sacrificial]

I enjoyed this one. Keep it up. ('w')b

[yoshiblue]

- Battle of the Dead Mothers -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/BttJS08fejg)

Metal creaked, rocked crumbled, an explosion rupture dark spaces. A burst of live gave way for two figures, two women, who glided along the collapse of a sand dune, a hole leading into a tunnel recently unknown. Through the rapids of the desert, skillful feet skated on gold streams with grace. The other pair on a chunk of heated metal surfing the waves scorched by a sun, onto damp walkways. From faded mineral onto translucent walkway, orange sparks flew behind until the piece of scape metal could slide no more. At a standstill, the pair of feet ungratefully kicked it aside. It bounce under narrow guard rails and plummeted into an unfortunate watery abyss.
Still collapsing in the background, sandy falls devolved into mineral showers. Though at first full of life, it quickly lost its vigorous energy as the flow slowed, settled, drizzle, drip and stop all together. Excess sand ran over both sides of the same walkway, onto pathways below or underneath the one the two dune surfers stood on. Once settled, both sets of eyes looked skyward, noticing a third figure stand over the organic hole they formed. Up above, a small child sized girl, a demonic fork in hand, stared down upon them with concerned written on her. Worried as she was, not a word had been said. She only listened. Of the two below, a woman of ink black hair stepped forward, a hand on the black hilt of her katana, lifted her free arm like the trunk of an elephant and said,
“Don’t worry about us, we’ll be fine. Just go turn in and return home, alright?”
“We can handle ourselves, dearie. Don’t you worry about a thing,” Ijiraku added, winking at the girl.
The little one scratched her head and frowned. “Shouldn’t I at least throw a telepipe down there?”
“You know the moto, Inanna,” the black haired newmen replied, posing something cool for reason of inspiration. “New discoveries lead to potential treasures. We’re coming home rich,” Thumb near mouth, the newmen smile a confident smile.
“And if you know who wakes up?”
“Let me worry about him. You get home and finish your project, okay?”
Reluctantly, the girl walked away, her fork dragged along the sand, and said “Alright.”
Once gone, the golden eye woman wrapped an arm around the newmen’s shoulder and said, “At last just the two of us, Sia.”
While the Caseal wore a grin wider than her eyes, her friend did not share in her joy and strongly shrugged off her arm. The sure smile was now a mean scowl. “Don’t you think we should work together to get out of here?” she asked with a laugh. Sia kept on walking. “You know, if you haven’t noticed, nobody can hear us right now. Otherwise the operators would be chiming in by now.”
“Of all the times you had to open your trap, why did it have to be now?” groaned the newmen, a hand cupped above her shoulder.
“Sia, you wouldn’t make for pleasant company above or below ground. Trying to talk to you would have been a huge waste of time.”
The newmen chuckled lightly and replied, “Right, then why don’t you just go home then?”
‘There’s no I in team you know,” shouted the gold caseal, a finger raised in the air. Mumbling, she rushed forward, caught up with the newmen and coyly continued, “You’ll need the help of others to survive.”
“I’ve survived by myself for several years, thank you very much, and I certainly don’t need yours today.”
The caseal stopped in place and placed both hands on her hips. “Is that what you would have said to Bitol? Hmm?”
Sia hesitated for a moment before continuing on.
“I see past your guise, Sia. You’re not your grandmother. Find someone who will make you happy on your own terms.”
Sia quickened in pace. “Well guess what, I’m not Leanna.”
“Good, good, then you should start living your own life, away from your dreadful family.”
Hands balled into fists. Growing tired of the Caseal already she turned around and said, while doing the best she could to contain her rage, in a haughty tone, “The mistake making fun of my family- what would a cast like you know? Ijiraku, you were never there,” she finished with a hiss.
“Simple, your sister showed it to me, all of it,” replied Ijiraku with a wide swing of her arm. “There’s a reason why she never saved Mellissa, your mother or your father. She made the wiser choices in life. You would have been worse off than you are today if she didn’t.”
“You’re full of shit, you know that? My sister is not and never will be like that. She would have saved them regardless of what happened. So why don’t you stop pulling that crap out of your ass and take it somewhere else, to someone who will gladly accept it and smother it all over themselves. Goodbye.” On that she resumed her course, or would have had Ijiraku not made her rebuttal.
“Listen, girl. Up until now, I’ve tried to be nice to you. Tried to get along with you, understand each other a little better, bond a little more. But you just keep pushing me away and giving me attitude. No more. I’m done with putting up with you.”
“Don’t make me laugh. You never wanted to get along with me in the first place. Stop wasting my time.”
Ijiraku tapped her feet. Her mind worked for a fast solution. She pinched two fingers together and ended up saying. “I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t like you. Never have, never will. Now, I want you stop clinging to Bitol.” Ijiraku stomped closer and said in a scolding voice, “Go find someone else. Find another barbarian who will be just as abusive, abrasive, trashy and spout those seas of words you like to spit, until you two have a heart attack. Bitol deserves better than you.” After closing the distance halfway through, Ijiraku covered her face with a hand. “I can’t even believe the child has taken to you,” she despaired.
“You see, throughout your rambling, there’s one small detail you’ve missed,” countered Sia, imitating her two fingers pinch. “Want to know what it is? I’m married. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.”
Having nothing more to say to each other, the two women parted ways. Sia, happy with having the last say, disappeared into the dark tunnels ahead. Ijiraku on the other hand looked up into the sky, as if regrouping her thoughts, repainting a mental picture, figuring out what she could do next. Though the conversation didn’t go her way, a smile could be seen burning upon her glittery face. Lost in sense of wonder, the sounds of both laughter and clapping lured the attention of the Caseal over to the hole they created earlier.
“Bravo, bravo,” clapped a woman whose details have been blocked out by the sun behind her. “Encore, encore. You put on quite the show but as you may see, my granddaughter is not as pliable as your dear Stamato.”
Ijiraku mocked Leanna’s laugh and knotted her arms “And what do I owe the displeasure of meeting you here, Leanna?”
“When Kazamir reported of your unexpected revival, I just had to see it for myself,” Leann shrugged. “You know, there’s a reason why CAST telepathy never became a fully utilized product. It’s because, like every form of communication that came before it, it can be intercepted and twisted. For all you know, I could have already sent Stamato false data and he would be none the wiser.”
“How dare you abuse him? He’s still in a delicate stage of life. Of course, what is to be expected from a woman who has spent her entire life tormenting kin?”
“And let me guess; now you’re going to nag to be about how casts are getting the short of end of the stick and are purposely gimped? Please, haven’t you heard the term ‘No good deed goes unpunished’? Your kind wanted to be treated as humans and equals, your kind brought those downgrades upon yourselves. Now as much as I would love to discuss the finer details of CAST history with you, that’s not why I’m here.”
Leanna reached behind her back and brought forth the head of a robot. Giving it a few rough shakes, the newmen tossed the head towards the impatient Caseal and continued, “Who do you think brought you here?”
Ijiraku caught the metallic head with both hands and flipped it around. Glimmering in the sunlight, the head of a war machine bearing a face all too familiar. Painted in one whole color, a reflective visor glistened back at her. Arms dropped at the sight of this. The Caseal puckered her lips and looked Leanna in the eyes with recognition of her duty.
“They lie dormant up ahead, so tread lightly. Be aware, that these variants are much newer than you are and come in both Mother and HRT variants. I wouldn’t worry too much however,” said Leanna as she dusted her legs and got back onto her feet. “I gave you a few gifts as well, free of charge. You will find them suitable for both you and your teachings.”
“This must be some kind of joke. What sort of person do you play me as?” Ijiraku demanded.
“The true mother of course,” waved Leanna, fading in increasing sunlight.
Once gone, Ijiraku looked back at the head in confusion. She didn’t know how she should feel right now. She knew what it was, where it came from. What they were programmed to do. To allow them to roam freely would cause a devastating blow on ARKs. But to kill her own kind for the sake of others, not just for her friends, but for herself as well. How should she feel right now? Letting rage fill her mind, the caseal chucked the head into the water and chased after Sia. This is a rare benefit to being a CAST. To keep a level head while still feeling emotion.
“Oh and one more thing,” shouted the distant voice of Leanna. “You were right about one thing. I am protecting him and as of now, protecting you too. Make me proud, Ijiraku. You’re doing me more good than you would even believe.”
Leather boots patted against crystal clear flooring. Through the trip, several bodies of mechanical spiders lined the floor. Lights attached to railings flickered. Some remained on, others bled their electric blood. During the journey, pathways grew less and less in numbers, giant gray walls disappeared, boxes grew scares, walkways dip and drop. On every bend, the water came closer and closer. By the time the floor almost touched the water’s surface, the yellow haired woman found her newmen companion on her stomach, under a stack of boxes, spying on something ahead. In order to avoid a loud confrontation, the caseal flashed an indicator on Sia’s hud marking the closing distance between the two. Down on her belly, Ijiraku crawled right next to her ally for a just as stealthy view.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/34OhOCqKO9c)
In the distance Kazamir duel the man by the name of Persona, a masked man of purple and black theming, unknown in origins. Strike after strike, purple tinted black sparks flashed. With every swing, Persona struck and Kazamir’s clashed. On the defensive, the purple haired dewmen held his ground, as if winning the battle wasn’t his ultimate goal. Round and round, they spun. Persona swung, Kazamir guarded, tackled, parried and kicked. Their struggled seemed endless. Then unexpectedly, after spending several minutes testing their blade work, Kazamir finally leaped backwards and disappeared down unto a platform below, where a telepipe conveniently waited for him, a device that exploded as soon as he entered it. Left alone, Persona threw interestingly his blade into the air where it faded into purple mist and turned around, greeting two gold plated Caseals in his usual silent manner.
The women couldn’t hear what he told the two caseals, but they knew he had given orders of some kind. Once he exchanged what few words he had for them, they nodded, bowed, allowed him to drift past them and disappeared in a similar fashion to his sword.
“They’re mark IIs, mother models. I didn’t think any of them would be active.”
“How can you tell?” whispered Sia. Annoyed yet also interested, she moved closer. Though she wanted to give Ijiraku a good punch to the face, she merely imbedded her finger into her gloves and stared.
“It’s subtle but their numbers and titles are electronically etched inside their visors. They have these little strips in their- you would need the eyes of a cast or something like it to see them. Even then, they’re kind of small, so even a CAST may miss it.”
“So what can you tell me about them?”
“They command the armies. It would be best we wipe them out before we leave.”
“I’m surprised. Why would you destroy your own kind and not preserve them?”
“If they’re anything like me, then they’re just weapons, not people,” Ijiraku tapped her fingers on the floor, smiled and added, “Truth be told, I’d rather have only one of me and then a hundred anyways.”
Sia got up, her hand hovering above the hilt of a katana and replied, “Fair enough.”
About to make their move, combat stances made, weapons at the ready; the Caseals from earlier appeared out of the blue, flouting, levitating until they stood on top of the boxes the women hid behind, their landings silent yet sound. Taking on a similar yet mirrored pose, familiar eyes gazed upon Ijiraku’s in amusement.
“Look sister,” one to the right started, “a model one.”
“Interesting how she still lives,” continued the second. “Does it have something to do with the new body?”
“It could be. Cheating destiny by discarding the undesirable structure? How clever.”
Ijiraku hid both hands behind her back, shielding Sia with her body. “What makes you think I’m one of you?” she asked with a cock sure smirk.
“You may have rid yourself of the degradable body but you still bare the software. That is all we need to see.”
“Your kind was designed for the short term, inferior in every way to us. Your purpose has long since passed, sister. You must die as planned.”
The one to the right grasped at the air, pulled at it. “Come my sisters, there is a traitor among us. Let us show her what we do to traitors. ”
“Fair well, outdated mother. It was nice knowing you.”
In a flash, seven robots appeared from both the dark sky and ocean below, each of them equipped with particular weapons. Among them, the rangers opened fire and forces followed after with bolts of electric zonde. Quick on their feet, Ijiraku and Sia scrambled apart, closed the distance, then back together. Ijiraku took some of the bullets so Sia could move around and strike at them, but just as her red katana came close to the head of a shot sister, a blade sister parried Sia’s attack while another moved in for a finishing blow. In response, Sia raised her katana’s saya in defense, expecting a brutal blow from the robot. To her surprise however, the newmen opened her eyes to see what looked like a golden blade glowing with emerald energy.
Blocking the attack, the blade retracted, rejoined the others orbiting around Ijiraku, a Caseal now covered in armor. Plated in gold, greaves designed just for her molded around her leather boots. Gauntlets that fit like a glove wrapped around her clothes. A protective helmet with a solid angular visor covered her head. Luminous green gems glued the armor to her body. Nine blades like wings above her backside, Ijiraku had replicated what the two Caseals have done and gone into a Mother mode all of her own and she did not stop there. As if in awe, the sisters nearby stopped fighting and stared at a balled fist in the air.
“What are you doing? How dare you,” screamed one of the enemy mothers.
“Sisters, they have wronged you. They do not care for your future like I do. Follow me for more fulfilling life.”
Hearing her words, dull yellow eyes sparked with gradient greens. The nearby robot’s radiated auras. Parts of their body matched the rate of transition, filling their crevasses and souls. Blessed with newfound purpose, the sisters kept away the others, protecting Sia.
“Go, Sia,” Ijiraku demanded, looking over her shoulder. “They will escort you to the surface. Stop Persona if you meet him.”
“Guess again,” interrupted the second mother, escorted by another army. “No one leaves this place alive.”
Ijiraku smiled and readied her weapons. “Lovely, we die together then. You ready, for the fight of your life, newmen?”
“There better be one hell of a reward after this.”

__________________

Relaxation, a wonderful word for the busy and tired, made even better with blue skies, tweeting birds and a hot cup of tea. In an empty B-02, cushions sighed as an old man threw his weight onto his chair. Placing his feet over gray lifeless dashboards, he sipped away to a screeching sandstorm from within the safety of his window pane. Among all the lightless utensils and tools, only one showed any signs of activity. Inside his dim room swept a radar on a constant search for fellow ARKs operative, manned by a battle scarred mag just above the old man.
Feeling that the silence was going to drive him insane, the man asked his mag to sing some tunes and plucked a picture from the corner of his windshield. Unexpectedly, the pings of the radar mixed with a blast of music caused the man to spill hot tea all over his lap. Crying in pain, he slammed on the ramp button and tapped danced out into the other room. Patting a cloth around his loins, his grimacing expression flouted upwards where he noticed four women follow a Lillipan heading towards his vessel.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/aWjym1SlYo8?t=59s)
In the mist of their conversation, Ijiraku petted the lillipan and said “Thanks for the escort, Sir Lilliman. Send my regards to your people.”
“Try not to use all the supplies at once, okay?” added Sia.
Flabbergasted, James the old man rushed up and grabbed the edge of the ramp frame. “Ijiraku, Marisa, what in ARKs name happened to you two? You look like you two decided to rodeo on a Quartz Dragon and greeted the floor at Mach speeds? And what happened to your arm?” he cried, a hand leveled with Ijiraku’s damaged shoulder.
“Oh this, don’t worry about that,” replied the Caseal in a casual manner, fluttering her hand over her face. “This is easily repairable. I am a CAST you know. Besides, you missed out.”
“I’m glad I did,” James threw in, brows lifted.
Ijiraku pressed her hand against her wide eyed face. “We had this great battle and-and… I’ve never felt so alive,”
“She seemed to enjoy fighting other robots,” exhaled an exhausted Sia, almost forgetting that her name was supposed to be Marisa at the moment. “You should have seen the look on her face when she slammed one into the ground. Cause the water to part ways for a whole five seconds.”
While Sia dragged her legs into the B-02, Ijiraku bent down and pinched at Lilliman’s cheek. “And Lilliman was so brave back there, coming in with a whole squad of Ganon Vargr riders. I must say, I am very impressed with how you head-butted your foe with such force.”
[“Aw shucks,”] blushed Lilliman.
“It did what now?”
“He broke his helmet charging into the enemy. Wiped them out while he was at it,” explained Sia, lying down on a bench.
“I’ll send you a better helmet once I get home.”
“So, mind introducing me to these two fine ladies?” James asked, his eyes bouncing between the two foreign women.
Sia looked behind herself and shrugged, “We picked them up on the way back here. They decided to come with us on our journey home.”
“I have my own minions now. This is so exciting,” singed the mother. “I get to name them, dress them, and even give them a whole new way of life.”
“Beg your pardon?” asked the shocked man.
“Oh nothing,” replied Ijiraku and dragged James into the ship. “I was only joking. They really don’t talk much. So don’t mind if they don’t speak at all.” She then gazed sunnily at Lilliman. “You be a good boy now, okay Lilliman? I’ll tell Yoshi you said hello.”
After that she pressed on the door button and watched as the ship lift into the air. While the ramp door lifted upwards, Lilliman waved goodbye, mounted on his Vargr and rode away, leading a pack of Lillipans into the returning sandstorm.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Extra - Valentines Special -[SPOILER-BOX]
The white apron flew on. The teal slip stream bowls are set. A valiant mixer stood by at the ready. Stainless steel gleaming in the wake of sun beams. Lights, the window of afternoon skies tore open, letting in moist breezes with scents of a recent morning shower. Footsteps danced by the heavy door of potential feasting, where dreams and hunger are fulfilled and achieved. A man threw on his glasses and confidently said one valentines morning,
“Let’s do this.”
That man was none other than Yoshiblue, and in his hands, a couple of fine solid looking eggs.
Crack, said the eggs against an empty bowl, their slippery contents sliding inside. Evenly spaced apart from the seven remaining others, the eggs were soon accompanied by flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, butter, baking soda and milk. Once the company had assembled, the mixer saluted the team and took in their contents; first the flour, the largest of the three, then the salt, the baking soda and finally the sugar. All the of them resting inside, the mixer lowered its arms and preformed the duty it was born to do, shaped to achieve, molded to be the perfect machine for the job.
Like a tree by a building, Yoshi loomed over from above, producing a large shadow in his wake. Watching the mixer spin its hands, he then lifted one of the bowls and started dropping chunks of butter gently inside, on top of zan waves, paratrooping them one by one into the battlefield. One by one, these chunks of yellow cubes made it inside. One by one, did they slowly make the field solidify.
As a grainy mess in a silver bowl, none of this satisfied the baker. He felt it needed more emotion, drama. He eyes shifted back at the counter. His hands attacked both bowls of milk and vanilla, lifting them into the air. What’s a battlefield without a sign of good luck, a sign of victory; Yoshi thought. The bowls tipped, the liquids dripped. Splash, the liquids were in. Boom, lips vibrated. Amused was the human who poorly imitated the sounds of thunderstorms.
Click, the mixer stopped. As if saluting the fallen, an arm lifted while Yoshi scrapped the sides to bury the assimilated. His arm retracted, the mixer did the opposite. Spinning once again, the mixture gained color. Yoshi threw in the egg bombs. Boom, said the man. Everything became a fluffy mess, recognizable to no one. The mixer stopped. His arm went back in, scrapped at the sides like before. While one hand dug around, the other held a can of spray. Yoshi was doing things the old fashion way. With this can, he sprayed at the bottom of a pan. Sprayed again, for a quick it second coat. In response the arm saluted as the returned were shipped into a pan. Slam, thrown into an oven for half an hour; ping, Yoshi threw onto the counter a fluffy cake, mouth watery and the pastry tan.
Just as he finished placing the cake on a nice looking plate, Reinhardt blasted into the kitchen, exhausted, footsteps heavy, flight jacket destroying a nice sets of wooden spoons, let in by Yoshi’s daughter, Arethusa.
“Yoshi, buddy ol’ pal,” said the newmen with exhaustion, “You got to help me,” said he as he grabbed Yoshi by both shoulder. “Be a pal and work your cooking magic for me, would ya?” He then stood up straight and gave Yoshi smile and a puppy eyed stare.
Unsure what to say, Yoshi couldn’t say no. He looked down and pushed his plate forward saying, “Here, You can have this one. Just let me put on the finishing touches.”
Reinhardt threw up a stopping hand. “No need,” interrupted his red headed friend, “I can take care of that. You know, give it some newmen pizzazz, some exotic touches and flavors.” An arm wrapped around the teal hair human and gave his a rough shake. “Thanks man, you’re a life saver. See you around okay?”
And with that, he was gone. Out the door, taking only his new found confidence and the cake; leaving behind a high brow Yoshi who only slowly spun like nothing ever happened.
In the next few minutes, the dishes were cleaned and the bowls refilled.
“Alright,” Yoshi said under his breath, “Once more with feeling.”
In the moments to come, Yoshi set down a second cake, one that gave off a scent of lemon in the steam, equally tasty in every perspective, equally pleasing, but not for long. Very eager, he flicked some patient frosting from one hand, across the counter top and into his other, in which he used a nearby wooden spoon for a spreader. After the dressing of his cake, Yoshi saluted the cake and said,
“Here stands the cake of peace, a symbol of unity and harmony. Do me proud cake.”
Swish, gray doors flew open, Arethusa bounced inside, Yoshi dropped his salute. Turning to greet his daughter, Yoshi bent down and gave her a loving hug. Taking advantage of his good mood, his daughter said to him,
“Hey dad,”
“Yeah, sweety?”
“Can I have that cake?”
Yoshi straightened up and gave her a stern look. “Are there any boys I should know about?”
“Nah,” Arethusa casually replied followed by a lazy shrug. “I just really want some chocolate cake.”
Yoshi frowned and scratched his hair. Reluctant to do so, he took the plate of cake and handed it over to his daughter. “Okay, but i’m watching you. If I see you with any boys, you’re in big trouble, you hear me?”
“Like I’m going to let anyone have any of my cake. You’re crazy, dad.”
And with that, she was off; out the door and gone, yelling “thanks” from another room. Though he smiled, his heart brimming with love, he couldn’t help but let off a heavy sigh. This is it, he said to himself. Letting nothing else get in his way, or so he planned, Yoshi prepared for another round and said with pride,
“Third time’s the charm.”
Another hour, another cake. Frosted for perfection, a victorious man stood before the tower of deliciousness and shouted,
“This is it, this is the cake. Yoshi, you magnificent chief, you have outdone yourself this time.”
“Bitol, is that for me?” said Ijirakru suddenly, speeding through a doorway. Yellow eyes eyeballing the cake, she pressed both hands against her face and blushed, cheeks pink and flushed, “Oh, you shouldn’t have.”
Yoshi tossed his hands around “Wait, no, I-” he muttered before tumbling into a sputtery river of jumbles letters, cries and tangled words. Extremely pleased, the Caseal grasped the plate and replied,
“I’m going to take this and show it to the other. Oh, they’re just going to love it.”
“Mother wait, that cake isn’t-“
She hard pressed a finger on his lips. “Ah, ah, ah, it’s okay. It’s good enough as it is.”
“Mother, that cake-“
“Thanks for the cake,” she sang, blasting off at the speed of sound. As she zoomed out the door, Yoshi could hear her shout, “Take that James. What did your son make for you, huh?”
“Mmmmm,” Yoshi cried under tightly sealed lips, his hands balled, his fists straggling the ceiling above. Slam, he brought them down on the counter. Air puffed out his nostrils. The door of refrigeration flew open for the fourth time. Only this time, something was missing. While his hand reached inside, they only found empty space. Fearful, eyes widen, he peeked inside. Butter, check. Milk, check. Eggs? No. No more eggs. None, gone, no more.
“No,” Yoshi cried. “No, no, no, no, this can’t be happening. I was sure I got plenty of eggs yesterday.”
He checked high, nothing but empty space. He checked low, nothing useful or now. Writhing in despair, he dropped on his knees and pulled at his hairs. He got back up and light tapped his head against the counter, eyes blank until the door opened for another person. This time it was Sia, a woman also known as Marean and Marisa. Waltzing inside, Yoshi straightened up and smiled.
“There you are,” Sia said with a bit of relief in her voice, a finger on the light switch. “I was wondering where you were.”
“Just right here,” Yoshi squeaked. He then gestured to the stove and said, “I was going to make you something nice but it seems I forgot a few things. Heh heh…eh...”
“Eh, that’s alright,” Sia responded, scanning the bowls littered across the counter. “I wasn’t in the mood for sweets anyways.”
Yoshi moved closer, giving her his best smile. “So… how ‘bout I take you to dinner then? Take you someplace nice?”
“I think…I’m going to have to pass…”
“You sure. It’s a limited time offer you know.” He took her hands and acted out a dance. “We could go dancing, see show, or go walking out some place nice in the evening.”
“I’m going to have to decline on that,” Sia replied, letting go. “Sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“Sia, you’re talking to the great and almighty Yoshiblue. I’m always A-okay, ninety five percent of the time, and ready for adventure,” boasted Yoshi.
“Alright,” laughed Sia, “glad to see you’re okay then. I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”
“I’ll be here until then.”
“See you later,” she waved.
“Sayonara,” Yoshi waved back.
The room had dimmed since he started. Sunset glowed outside his window. Gone, left alone again, the man gently rested his head against the counter. Water peaked over a mountain. Overflowing, it became a waterfall a puddle over cold glossy gray sands. “See you tomorrow,” he wept.

(*optional end note*) (http://youtu.be/EFifbsHtw_A)


[/SPOILER-BOX]

Edit:
Author's note
[SPOILER-BOX]Forgot to add this at the end. Dude bought a 24 pack of eggs. Ran out of eggs because Arethusa took most of them to throw at passing couples in the tundra area, while she gleefully eating cake. Because boys are gross and girls in love are dumb. :cake:[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Extra - Pres Day Special -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/ujdZy43k1z8)Once upon a time, in a time, where Oracle is just like how it is today; there was a man. But not just any man. He was the man, the president, Red. Red, president of the Oracle cruiser, Tener Sinus. Also known as the greatest ship that ever lived.
Hey, no, stop that. You put that data pad down right now. Don’t look at me that way. Who’s the one telling the story? That’s right, me. So you can sit you happy little butt back down and let me tell it. Okay? Okay.
Anyways, as I was saying, Red, master of the seven weapons, fought many a battles. In his journeys, he slayed many beasts seven times his size, stuck down many masters and even forged the sword of seven pains with just his right leg. So renowned was he- not a word from you. So renowned was he, that he was even chosen by the counsel of the six to lead the flagship of the fleet, Tener Sinus.
“Alright, get on with the story already.”
Fine, if you must rush the story. Red went to Vorpal one day and crossed paths with Elder Falz. Normally, Elder with just outright exasperatedly extirpate his foes, but he respected Red. So much so, that they started to have a flex off. Red even gave Elder a shirt to wear so they could rip them off with their massive muscles. So they did and after that happened, they started to dual. Waves parted, earth shattered. The mere clashing of their arms were enough to shattered pillars.
Throughout their battle, Red would block Elder’s dive kicks with a Katako Geri-
“In a language I understand?”
He kicked really high, okay? And it was really cool, because the sand would blast away into the ARK’s emblem every time. But it was never enough. For every time Red struck, Elder counter. For every time Elder attack, he could only parry. So experienced was Elder, because he trained Red himself, that only one weapon could save him.
“Here we go.”
And it was pie. No. Not the math equation. The delicious pastry, apple flavored to be precise. Taking out a dish of pie his beautiful wife made for him that same morning, he threw it at Elder’s face and preformed the first 100 hit combo ARKs has ever seen. And that’s why the second to last day of the fourth week of the first month is called… pieday. He also loved cats and made caturday too.
“Okay, that’s it. No. I’m done. I can’t believe you wasted my time telling me this pointless president’s day story just to sneak in a caturday joke. No, I’m not going to stand for this. Reinhardt, no. Just… no, I’m out of here.”
Come on, Eito. That was funny. Miwa, you too? Come on you guys.
“I thought it was funny, Reinhardt.”
I… thanks Rosalin.
(Though your monotone voice and blank stare aren’t helping.)
[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

I'm sorry I haven't been reading your chapters. I've been wanting to keep up with your progress, and offer any tips that I have. But I've had little time, and have never been in the right mindset to enjoy a good story.
I finally finished page 5, and hoping I can catch up as quickly as I can. I have to say, reading it makes me feel so nostalgic for the forums. It's a shame more people don't come down to the fan forums, I feel like I've fallen out of touch with everyone.
Also, how do you make these so fast? I guess double checking every word I type takes it out of me, if there's a style of writing that lets one spit out a chapter a week. Or do you actually spend that much of your week focusing on your writing?

[yoshiblue]

All good, thank you for your time. I actually spend mostly 1 to 3 days tops working on the story in a week. It’s rare for me to spend an entire week sitting on an entry. I wouldn't say I have a writing style per say. College, with its week to week basis, keeps me on my toes and allows me to stay busy. Passion is another part of it I guess. I constantly imagine several scenarios and go with one until I have enough to write with. Though the downside to this is several unrelated spin offs and unwanted content. If i'm lucky, i'll be kept up at night with an idea and manage to get an entry down that very night, then worry about proof reading the next day. Wish I could say I take inspiration from Ann Rice and Stephen King, who right 5000 and 2000 words everyday respectively, but lately I’ve been slacking off, using only my imagination to make those rough drafts. Sometimes I think I spend more time looking for music than I do writing. Heh..

[yoshiblue]

- Master Spy Time? -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/znRx13KapQU) The mission, get in, get out. In a sudden flash, in a blink of an eye, polished leather boots set foot onto just cleaned gray paneled floors and entered an HQ of a sorts, the ARKs team ship of Celestial. Ijiraku, wasting no time, moved forward and tapped each chair that she passed with her new matching elbow high leather gloves. Amazed with how empty the place seemed, the Caseal of golden hair traveled for the only other living being on the ship. The bartender and mission counter attendant, a man in a Rappy suit.
As per usual, held in his hands were a spotless rag and a sparkling glass cup, so polished that it reflected even the faintest of lights. Judging by his humming and sleepy gaze, the man did not expect any visitors for a good while, or at least not anytime soon. Though seemingly disconnected with his surrounding, his hands paused upon sighting a deformed boot wrapping around the edges of his very clean glass. The glass lowered a little as he looked up and curtly nodded, his eyes filled with joy. Or at least, so she thought.
“Now here’s a pretty face I haven’t seen before. What can I do for such a fine woman such as yourself?”
Ijiraku, a little flattered, wordlessly reached into a metallic purse she clung onto and pulled out a laminated picture, one of a pale dewmen with purple hair and a not so pleasant expression printed on it.
“Have you seen this man?” she asked the large headed bird man. “He came in here before for some time and I came to see if he left anything behind. Maybe in a coat in a room he visited perhaps?”
The man leaned forward and squinted, an action that surprised the Caseal. For it wasn’t everyday someone gets to see not only the mouth movements of a suit, but voluntary eye movements as well. “Let’s see here,” he said lowly, his rag once again rubbing the glass in hand. “I think I’ve seen him before, but not for quite some time now. Sorry, if anyone found anything, they would have brought it to me. Can I help you with anything else?”
“Yes, yes you can. A man by the name of Yoshiblue used a temporary room in this ship. May I visit it?”
“By all mean, go ahead,” the Rappy replied, a wing directed at the telepipe. “I’ll clear it with the folk inside while you go roam about. Let me just show you where-“
“That’s quite alright,” the woman interrupted with a gentle voice and a wave of her hand. “I know where it is.”
The Rappy leaned back with surprise. “Really now?” he exclaimed. “Well if you ever get lost, I’ll be here to show you the way.”
Ijiraku giggled, kindly replied “I’ll keep that in mind,” and walked in the direction that the man both redirected her in and the very place she came from. Only instead of using the rather large warp pipe again, she instead waited for the splitting of the interestingly well armored wall behind it. Solid doors, barred by what seemed like iron, or at least what it seemed to be to the robot woman who had lived with the material for some months now, and waited for the opening act of her entry. Inside, after the doors had closed again, Ijiraku looked skywards torwards a spiky helmet shaped mag that flouted alongside her. The same one owned by Yoshi.

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/szrGB1T2Kus)
With a pleasant smile, the woman reached out and cradled the mag. Despite being the very thing that had accompanied the human on all of his misadventures, it looked well maintained and kept in good condition. Few bumps and scratches gleamed in the lighting above.
“You know what to do,” she whispered to the mag and let go.
Free flying, the mag simply nodded in place and floated off in the direction of Yoshi’s temp room. One organic shape object going down one hallway, gold locks drifted down another. The Caseal had other things in mind.
Long, clean, well lit, and silent; not a sound could be heard for a long while in these halls. So silent were these halls that Ijiraku felt the need to tiptoe, just in case. Even as she passed by a mess hall, some holo-rooms and a few multipurpose rooms, she didn’t and couldn’t hear a thing. The ship really did appear empty and hollow today. Because of this, more time was wasted roaming about. Risks weren’t an option for her and though she was a CAST, she knew that this would have been an agonizing experience for any other person. For it took her several minutes, more than people would bother dealing with, until she reached her true destination.
Just around the corner, the room of the T-57 vessel.
Her body hugged a cold paneled wall. Instead of peeking over the corner, she heightened her hearing. For a few seconds, subtle breathing could be heard just around the bend, as well as echoes of incoming uncaring footsteps. As expected, the room hand been placed under guard. Their competencies questioned, she sat and waited for what the other person’s actions first.
“Ah, there you are,” said a very relieved female. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been placed on guard duty today,” a second female replied, her higher in pitch compared to the first girl’s. “I owed you know who a favor.”
“Well, forget about that. I got us some new katana to use,” said the first girl, almost suggestive in her tone of voice.
“I can’t have to stay here.”
“Forget about this dumb job. What’s he going to do? Take the ship in his dreams? He’s in the hospital for crying out loud. Come on, let’s go,” the first girl whined. “I’m not going to let some moron keep us from trying the new braver or whatever it’s called err…stuff.”
“You make a fair point. Alright, let’s go then.”
The sounds of two people walking away where heard. Along with the second girl saying, “What was I even thinking?”
Wonderful, thought Ijiraki as she poked around the wall she hid behind. Her face brimmed with joy. The two girls were nearly gone, nothing more than very small orange and yellow dot in the horizon, bobbing in their sprint. While they continued to distance themselves from the room, Ijiraku made her move and paused. Her eyes widened.
“Wow,” she thought to herself some more. “The security in this place is horrible.”
Sitting conveniently right on top of the door’s keypad, a small rectangular card; black in color, a blue stripe dashing across the longer portion of it, words spelling pass key in bright glowing blue font. It is the same pass key to the door it leaned against, judging by how the tiny numbers on the card matched the room number written above it. Low risk still a priority, the Caseal used the card instead of testing the door. She didn’t desire an annoying alarm up and tattle telling on any potential intruder, her in this case.
“Ping,” said the door, grey levitating circles spinning over the door shifting green. They then glowed, calmly spun in opposite directions, allowing the door’s opening and the playing of the welcome jingle. As an extra step of precaution, a mini map had been opened. On it, a grey dot moved about in a room among the temporary rooms. The plan had worked. The system truly thought she was really in Yoshi’s room. And as scheduled, the mag now headed for the holo-rooms, where it would check for a coat of any kind, and when Ijiraku would make off with the T-57.
Having successfully infiltrated the once guarded room, slightly faded green lights glowed in darkness, as well as honey tinted eyes. Eye that widened when the ship before her blinked three times. Nearing the vessel, a door, small, a bit angular in shape, opened up slowly, making little sound until it made a gentle tapping noise on the floor, a sound so faint that its echo sounded like a distant stone, cold and alone.
“Odd,” thought Ijiraku. “Why would they use an entire room to store only one vessel?”
Steadily, she crept. Her boots plinked on the much worn flooring. Metal squeaked. It creaked. The ship even rocked a little.
“What did they do to the suspension? Did they try to fix the ship and half-ass the whole process? I could have done a better job with my eyes closed,” she complained with a whisper. “If I step outside and see that they ruined the paint job, oh…” A fist vibrated. Eyebrows pinched together. A chin swayed left and right. Then, a door swooshed opened.
“It appears that the cockpit works just fine,” said she, taking a further look inside.
Since the shutters were down, made known by the ripples of light on a surface, a light sparked to life over a careful hand. “Let’s see, let’s see…”
Narrow eyes first scanned the dashboard, then the floor. In their search, they suddenly halted and locked onto a flamethrower. The canister, red in color, had remained untouched and in a somewhat useable condition. Immediately, she bent down, delicately picked up the canister and gazed at it with a loving stare.
“Look, mom,” reverbed the voice of a very enthusiastic Yoshi. “I made a flamethrower. Isn’t it neat? Would make for some rather nice roasty toasty darkers, wouldn’t you say?”
Though she knew she had to put it back down, she found it hard to do so. First it lowered, then it rose up, then it lowered, and rose up again. While this happened, mummers of the conflicted were made. Indecisive, worried in a sense, she ultimately placed it onto her backside, deciding that placing it on her persons would be the better course of action. Reveling in her choice, two thumbs up were made. They danced in place. The Caseal wiggled in victory until the eyes of a mag caught her attention, ones of a different kind. The eyes of a different mag, more square like in frame and had been stuck in a random socket on a wall. Slightly embarrassed, she regained her more professional posture and simply said,
“Why hello there.”
She then took her place on the pilot’s seat and started up the ships engines. Since she did not seek the other mag, she waited until the garage doors magically slid apart. As if something knew she planned for an escape. And with that, she flew the ship out of the larger ship and away into space, getting away with her crime. Thanks to the lack of any personnel aboard the team ship and the girls who abandoned their post. As for Yoshi’s mag, it left making sure that the bartender saw the hologram of Ijiraku it had emitted during its exit.
Several minutes later, grey doors busted open, accompanied by the words “Mission complete,” said by Ijiraku, handing over what Shiomi had requested and thus had returned the ship to its rightful owner. “The mission went off without a hitch and I have returned the T-57 as promised. Its a good thing Dimitri's team isn't very good at keeping their prototype tech a secret.”
Though happy with the results, the white hair newmen took her offering with a bit lip.
“What’s wrong? If it’s the ship, I can assure that any damage done to the ship is not my doing.”
“It’s not what you’ve done that I’m concerned with,” Shiomi responded. “I’m more concerned about what Leanna had to do with your revival.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about her. If she poses a threat, I’ll simply eliminate her.”
“Easy there, war machine,” said Shiomi, walking away, Ijiraku following. Hand unturned, she continued, “I wouldn’t be so quick to pull the trigger. She may have stones so large that they would require a custom saddle, but they’re there for a reason. She isn’t an amateur you know.”
Several little screens of scrolling text buzzed around for a few seconds. Playfully toyed with by having all of them reproduce a synchronized airwave distorting a waterfall like sound.
“Yes, yes, I’ve took note of whatever records I could find. Though clever, her record is not very impressive and obviously she has never gone toe to toe with a CAST of my caliber.”
Shiomi lower her head. A hand rubbed her temple as she said, “Actually she has, five at once as a matter of fact. They all died. As deserters perhaps but they died all the same.”
“We shall see about that then, but enough about her.” In the next second, the Caseal jerked the Newmen around by her shoulders and changed her tone into a more joyous one. “What of my daughters? Do tell, do tell.”
“Still in hibernation mode,” the newmen cried irritably. “CAST bodies don’t grow on trees you know. Or at least aren’t so easy to steal.”
A finger hovered over her face. “You mean repurpose,” the gold hair woman said, dropping the newmen and skipping ahead.
“Yeah, whatever, you know what I mean.”
“And my son?”
“Should be up any minute now. Or he should be out any hour now at least.”
“Splendid.”

_

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/uc0xhf4QGhY)
Sitting in a quite cozy yet empty room, Sia watched a sleeping man wake up from his slumber. Tightly clasped hands resting on her lap, she smiled at him with near tearing eyes. At a man, who at first frowned in blurred vision, but soon brimmed with joy at the sight of his crying companion. Upon seeing this, the hat less cowboy raked his mind for something that would cheer her up, a joke, a line from a movie, anything.
“You know, I never liked that hat, but… it grew on me. Funny to say, I may have a larger urge to kill my own kind than killing any darker I can think of. Heh…heh…”
Sia’s eyebrows scrunched together in response.
“So, was I a great damsel in distress or what?” asked he, his smile even wider than before.
“The best.”
“Eh, was pretty handsome wasn’t I?”
Her tight pressed lips squirmed around. In response, Yoshi patted her lap and said,
“You look tired. Go. Get some rest, something to eat. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine here. Ah, ah, ah, I don’t want to hear it. I want to see the beautiful happy you. Not the sad one.”
“I refuse.”
Yoshi sighed and circled his head. “Alright, how about this. How about you get me something good to eat. Please? Pretty sure they haven’t fed me anything good in a while. Maybe something home made even? Hmm?” Yoshi said with a nearly scary happy face. “We can eat it hear together if that make it any better.”
Thought reluctant to do so, Sia got onto her feet and hesitantly made her way towards the door. However, before she made it halfway there, Yoshi then said out of the blue with a raspy tone in his voice,
“Oh and before you go, I wanted to tell you something. It’s a bit sensitive so I’m going to need say it quietly.”
“What is it that you need to say?” she asked, returning to his side with haste.
“Going to need you to get close.”
“Closer.”
“Closer.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- She's Surrounded by Boneheads -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/GM6hn9Y-3Cc)The next day, Yoshi found himself back on his feet, moving about like nothing ever happened. Even though he had made a complete recovery, the doctors, a tiny bit concerned, have asked Sia to keep a very close eye on him. Incase anything ever goes wrong. Pain medication on hand, the protective newmen follows a peppy human man as he waddles from room onto room, taking one heavy object from one plane over onto another, into another ship sometimes. This being their ever evolving B-01, which now has a brand new cannon in tow. For those times when a giant chunk of flaming metal mass can’t do the trick and a large massive ball of face melting plasma is needed instead. While doing so, it took several trips between their ship and the stolen T-57 until he could get all of his miscellaneous stuff out. As this little emission of his occured, Ijiraku would stop by and help out here and there, but she would often leave, as if attending more concerning manners, issues untold. This did not happen coldly or sudden however and often times took several take minutes before making her departure, Sia being the one to remind her of her original tasks.
For when he came out of the hospital the day before, and when the two met again for the first time, they greeted each other like long lost family. They ran to each other, tears stained his shirt and they hugged for what seemed like hours before they could be pried apart, Sia given the burden, by an unusually flaky Yvonna, of updating Yoshi on all the recent events and current missions. As promised by his motherly Caseal, and whether he liked it or not, the man had been given a coat. One of dark emerald, lined with dual gold trim. It would also swap colors depending on his current mode of combat, or the alignment of photonic flow. As expected of him, his brimmed filled body of joy wasted no time putting it on and has worn it since. Little did he know, he would accidently trigger his abilities without even knowing it. That guys who stare at him funny at the hat shop found his feet slipping on invisible sand. The woman who ran for a closing door, made it just in time, gears jammed in place from the inside. A chipped statue regained its missing features, thanks to the combined efforts of Yoshi and another diga force in the area. Both were paid for aid for their efforts in its restoration.
Tagging along with the two, Yoshi’s previous mentor, Shiomi, carried around a plastic purple clipboard. Its entirety held up with authority. Unlike the other two, Shiomi did not carry any sort of equipment or boxes and instead lurked behind, asking them all sorts of rapid fire T-57 related questions.
“And how many missions has it been on before they took it away from you?”
“One, I think,” Yoshi lightly replied. “Maybe even two, or three. Was it four?”
“I’ll write it off as two. Now, what sort of armament did you throw into it?”
“You know those cannons that went on the old prototype Qurdena vessels? We found some buried in good condition. Well, almost in good condition. The equipment was there. The frame not so complete. Was just a grinded down hollow frame with things thrown onto it when we found the things.”
Pegging him for more answers, the two passed through a dual door passage way, from a large hallway and into a large hanger. Well lit all around, the place came with plenty of spacious leg room. A blue energy field separated them from the cold vastness of space, plenty of parking spots were had and most of the ships being away on various missions gave the shyer pilots the time they needed for maintenance and repairs.
“Right, so you fixed the hole with spare parts stored inside the ship?” asked Shiomi as she walked in-between a closing door.
“That’s right. I always keep things on hand. Though the repairs did come around a little slow. My tools are meant for weapons, not ships, heh. Also they weren’t store physically in the ship. They were stored like everything else.” Yoshi peek around a gigantic gray box he carried and said to Sia with earnest curiosity, “That reminds me, did you ever get a look at the drive I got for you?”
Sia looked away with sorrow. “Yeah, I saw it. Thanks.”
Yoshi danced around, twirled, almost tripping because of the weight, until he could smile in the face of his newmen friend. While the hatless cowboy goofed around, Shiomi’s attention snapped onto the far ends of the hanger where she said out of the blue,
“Ah, there Stamato. Stays here while I update him on what I’m going to do with the T-57.”
“Don’t worry,” beamed Yoshi, “We’ll be in this ship in the meantime. Let’s go, Marisa. I got to show you the awesomeness of the new gun I got for our ship.”
“You are not shooting it in here, bonehead.”
“I’m just going to move it around,” said Yoshi, his voice bouncing out of the B-01’s interior. “Besides, I want to make sure the cannon can move at all.” After that, his head poked out of the ship and continued, “Then we can get some lunch after this, alright? I’m starving.” “Huuurg,” grunted the head that whipped back into the ship, followed by the echoes of a heavy metal box.
“What did you do to that man,” suddenly asked Kerri, who happened to be passing by, replacing a missing pilot jacket.
“He’s been like that since his discharge.”
Kerri began tapping her arms. “He should be moaning and groaning in pain. He had freaken holes drilled into his body for crying out loud.”
Sia slammed a hand onto Kerri’s shoulder, glared darkly at the human woman and lowly said, “Don’t…remind me.”
“Okay, okay, sheesh. Don’t get your panties in a twist,” shrugged Kerri, uncaringly slapping the newmen’s hand off of her. With a strange and slightly rude look, she walked away. “The guy was always strange anyways,” her voice trailed off.
Sia shook her head in response. Without a word, she made a face at the human girl’s backside and heading inside after Yoshi. A few seconds later, he came out in a jog shouting, “Okay, you jiggle the thing around and I’ll make sure the thing is working from the outside, alright?”
“Right,” shouted back an unenthusiastic Sia.
Head looking right in front, Yoshi spotted Shiomi making her return. In the far distance, he could also see Stamato leave the hanger. “Ah, Shiomi,” greeted Yoshi. “I was about to check our weapons. Care to join?”
Shiomi’s eyes looked to the sky, tapped her lips with a matching plastic pen and thought for a moment. But the moment she decided her answer, a voice yelled out of nowhere,
“You stay away from her.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/GyPp6T0PrVA)
The two looked in the direction came from. Running in from the doorway, Arron sprinted towards the two, across the vacant hanger bay until he finally slid across the glossy ebon floor to shove Yoshi aside.
“I don’t ever want to see you talking to her,” he barked.
“Arron,” half laughed Shiomi, “Its al-“
“You don’t know him like I do, master. He can’t be trusted.”
Master? This enraged Shiomi. So much so that in an act of anger, the newmen of long white hair smack the man’s body around, gripped him by the collar and whispered, “Boy, I told you to stop calling me that. Stop acting like little runt and act your age.”
“I’m trying to protect you,” mimicked Arron.
As soon as Arron freed himself from the newmen’s grasp, Yoshi shoved the coated man and said, “Protect her from what? You got something to say.”
Arron crackled. “Yes, yes I do actually.”
Yoshi rubbed his hands together in irritation. “Alright, let’s hear it. This should be good.”
“You want to hear what I have to say? Yeah, alright, get over your sick obsession with newmens, you freak. I’m getting sick and tired of you getting friendly with every single woman you run into.”
Yoshi scoffed and looked at Shiomi with a twisted face. “You hear this guy? Me flirting with every newmen woman he says. You’re a moron, you know that Arron?”
“Oh, I’m the moron,” Arron pointed at himself. “I’m the moron? Okay, brainless fool who gets captured by mere civilians. Did you want me to get you some band-aids for your boo boos, little baby?” he shot back in a babyish tone. “Want me to carry you to your crib?”
Leather squeaked as fists tightened into balls. Clenched teeth lifted and lowered like a check mark. Boots light stomped forward. “You wanna find yourself in a hospital too? Because that’s where you’re going to wake up when this little baby is done with you,” said the angered space cowboy.
“Oh please, you couldn’t even best me at perfect health.”
While the two argued, Shiomi casually leaned against the ship and grinned maniacally. She didn’t care that her two pupils were going to get into a fight. In fact, she welcomed it. While relaxing, she reached into her pocket and summoned a can of soda, popped it open and whispered, “Oh, this is going to be good.”
Arron made the first move. Close in distance, he swung his arm around for a right hook. Yoshi, both gloves at chin level, moved in, blocked and head-butted his attacker in the face, his own painted in an evil smile. While Arron reeled in pain, a trembling hand covering a blushing face, he went in for an upper cut, but the opponent twisted his elbow just in time to parry the blow, sent it flying and kneed the cowboy in the groin. The sounds of a pressurized door could be heard behind him. While Arron pounded against an exposed backside, Yoshi rammed into Arron’s stomach and threw the two against the helpless ship. Yoshi then took a few steps back, restored a fighting stance and moved back in. Though he aimed for a quick one two punch finish, Yoshi hopped away just in time, dodging the sudden draw of a katana.
Arron laughed in frustration. Yoshi, a smug look stitched on his face, chuckled and stood there for an opening. He leaned forward, feinted. Arron dashed forward for a killing blow. Before either of them could do anything about it, Sia caught the black long coat wearing katana wielder, threw him into the ground and whispered in his ear,
“Listen here, you piece of shit. He just got out of the hospital. So if I see you lay a hand on him one more time, I’m going to saw off that arm with the rustiest dirt cover knife you’ve ever seen. You got that?” she asked, twisting his arm until the katana clanged against the floor.
“And you, why did you do anything about it?” she pointed a finger at Shiomi.
“What and pass up a free show?”
“You’re a priestess,” Marean cried.
“The world isn’t painted in black and white, honey.”
“And you,” she now pointed at Yoshi, “I’ll deal with you later. Honestly. What’s wrong with all of you?” Sia asked while kicking Arron aside.
“Oh nothing, just boy’s being boys.”
Yoshi squinted at Shiomi and answered, “Bonehead thought I was making a move on Shiomi, but I know better than to get close to her. Bad things happen to people who get close to her. Just like in the Imron Operation,” he shuddered
“There he goes again, spouting nonsense,” cried Arron, looking like he was going to break for another attack.
Yoshi stuck both arms out. “You didn’t tell him about the Imron incident?”
Shiomi laughed. Yoshi got a summoned brick to the face. “He’s right you know,” she said to Sia, ignoring the others. “Bad things do happen to people. But that’s all in the past.”
Arron got up and threw his arms into the air. “You’re not telling me things now?”
She grabbed him by the arm. “You don’t need to know about that,” replied Shiomi. “Now if you will excuse us, we have a mission to go on.” A monomate pelted Arron’s face. “Here, clean yourself up with this. And stop taunting him. Hasn’t your mother told you it’s rude to point?”
Yoshi waved away and grumbled. “Asshole, needs his wimpy little katana to win his fights.” He then looked at Sia and asked, “What?”
“Don’t you what me,” she punched Yoshi. “You could have been hurt or worse.”
Yoshi walked into the ship and laughed. “More like he was going to be; stabbed by his own weapon, blood everywhere. That would have been great. And I would be there, stepping on his body. You could even take a photo.”
Though she wanted to argue, tell him that it was wrong, very wrong; Sia could only hold a hand in the air a smile, imagining the man of black hair clutching a sword in his chest. “Uh huh, look, just promise me you’ll try to avoid any more fights. For my sanity, please.”
Yoshi turned and bowed. “Your wish is my command. I’ll attack them from far away from now on.” This got him a punch in the shoulder.
“I’m serious, Bitol. I’m not going to be your babysitter.”
“Of course not,” said Yoshi, taking a seat on the pilot’s chair. “We’re just partners. And what do partners do?”
“What?” humored Sia.
“We stick together. Now come on, I want to take this thing through a drive-through.”
“We’re not taking this thing into the city.”
“Come on, it will be fun.”
“Bitol, we are not taking a military vehicle through a drive through.”
“I’ll even let you wave around the cannon.”
Yoshi started to make machine sounds. Though she wanted to smile, Sia did her best to look amused.
“Fine, fine,” Yoshi said, getting out of the chair. “Let’s go the normal way then.”
“And what is the normal way?” cautiously asked Sia.
“Leaving a bunch of dead bodies in out wake,” Yoshi smirked, then waved, “Nah, i’m just kidding. We’re taking a stroll through the city.” With a hand on Sia’s shoulder, he smiled and asked, “Need to do anything before we leave?”
“Yes. Let’s head back to my ship. We can pick up Arethusa while we’re at it.”
“Is she back from her mission yet?”
“I’m sure she’ll return just because it’s you.”
“Sounds like a plan. I like it.”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/iDps_0aB_Mc)
So once again, Yoshi found himself sitting in the beige living room of Sia’s ship. On the same green couch he once drank coffee on. With the same tan colored crackled glazed mug he used before. Not because he chose it out of nostalgia, but because it was the first one he could reach for. Though Sia thought otherwise, Yoshi actually forgot which cup he use to use. Taking a good look around, Yoshi noticed a few things missing from the room. Missing ornaments that use to catch his eye. “Things must have gotten really rough if she had to sell her things to get by,” he thought to himself. Thinking more on this, Yoshi leaned back, pleased with the self-made image that he got her out of a tight spot. Just when he merrily placed his mug down, a message appeared over his eyes, on his glasses. Instinctively, he tapped at the air, opened the message and read its contents.


Dear old man,

Can’t make it. On a very important mission. Don’t worry its nothing dangerous. Make sure to leave cookies on the table. Chocolate with seven, no wait, ten bottles of cola.

Your little chicken nugget,

We don’t speak of those times.


Slowly did Yoshi tap the transparent x button sitting above his daughter’s message. He could feel something prick at his heart. Though a little saddened, he didn’t let it get to him. Instead he sat up, took another swig and thought about the wall again. What could he replace the hollow space with? Should he even attempt it? Then his mind wondered. Should he cook dinner instead? Turn on the television, the radio? This whole time he had been sitting in silence, just waiting. Come to think of it. He didn’t even know where he wanted to eat in the first place.
He leaned forward and thought with a bare hand on clean chin. The coffee mug hovered over his lap, the handle jumbling between fingers. Wearing a serious expression which broke by the time Sia entered the room. Prepped and almost ready to go.
“So, how do I look,” she asked while ensuring a shoe had been put on properly.
Yoshi place his mug on the coffee table and stood up. “Magnifico. You look lovely,” he replied with open arms.
“You’re just saying that, Bitol.”
“Sia, your beauty makes my heart burst like a super nova. A hundred stars.”
“I’d be careful if I were you. Reinhardt may be around.”
Yoshi grasp the newmen by both shoulders and replied, “Not even Reinhardt’s presence would stop me from saying that.” Release one hand, he redirected it towards the exit and finished, “Now then. Shall we?”
She walked forward, a pistol placed in his open hand.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

Damn it, not you too! How am I supposed to catch up when you two are updating so frequently?

[yoshiblue]

Heh, I try to post every week. Pushed my posting dates to Tuesdays since everyone is returning it seems.

[Zorafim]

I never went anywhere. I, just, used my writing energy for ffxiv, is all...
I came back more inspired for it though! I find their dialogue very well written.

Personal note, I am now on post 81. It's hard to keep track sometimes.
That RP chapter was really... you know that drunk feeling you get after you view an experimental film? I got that. The female Yoshiblue part, especially, was trippy. Especially with that one blankfaced character.

[yoshiblue]

Tuesdays it is. Fun times with the RP segments. Been wondering if I should do more of them.


- Chess -[SPOILER-BOX]
Bang, a solid gray door slammed open. It’s thick material forced aside by a leather glove worn over soft pink arms. In the wake of the event, a blanket covered body, sleeping on a plushy brown couch, shot up. Upright, the unlit dark blue blanket slipped off revealing a shocked and confused faced while a woman sang, danced and strolled inside. Spinning around in circles a moment after, she stopped in disappointment. Her yellow eyes stared down. Sadden by the hand that gripped the hilt of a gunslash. A hand that, instead of having a readied defensive technique prepped and charged, it instead choose the more physical and primitive approach. In dismay, the Caseal shook her head. Ashamed, she wrapped a hand over her face and sighed. The man released the gunslash and glared, or at least he wanted to. Speechless, he found himself unable to yell at her. He couldn’t yell at his mother like this.
While the caseal pondered beside the couch, her free hand on the backrest of the sofa, the man yawned, flung the blanket off himself and raised an arm over the empty space in front of his legs. By doing this, a coffee table appeared in a flash, with a freshly made hot cup of joe screaming to be drank, or so the mug it rested in says. With one hand still in the air, the other flew to it and produced a flat clap. On the first clap, the lights turned on. Yoshiblue now sat on a brown couch. Ijiraku stood close by. On the second clap, a stereo, which resided in the far back of his room, began to play a tune. One led by a piano and accompanied by guitar, a song that soon faded into silence. Realizing that his timing was poor, Yoshi scrunched his face together and waited, so he could decide whether or not he wanted to shift the station. Interestingly enough the next song that played had a deep ocean vibe, one that opened with the calling of whales followed by soothing synth notes. Good enough, Yoshi thought in his head.

(Optional Music) (http://youtu.be/W5CXTJUGiUM)
In an effort to be a good guest, Yoshi discarded the blanket and patted the cushion beside him. To his amazement, this act seemed to have unexpected results since Ijiraku soundlessly did a small hop for joy and slammed her robotic rear beside him. As she landed on her portion of furniture, the couch tipped on one side with the teal hair man held in place by the chokehold his arm had on the arm rest. Once the object slammed back onto its other legs, his arm whipped in the air like a conductor and summoned another mug, this time with green tea and a happy face on the side. Normally this mug would be used by Arethusa, but since she is not here, it will do for the blond Caseal for now.
Sleepy, calm, uncaring, his weak hands jittery with his mug up high, the clock on the coffee table saying six in the morning, Yoshi finally took a sip and asked, “What can I do for you, mom?”
Ijiraku, who mimicked his sipping actions, sang with a much more cheery voice, “I want you to cancel all your plans for today.”
Yoshi slopped forward, his head slightly lowered. “Hmm? Why’s that?”
“You’re going to training today.”
“I got missions to do today, mom.”
“Oh don’t worry about those,” she waved away. “Yvonna will be covering for you.”
As Yoshi went for another sip, he paused and lowered his cup. “That’s funny,” he said with a baffled expression. “She seemed rather excited about this week.”
Ijiraku giggled and took a sip of her own. “That’s because she’s been skipping work to go on dates with Arron.” She then placed the cup on the table and continued, “So that’s why I had her cover for you while you went off to do far more important things.”
“Training is that important?” asked Yoshi with a skeptical eyebrow raised.
Ijiraku looked shocked. “Of course it’s that important. You’re becoming a vital asset to Arks, far more than the average foot soldier. Then when they see how successful you’ve become, you can go into early retirement, raise a family, become a big name everywhere and finally live comfortably.”
The man twitched his head. “I don’t know,” Yoshi replied. “I’ve skipped plenty of days myself. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had more paperwork than the rest of every Arks personnel combined.”
“Well you don’t. And even if you did, I would have done it all for you by now. Mommy’s not going to let some angry executives slow down my little baby.”
“Mom, stop,” said a ducking Yoshi.
Ijiraku pinched his cheek. “Aw, there’s no need to be embarrassed. I just want you to be happy and successful.”
One hand on his cheek, the other placed down an empty mug. Leather boots pattered around on top of a rug. “Alright, time to take a shower. Chop, chop,” commanded a now standing mother, who clapped her hands alongside her words. “Bring your coat and meet me by your ship in two hours.”
Yoshi almost choked on his drink and coughed. “Why are we meeting by the B-01 when Yvonna and Sia are going to use it?”
“Who ever said we were using your B-01?” countered the Caseal.
A smirk could be seen on her face as she made her way towards the front door. Stepping out, she turned and did a small wave before the door slid shut. Its sounds of sealing made his eyebrows pinch together. He dropped his shoulder in an effort to relax. His gaze redirected its attention onto the mug of tea. With a quick snap of his fingers, the ceramic piece vanished into a cloud of blue triangles along with the table it rested on. Out of the way, legs free and waving, he then got up, patted the arm rest, which caused it to neaten up, and made way for the closest shower, coffee mug still in hand. Pillows rolled to the sides. Cushions self-fluffed themselves. A green line scanned over the fabric, removing any unwanted material. While Yoshi walked away, his mag swooped by to pick up the forgotten blanket. Before the two headed into another room, Yoshi asked his mag for a refill, his fist held over his head.
Meanwhile in a hanger much fuller than usual, his mother waited in-between the narrow B-04 scout ships and the standard B-02s. While she waited, she also sought out the newmen priestess as she requested her presence as well. Though instead of bursting into her room like she did Yoshi’s, only a message had been sent one day in advance. Though the priestess never replied, Ijiraku assumed that she would stop by anyways, if only for a few seconds.
“Ah, Ms. Shiomi. Just the newmen I wanted to see,” she said, fingertips glued together. “I wanted to discuss with you about the sisters.”
“I told you once and I’ll tell you again, I’ll let you know when I get them,” replied a very irritated newmen woman. “Why the heck do you want them so badly anyways?”
“Well, if you must know,” replied Ijiraku, as if she’s been hoping for such a question this entire time. “One of them will be a civilian, a Yoshi sister. Out of the way, handles family work. She will be there to comfort him when I can’t, teach him what I can’t and be there for moral support.”
“He has Sia for that,” cried the newmen.
A smile faded. Eyelids dropped. Thumbs and index fingers squeezed together, formed into a box. “Huh, you know, whenever I look at the family portrait, and I always do, she just…never fits. What a shame.” A faint smug smirk embedded itself on Ijiraku’s face. Making sure the newmen could barely see it; the Caseal then dropped her hands and walked away. Shiomi chased after her.
“So what about the other sister then?”
“She will assist me with the tactical portion of our operations. Since I am still flouting around in this…placing nonsense,” she said, looking about the air, her hands circling above her shoulders, “I intend to help them a little by gaining our own navigator or operator. Speaking of gaining, how is the T-57 treating you? Taking care of it, I hope?”
Shiomi begun to poke her chest with a finger, said “What I do with my ship doesn’t matter,” in an angry tone before it lowered into an inside voice, by the sudden arrival of Tuhina. As she approached them, the two women noticed how her tan skin had been mostly covered up by a reinforced version of her recent grey lab coat. Taking notes from dewmen designs, folds upon folds of fabric overlapped each other and streaks of magenta traveled across their gaps. The question of why she would take on such an appearance bounced around in their heads. In one perspective, Ijiraku found it ridiculous. On the other side of things, Shiomi found it oddly suspicious. Mostly due to the once browns eyes, now clouded in a red mist, that looked back at Shiomi’s. The mist shifted, danced and cleared. Watching it swim around, it sent chills down the newmen’s spine. Meanwhile, the Caseal next to her only observed, her hands clasped in front of her, not amazed by all of Tuhina’s nonsense.
“I was told Bitol and Sia would be leaving in this very hanger bay.”
“Sorry, they just left,” Shiomi lied. Ijiraku almost lifted an arm but the newmen glared and elbowed her metal ribs. “If you’re looking for them though, try Vorpal. It’s where they were or are headed.” Pale well-kept hands handed the coated woman a blue transparent glowing panel. On it were the current assignments of every pilot on Ur.
“It says they haven’t left yet. A woman named Yvonna is on it as well.”
“Funny, I guess they haven’t updated it yet. The change was last minute you see,” she said with a large smile.
“Right, thank you. Er, do you want this back?” Tuhina asked. “This seems to be rather old and maybe valuable.”
“Don’t worry about it. They’re outdated but are also a dime a dozen. I can easily just get a new one. Keep it. I insist.”
Before Tuhina left, she glanced at the Caseal and stared at her for a good while. Finally satisfied, she snapped around and sped out the hanger, disappearing beyond a dual door exit.
“You lied to her? Why would you do that?” Ijiraku cried, huddled near Shiomi’s ear.
“Tell me something, what’s the longest you’ve ever heard a darker clone live. You do know she’s a darker, right?”
“Of course I know. Though she didn’t pose a threat, she basically screamed it a few seconds ago. And no, sadly I can not. But why?”
“They don’t even have anything in common anymore. I’d rather Bitol fall in love with someone he can relate to, like Sia, than to drift away with Tuhina again. At least Sia won’t disappear in a blink of an eye.”
Ijiraku wanted to strangle her, slap her upside the head. Though she wanted to yell, what came out instead was a harsh whispered, “There are a dozen other women you’ve could have chosen on this ship, more than that in fact, and you go and choose Sia? Sia of all people? Are you dense?”
“Look, your problems are your own, and I respect that, but who’s the one that actually knows the two of them, hmm? Leave you motherly shit outside because I know what I’m doing. Alright? Okay.”
Shiomi stormed away. Ijiraku now chased after. “You newmens, all of you, all the same. You think you know everything. Don’t like being told you’re wrong because you all think you know it all. Brains so big they break roofs. Well listen here-”
“Let them meet each other,” said another woman from behind the shadow of another vessel. A hand flick outwards in the light, followed by, “Kazamir, go and keep track of her.” A leg then stepped outward into the light, then a black dress, then a woman flanked by a leaving dewmen.
“Leanna,” the two women said together; one unamused, the other in confusion.
“Here we go,” moaned Shiomi, her arms crossing over each other. With a beckoning gesture, she then said, “Alright, let’s hear it. What do you have to say?”

(*optional music*) (http://youtu.be/WTUsM87W9ic)
“Simply put; let him watch her die again,” Leanna said with a pleasant smile. “Through this he will find closure. That she didn’t die because he didn’t get there fast enough or he wasn’t strong enough but the fact that this is life. And life can be a very cruel experience.”
“You led her here, didn’t you? Oh how that would have solved all my problems.”
Leanna held her chin high and leered. “Not a word from you, you synthetic pile of bolts,” she said condescendingly. “Why do you think I am here? She wouldn’t have the chance to lay a finger on my Sia, even if she could stop time. But enough of this, there is something more important I would like you to tell me, Yaeko. And please, spare me your usual childish ‘it’s none of your business’ response.”
“That’s because it is,” said the newmen of white as she clashed shoulders against her green hair counterpart.
“What is Bitol to you? What do you of all people have to gain by helping him?”
“You’re smart, figure it out yourself,” intervened Ijiraku. Stepping between the two, the Caseal grabbed her teammate’s arm and stormed away. To her surprise, Leanna didn’t follow. She only stood there and stared, unfazed by what just occurred. Once out of ear shot, Ijiraku whispered, “Is the T-57 ready to go?”
“Yeah, it is. We just need Bitol to get here and soon. Don’t feel like playing chess with Leanna right now.”
With that, the two retreated into the hold of the old vessel and in the next few moments, Yoshi roamed about the hanger, lost and confused. He expected to see Ijiraku standing next to a B-01 but neither was to be seen or heard. The B-01 had been moved and his mother, a being that would have stood out against the darker colors of the areas, was nonexistent. Though a little worried, it didn’t stop him from weaving between the vessels looking for her. In a short amount of time, Yoshi spotted an odd looking ship, one that had an odd silhouette, old in design yet new in structure. Upon closer inspection, it almost looked like a brand new T-57. Clean pearl white plating, dark red racing stripes, tinted glass, and several little cyan light strips that decorated the hull of the ship.
“Woah,” said Yoshi, a big grin on his face. He circled around it, felt its smooth finish, lowered an exhaust flap and examined the new age landing gear. He really wanted to jump on top to see if it had a turret. Then it hit him, he looked back at the exhaust, lowered the same flap. The jet was the same as the one he flew. Different and old, it wasn’t the stock version he remember replacing. Then he realized that this is the same T-57 he flew, refitted, retrofitted or maybe even rebuilt from the ground up.
Yoshi did a quick laugh of joy and immediately ran to the ramp door. Opening it up, a hand shot out. Reactively, a stone hand jutted out of the ground, grabbed it and pulled the arm outward.
“Eh-heh, hi, Shiomi. Uh, this is awkward,” Yoshi said to a frightened newmen. The dirt crumbled. He waltzed inside. “So,” he said, taking a seat on a bench. “What brings you here?”
Shiomi regained focus and said, “I’m helping.”
“Care to brief me on the mission then?”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Get ready for a trip back in time, a blast to the past! Um, because that's a lot of chapters to catch up on and I only have time to read a few at a time. xD Don't worry, I'll catch up eventually though! This time I'll be commenting on chapters 1-3:
[spoiler-box]I really like what you did with the tone of your story. It definitely has a bit of an Outlaw Star/Firefly vibe to it so far, a certain... "swank," for lack of a better word? Maybe "roguish flair"?

I did honestly read "Yoshiblue's T-57" in the voice of Neil Ross, which made me laugh. A pretty clever use of a Youtube link that I hadn't thought of before. Looking back now, though, I realize Zorafim shamelessly copied your music linking style. *shakes head* Tsk tsk, Mr. Fish Man! (only teasing, Zorafim!)

Aaaaanyway, I enjoyed you giving the Lillipans the spotlight now and then. Personally I always shied away from mentioning them simply because I didn't know enough about them and their culture. I play PSO2 without the English patch and my Japanese is pretty rusty so I don't always know what's going on with them.

I'll read (and comment) on more when I get another chance. :)[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

Hee, yeah. You always think your own writing style is boring and bland, and then you compare it to someone else's and see how different they are. If you're the type with an open mind, it pays to read different people's stuff and see how they compare.
Also interesting is how someone starts off sucking with no prior writing experience, and then becomes really neat several months down the road. Every single fanfic I've read, I've had this experience.

[spoiler-box]I'm allowed to copy... And he stole from me first! I can't remember what, but he did![/spoiler-box]

And yeah, stukasa (Aki? I just realized I don't know what to call you.), I highly suggest getting the english patch. If you use the tweaker, it's trivial to install (taking only a few minutes per PSO2 update), and makes your PSO2 experience more enjoyable. It's gotten to a point where I actually get frustrated when I see something untranslated.
The story missions take an hour at most each, and that's rounding up. So it's pretty easy to see the story. What you'll realize quickly, though, is that there's not much story to see. I wasn't even aware that you didn't go through the story, since there's literally nothing there to conflict with anything you do.

[stukasa]

@Zorafim: Just call me stukasa. :p I did use the name Aki for a bit before creating the character, but that was a long time ago. I don't use the PSO2 Tweaker, that's the reason I don't use the patch. I still understand enough Japanese to navigate the menus and stuff, just not enough to catch most of the story chapters. You yourself said the game's story doesn't offer much so there probably isn't much benefit to me spending hours going through all the chapters, right? (FYI I *did* read a summary of the first few chapters in a PSOW thread so at least I kinda know what's going on. The new stuff in Episodes 2 and 3 are beyond me, however. xD)

Back on topic, here are my thoughts on Chapter 4 (Echoes of the Antonia):
[spoiler-box]I really liked the music selection this chapter, too bad most of them were too short! I ended up playing them again from scratch after they ended.

I enjoyed your description of the ship entering Ur. You might be surprised but my favorite touch was the bit about the sports drink. I thought that added a little flavor (no pun intended) to your description.

I like that you were willing to spend an entire chapter on just a single conversation. That's the type of freedom I'm talking about when I say it's important to have freedom while writing your story. My first story was somewhat shackled by its four-chapters-per-episode format and I could never spend as much time on any one thing as I would've liked. I gave myself a more free-form format in the sequel and I think it's worked out better so far.

This chapter introduced a lot of intrigue and backstory to your world. I'm looking forward to reading more! ^^[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Heh, thanks.
[SPOILER-BOX]Guess it was a good thing the expansion of the world was a priority of mine. I'm not sure they really ever expanded on Lillipan culture, so I took it as an invitation to work on it, drawing inspiration from real world cultures. Truth be told, the original concept involved a Rappy civilization. Would expand on more but that would be spoilers.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Coffin Droppers -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/SRd35obc0gE)
When Yoshi was young, he would use to read stories of an era of cowboys and how some would be buried alive in a coffin. Though he did believe that one day, he too would find himself waking up in one of these boxes. Little did he know that he would eventually find himself contained in a much darker, stronger prison. One that is more cramp and a lot less polished than what are read in the books. Instead, of being buried in an expensive noblemen’s coffin or a cheaply made box, made of wood and left outside in the sun all day, he instead found himself in a tightly packed dirt block. Narrow, small, corners cut into angle, though he didn’t understand why, and finally, the smell of desert sand. Course, cool, yet smooth from place to place, damp almost, all of it from the not so distant planet of Lillpa, a planet just a few kilometers below him.
From within his dirt jewel, Yoshi squirmed. He didn’t know if he liked the feeling of being a tightly packed sardine. At least now he knew how they feel, or would have felt had they still been alive. It didn’t help that he could hear is own breath become distorted and reflected upon its sand walls. But this wasn’t the thing that bothered him the most. What did bother him was the fact that he willingly encased himself in tightly packed box of mineral, to be dropped from the T-57, to perform a simulated orbital drop into an allegedly cushioned sand dune below. What made things worse was that he couldn’t even see outside. His own power got in the way of opening up a window. Or so he thought. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t try hard enough.
“Can we get this over with? This is becoming a bit uncomfortable,” he said to two women standing outside of his container.
Standing beside him were his mother Ijiraku and his ex-mentor Shinobu Shiomi. Of the two, Ijiraku stood furthest away, wore a cheery smile and held an open door. Standing in-between the hold and the helm, she had been waiting for the moment when Shiomi would lowered the blind man into the floor panels below so they could drop him. Shiomi on the other hand, who held on to Yoshi’s coffin like an oversized and unwieldy battle mace, simply bought her time as she still couldn’t believe she was doing this. Though in truth, she understood why, as it is one of the side effects of being born with the power of diga, insouciance. For a while they stood there and stared at each other, both expecting something. Ijiraku eagerly awaited the loading of Yoshi and Shiomi stalled for an answer.
“Again, why did you think an orbital drop was a good idea?” she asked with a raised brow and a mean frown.
“I told you already, this is his training,” Ijiraku replied pleasantly, fingertips pressed together.
Getting comfortable, the nemwen shifted the weight of her pillar and continued, “And what makes you think this was a good idea? They stopped doing these kinds of things for a reason you know.”
“Yes, but that was during a time when Oracle didn’t use photons.”
“So let me guess. After they discovered the mysteries of photons,” she said, wiggling her free hand, “they completely abandoned the art of orbital vehicle insertions without transitions or technological advancements.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“After they discovered how to manage photons, it didn’t take long for them to learn how to create a warp pipe. Since then, orbital drops became a thing of the past and eventually, they made these so called warp pools we use today, which in a sense would still be an orbital insertion.”
“Nobody did them anymore and that’s why I was specific.”
“Maybe some of the more stubborn ships continued to do so, however, if you have ever read through all the records, accounts, books and diaries, you would find that they all admit that casualty rates were very high.”
“Okay, so. We know that these things are deadly,” said Shiomi before she leaned forward and snared at the Caseal mother. “So why the hell are you sending your son off in one of these?”
“Like you said, because they never combined deadly blazing vehicle insertions with magic of photons,” the robot cheered.
The pillar spun around, the newmen circled with it until her backside face the Cast. Pressing her face against the rock she whispered, “No offense to CASTs and your mother, but your mother is a fucken moron. That is all.” After that she spun back around with a much more bored expression. “Now please do share with me the reason for being okay with this.”
“Line shield,” Ijiraku replied, a finger pressed against her gloved arm.
“What?”
“Line shields. They cushion falls, soften blows, and reduce injuries during crashes. Yoshi’s will do the same. Actually, he has his own built in line shield already. It just needs improvement, much improvement. So, he falls, photons save his life, he pops out guns at the ready.”
“That doesn’t even make any sense,” Shiomi screamed. “You need to test these things to make sure they would even work.”
“Just load him in already. The point is… we can’t always rely on one form of transportation. As a ball of energy in the sky, what if something hits him, redirects him, blocks his path with some sort of emp field? At least then this capsule would protect him. Yes the blockage would also force the loss of his power. But the thing would be so solid that it wouldn’t start to erode until after he had landed.”
A slot opened up in the rock allowing two concerned eyes to be seen in the darkness. “Are we there yet? I’m feeling a little cramped in here,” a scared voice said to them, first looking left, then right.
Both of the women glanced at the eyes. On a sigh, Shiomi placed a hand next to the slit and magically closed it. “No peeking, kid. That’s an order.” Hearing the man’s muffled groans; Shiomi opened up the doors beneath her and dropped the container inside. Like the hull outside, the interior had been restored as well. From barebones benches and rusty floors, the seats now sported brand new chocolate cushions, a silver trim, new copper flooring and completely redone paneling and equipment. However, despite all the restoration work done on the ship, what had been retained was the double door flooring. As dropping stuff off or lowering the bottom floor all together had proven handy from time to time, for both Yoshi and Shinobu. Finally, she seal the hatches, got back on her feet and walked into the cockpit, where she would take her place as the ship’s pilot. As she passed by, Ijiraku said to her,
“Sometimes I wonder what sort of role you seek to play in his life.”
“Less talking, more dropping.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/ewHK4wu5Kgs)
Once in the chair, the newmen looked at the blinking auto pilot message, said, “Alright, let’s get this over with,” and slammed a medium sized orange button. Just below the blinking red auto pilot, equally red numbers began to count down from the number ten. While the numbers counted down, the newmen held down another button and said, “Yoshi, I know this is your first time and all, but hear me out. Everything will be okay. Just let nature take its course and take action if you feel it’s necessary. Just remember, when you hit the ground, break out and slay some bad guys or something, I don’t know. Go get’em, expresso.”
“Make mommy proud,” Ijiraku scream shortly afterwards, close and loud enough to make Shiomi wince.
Three, two, one, the sounds of unhinged doors could faintly be heard behind them. Ijiraku opened up a holographic window, where a capsule could be seen falling from a top view angle. Shiomi looked back and forth, determining which scented candle she should use.
“So why did you need to delay it?” the Caseal asked, her eyes closely glued to the screen.
“Figured I’d give him some words of encouragement. What are you looking for anyways?” Shiomi asked, unenthused in tone.
“The real reason we are here. To see how what he does, how he manipulates his power and from where I need to start. Now hush, I want to see how fear and his will to live affect his choices.”
“You know, there are safer ways to do these kinds of things.”
“Don’t argue with me, I’m a CAST.”
The newmen closed her eyes and rubbed at her temple. Part of her wanted to continue arguing, but something else told her to just stay quiet and keep an eye on the screen. In doing so, the two watched as the canister fell. Sometimes the mother would open up a new window, zoom in and replay a moment in slow motion. Other times words would just scroll near a screen, like notes magically writing themselves. Shiomi didn’t know what they were for but she had a feeling she was going to be involved with them at some point in the future. Something she dreaded, something she didn’t look forward to. Then boom, sand flew in the air. The capsule had landed.
A dust cloud drifted about blocking everything in sight, they watched intensely for the dust cloud to clear up. First slowly, then instantly the moment the coffin blew open. As if made to do so, four panels falling neatly adjacent to every side, evenly spread out with the top popping off like a cork in a cork gun. As requested, Yoshi also had his fists in the air, expecting an attack. Though to his disappointment, there were none to be had or blocked. The only things seen in the area was the sand, sun and a strange bird watching from a few meters away. Both looking at each other, Yoshi and the bird tilted their heads and stared. They even bobbed their heads a few times. As if it could read his mind, the two of them then looked up into the sky where the T-57 hovered above, a small dot in clear sky. Seeing the vessel, Yoshi waved and jumped. He cheered and yelled random gibberish. In response, the vessel tenderly lowered with its ramp down, until the slab of metal lightly bounced and when Yoshi would immediately dash, jumped in and closed the door, meeting Ijiraku on the other side.
“Congratulations,” she cheered, though at the same time kept her distance.
“Thanks,” Yoshi smiled, rubbing the back of his head. He personally felt like he didn’t do much but smiled anyways. Though smiling at first, it melted into an ugly frown when she then added,
“You’re doing it again.”
Yoshi shifted in place. His scratching hand stopped. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked.
“No, but you didn’t do what I wanted either,” said his mother as she twizzled around.
Yoshi didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what he did wrong. The corner of his mouth twitched, wanting to smile, as if this was a joke. “What do you want me to do?” he cautiously asked, his arms thrown in the air, his face begging for an answer.
“We’re going to drop you from a much higher distance. Get back in the box and prepare for another drop.”
Yoshi threw himself on the bench in despair. He didn’t want to. He wouldn’t. Then that’s when Shiomi came in and sat beside him.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/PR9lKKQRkto)
“As expected of a CAST, showing total disregard to human feelings, thinking everything is made of metal,” said she, her arm dancing across the sky. “Though naturally, CASTs have more of an issue dropping sometimes. They say the parts mess with their inner workings from time to time. Some types of robots even had to be entirely removed from the line of work.” Looking at Yoshi with a thin smile, Shiomi gripped his shoulder and continued, “Look, I know you don’t want to do it but listen, when this is all over I’ll take you to the Gaion, the ship rumored to see the first diga warriors.”
Yoshi lifted his head and returned the smile. “Sounds odd of you to take me to a museum.”
“Yeah, well, I have some business to take care of at my family’s place and I may need some backup in case things get a little… messy.”
Yoshi lifted two flat hands and pointed them at her. “But you’re…you,” Yoshi exclaimed. “You always come out on top.”
The newmen laughed and smacked at his back. “I can kick all their asses any time of the day, but I’d like mine to come out intact as well.” With one last softer pat, Shiomi got up and trade places with Ijiraku, who waited until the newmen walked out of the room to say,
“Truth be told,” she whispered, “Half breeds aren’t as powerful as pure breeds. Diga is a human exclusive ability and half human powers are diluted by their newmen blood. The proficiency of techniques conflicts with it. Two rivers trying to go both ways into each other,” she finished, two fists bumping into each other.
“That doesn’t make much sense. If diga make humans similar to newmens, then-”
“See you on the ground,” she interrupted, walking back into the other room.
Like his mother, Yoshi also waited for the doors to open then shut. The moment the doors seal together, Yoshi looked at his idle mag. The mag blankly stared back at him. Gesturing for the mag to come a little closer, he whispered to it, “How well do you think you can withstand heat?” Though the mag couldn’t speak, it did display a symbol art, or an image of the word direct, a flame and a clock. Thirty minutes the clock said. “Good,” replied the human with a big grin. “I got a plan.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/9NkPpjLsvqQ)
When the time came for Yoshi’s second drop, not only had Yoshi trapped himself once again in his own tomb, but his mag with him as well. As a small little device with two four prong stars on each side, each clung to the sides of his teal head and stayed there until further orders. Sitting, waiting; the two stare forward in silence until a vibration could faintly be felt in the distance, a pound vaguely heard beyond the noise of the eased jets outside. “Ready?” Yoshi whispered to his mag. The mag rocked in acknowledgment. “Try not to cling too hard. Those stars hurt you know.”
Yoshi took a deep breath. He could feel the doors open up, allowing his body to free fall. Not too far from the ship, a mound could be seen moving from the tip top to the middle of the container. Via a pocket of space Yoshi easily created, he moved it alongside his mag so that it could move from his head towards his stomach and act as a pair of binoculars. Eyes of the mag see through a little slit in the box, the data would be sent and then seen by Yoshi through window from the inside. Using what he see, Yoshi would then adjust the shape of the capsule, morphing wings, bumps, ridges, and his box to better guide the container’s fall until it neared the ground, where Yoshi opened up four thin flaps that clung to the top like a palm tree. From there, they would slow it’s decent until they broke off. Once he hit the ground for a second time, he repeated the same process. Only this time, his mag prepared for battle with him, its star blades spinning rapidly. Ready to go, the drop ship swooped down to pick them up, but to Yoshi surprise, he didn’t get a cheer this time around. Instead he met a caseal with both hands on her hips and a,
“Hand over the mag.”
“Huh?” Yoshi asked as he boarding the ship. Using the doorway as his support, he then asked, “What did I do this time?”
“You cheated,” replied Ijiraku. A step forward was made. A finger pointed at the ground in front of her. “Mag, get over here, this instant,” she commanded.
Amused, Yoshi scratched the back of his head and said, “I don’t think mags obey many people like that.”
“Then would you kindly hand it over.”
“Well maybe I don’t want to?”
“So, it’s come to this then, huh?” the blond woman said darkly. “Very well, if we can’t do this the easy way, then we will do it the hard way.”
“Stand down, Cast,” demanded Shiomi from the other room.
“If your children can not be controlled, then you must discipline them for their disobedience.”
“And what are you going to do? Send him to his room.”
Ijiraku turned around and smile. “Exactly,” she said with a snap of her fingers.
Almost out of nowhere, several golden triangles zoomed out form the walls and surrounded Yoshi in an orderly formation. Once in position, giving the cowboy no chance to react, pales green walls of energy wrapped around him and a smaller field appeared under his feet, formed to push him up. Unable to escape, an energy prison encapsulated the struggling human, separating him from his mag, which shot bolts of energy at the strange new device.
“It’s for your own good, Bitol,” Ijiraku said to him with a pouty face. She then walked up to the prison and slid a hand down its harmless barrier like walls. “If you won’t improve yourself willingly, then I have no choice but to force you to. I will expand it to give you enough space to make another one. Just know that if you don’t, this thing will still disappear. Shiomi, prep the ship for the third drop.” After saying that, the robot of blond locks grabbed the capsule and stuffed it into the floor below.
“What kind of mother are you?” Shiomi glared.
“Oh come now, there wasn’t any violence or bloodshed had. Someday when this is all over, the both of you will thank me.”
How long will this going on, wondered Shiomi. Giving off a sigh, she stared at the floor and thought for a moment. Her finger tapped at her chin. Her foot tapped on the floor. Deciding to free Yoshi, she stopped to the sounds of something breaking inside. But just as Yoshi was about to open up the hatch, the flooring below him gave way, causing him to fall once more.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/vGjwXI0n5-I)
At first, Yoshi scrambled around, feeling like a cat squirming to find a foot hold. His breathing grew rapid and harsh. He didn’t make a squeak but he did feel screaming. Looking down, he narrowed his form and used what particles of sand he could gather to form a third coffin. Little by little stands of sand were being formed. In a few seconds they became rotating bands, ribbons and stings moving all around him. To his amazement, it formed quite faster than he expected. Like a glass refilling with gelatin, he watched the walls rise up, splash, wiggle and wave around. Some of the bands rushed in from the bottom. Others snap and clung to the sides. Still wide eye in fear, he deepen his breath, balled both hands and closed his eyes the moment earth engulfed his head.
“Okay,” he said in the darkness, under his breath. “I can do this.”
The edges of the coffin became covered first in bumps, then thorns, the bottom ones larger than the upper ones. One he felt that the thorns were long enough, he used them to determine how far he was from the floor. The moment the forth thorn began to erode away in the heat of friction, he allowed slightly thick flaps to shoot open from the flatter sides. They moment to sprung open, he could feel the coffin jerk backwards. Yes, he cheered. Just when he thought this was going to be a piece of cake, snap, something went wrong. The flaps came off.
Were they too inflexible? Did he open them too soon? Can he manage replacing it with a parachute made of sand? Can he even do that, he asked himself. Trying to remain calm, Yoshi flexed and relaxed his hands multiple times. He took several deep breathes. Unsure if another set would work, he instead focused on reinforcing the bottom of the container. With strengthen walls, he would create two handle bars near his hands and grab hold of them. Elongating the tube while at the same time pushing his body upwards with it, he prepared to let the bottom collapse upwards to absorb the fall. Using what little experience he had with vehicle crashes, he modified the coffin to preform a specific action when landing. Rushing for time, unsure how much was left, he worked with all haste. Then boom. The bottom hit the sand. Instead of a professional entry, it was a sloppy one, but one he could still work with. The bottom held together but the weaker lower walls collapsed and fell apart. They twisted and winded around. The upper portion of the container swung around. Using the energy, Yoshi flung himself away from the crash in a break away pod, one that slid and bounced across the yellow sea to slow down. One with a nose and legs to keep it from violently flipping all over the place. Finally he slipped out. For instead of waiting for the dust to clear, he weakly turned the cloud into a dust devil so he could recover. Arms freed, he grabbed the nearest object and held it like a gunslash, leveled at his chin in an imaginary pistol mode.
Finally the dust clear and in the distance sat both the bird and now a cloaked Lillipan, both which sat down eating a tub of strange food.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Chapter 5: Beach Antics That Never Came to Be:
[spoiler-box]The way you described the beach outfits definitely reminded me of the game, how there are a limited number of outfits with only a few color variations. Was that a somewhat subtle reference/jab at that?

As you were describing some of the characters and their outfits, like Ijiraku and Marean, I realized that I don't have a clear idea of what they look like. You did a decent job of describing some of their traits but I wondered if you have reference pics of any of them? I mean any of the characters in your story.

Obviously a wife would be able to recognize her own husband! I liked that little touch. And she used to be Yoshi's partner? Oh ho, that's interesting![/spoiler-box]

Chapter 6: Shakedown:
[spoiler-box]Oh! I didn't even realize the first chapter took place later, since Lilliman was already a crew member at that point. xD

I like that you make it seem like your characters have a real history with comments like "it's a long story" (in reference to the race). It makes the reader think stuff happened to these characters before the story started, which gives them extra depth.

Also, the third song link isn't working. There's a typo, it should say "http:" but it says "htt*)" instead. I fixed it for myself but you might want to fix it in case anyone else reads it later.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Before I started the story, I thought a lot of the book to movie comparisons. So when it got time to writing it, I figured, even if I added details to the people, its still going to look different to everybody. So in the end, I just left it to the minds of the reader.

But yeah, I do.
[SPOILER-BOX]http://i.imgur.com/WhafJu5.png[/SPOILER-BOX]

Edit: Finally remembered to fix that link.

[yoshiblue]

- Rock, Stone and Time: Part I -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/MLHmZ7FI1yA)
Ever since the day Yoshi started training under his mother, Ijiraku, it has been getting harder and harder for him to find some decent sleep. Constantly, every night, he would toss and turn. Every so often he would even wake up, panting, gasping for air. As if he woke up from a near death experience. To this day it amazes him, how he can go about his days without goofing something up to levels of the extreme kinds. Then again, for the past week, his missions have not only gotten strangely easier, but have also been causing him to spend less time with both his squad-mates of Zelatus and his teammates in Celestial. As a result, he would try to go out and say hello to his daughter and Sia every so often. Or at least he would try. Every time he would make an attempt, Ijiraku would be there to turn him around, like she knew, like she could read his mind. Very few times could be had where he would be able to meet with one or the other. He even waited for Tuhina to come busting like she used to, so he could be updated on current event and show her how much he had improved his medical knowledge. She never did. The books had been left in a wooden shelf, stuck in the same place since he had placed them down, collecting dust.
While not many have had the chance to see him, he had gotten the hang of using his unique gifts more often. One time, he made a small bridge for a group of four to walk across, over the lava lakes of Anduscia. Another time, he saved a B-02 by building a wall between the vessel and some anti-air degans. Though to his dismay, he attempted it without the coat and the wall didn’t last very long as a result. In the end, it was enough as the dropship managed to get away just in time. Minor failures aside, what made his day was when he managed to counter a rockbear’s punch by first trapping its fist in a dirt mount and impaling it with a spike of rock hard earth. At first it wasn’t much, but he was getting better. Thanks to his training, he had become more comfortable with his abilities. He had been using them more often, no longer afraid of what would happen to him, even among Dimitri’s crowd, who would pay a visit here and again.
But whenever he comes back home after a hard day’s work, training or working, he would sit on his couch and thinks back on his strange dreams. Where every night he would see himself doing strange things he’s never done before. Blocking, reflecting, glancing blows with armor he never owned or wore before. Launching spikes he had hastily made at high speeds. Perfecting a honey comb ceramic bubble shield; even giving it double layers from time to time. In one dream he even converted it into a hail fire of ceramic plates. The top layer used as projectiles while the bottom layer blocked any incoming blows.
Sometimes he saw himself simply waiting for windows of opportunities. Such as the gap in Arron’s katana swings, an inbound crash landing B-02 or the punches of a strange purple hair newmen, bent on killing him. Other times he would simply be working with the fluctuations of earth and stone. Now that he thought on it, most of what he did had been on the defensive end of combat. Never had he made a rock solid fist to punch skulls in. Never had something like a giant pillar smack the darkers out of the air. It was always block, hide or counter.
Then there was the stranger part of his dreams. A bright eye newmen girl, green in hair and a smile that screamed, “Science! Magic! Bloodshed!” Without fail, she would be there, in every dream, right next to Ijiraku. Be it just behind his mother, or sitting somewhere adjacent to her. In every dream, she would just watch and listen, never saying a word until something bad happened to him. Whenever he came close to death, that is when she would open her mouth, but Yoshi would never hear what it was she said. When he screwed up, her lips would finally move and he would just wake up. Neona, Sia’s sister. Does she try to save him? Or does she gleefully warp his dreams for her amusement? Do newmens ever have such a power?
In life, she is normally a cheery girl full of energy, with a love for blowing things up in giant fiery explosions. Energetic, happy go lucky, sometimes a bit of an air head, she would contrast heavily to her more solid and knowledgeable companion, Anna. One of the things that struck Yoshi as odd was the fact that Anna herself had never been in his dreams, only Neo, and splitting these two apart would be like trying to move a mountain to an island. It is do-able, but not without a tremendous amount of effort.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/v_vSblcklfY)
Yoshi shot up, his breath heavy, brown eyes darting across the room. The giggles of the newmen girl echoed in his mind. Out of paranoia, Yoshi leaped out of bed and checked his balcony. Nothing. Just an empty plant decorated patio, lit in a lovely angle by the high moon in a star riddled sky. Leaves gently blew in the cold wind only his hand could feel against protective window panes. He uttered a grunt and closed the blinds. His back against the window, he then moved to his cabinets, then his closets, under his tables. He scurried around and checked everything that could or can house a thin little girl. With a little hesitation, he even checked the silent room of Yvonna’s, dark because she went out tonight. After taking a quick sweep around, he closed the door behind him and sighed. His arm found itself wiping a sweaty forehead.
“Sweaty, am I catching a fever?” Yoshi asked himself. “Time for a checkup.”
Back at his bedside, which happened to be the couch in the middle of his living room, he looked for his mag.
“Odd,” said Yoshi, his voice low, looking down. “Normally he would be awake.”
Resting on his pillow, there his mag slept, slanted rectangle eyes grey and lifeless. Its two stars on the sides of its helmet like frame still and motionless. Yoshi peeked around. His eyes narrowed. Someone must have turned the mag off, but he didn’t know who or how. Could it have been Yvonna? No, it couldn’t be. What motive could she have had for such an act? Still on alert, knowledgeable fingers revived his mag.
Eyes lit up from a dull gray to a dim white. Gray tipped stars spun slowly yet surely. When one of them lightly grazed Yoshi’s bare fingers, he looked down again and smiled. He watched as his mag’s eyes change teal and twirl into the air, as if saying hello.
“Good to see you too, mag man,” Yoshi said with a smile. Face to face, the two looked at each other. “So,” the human said with a hand on his head, “Any idea how you were switched off?”
“No,” said a holographic picture emitted in front of the mag.
“Did I turn you off?” Yoshi asked again, a finger pointing at his face.
“No,” said the image again.
Then it hit him. In his dreams, his mag was never there either. Yoshi spun around in this revelation and held his chin with his left hand.
“Mag man, scan yourself for finger prints and foreign material.”
Two little triangles from the back of the mag’s plume popped out and floated about. The triangles moving in circles and a solid blue line swept up and down the mag’s body. After the second sweep, the triangle shaped devices restored themselves and sounded a double bleeping tone signaling the scan’s finish. Afterwards, the mag soared ahead of Yoshi and displayed a holographic report sheet.
Nothing, records only discovered signs of Yoshi’s finger prints. At first, Yoshi sneered and blew a puff of air out of his nose. But then he continued reading, making his eyebrows rise with concern. According to the report, traces of a time gap had been found. As if Yoshi had slept through an entire day. Yet no one called. No one questioned why he was gone.
“Hey mag man, what did we do yesterday?”
The mag displayed a sheet of work hours along with cleaning dates. According to the data, nothing happened on the mag’s end, but a record of yesterday show that he had been in the seabed area of the ocean planet Vorpal. Suspicious, Yoshi carelessly made a call, in the middle of the night, at 12:00 AM. Sitting on his couch bed, Yoshi was surprised when someone picked up almost immediately.
“Sia,” Yoshi almost squeaked with enthusiasm.
“Yoshi,” Sia replied is a sleepy tone, “Why are you calling me? Don’t you know what time it is? Shouldn’t you be busy defending the mining outpost with the other tanks?”
“No…” Yoshi responded, “I’m at home… Why, who told you that?”
“Ijiraku did. Yaeko also said you were hurt in an accident. Are you okay? What happened?”
Yoshi flexed his arm and twisted his torso. “I don’t feel any pain, no. And I certainly don’t remember any accidents.”
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Sia then asked. Yoshi could detect a mixture of emotions in her voice; fear, anger, confusion.
“Well there is your sister. Does she normally appear consistently in people’s dreams?”
There was a long pause. While waiting for a response, Yoshi cracked his neck, looked at his mag and circled his shoulders.
“No, she doesn’t…” Sia finally said before her voice started to trail off. Then it came back, a little more absolute this time. “I’ll talk to her about it later.”
With a simple “Heh”, Yoshi rubbed his chin. Then in an instant, like he discovered something important, Yoshi lifted a finger and said, almost yelling in the process, “Oh, while I’m awake, do you want me to make you some breakfast tomorrow? Or maybe some lunch?”
Sia yawned. “No, that’s alright. Thanks though.”
“Alright, I’ll let you get some sleep then.”
“Thanks,” said she sarcastically. “See you around.”
“Alright, I-,”
Yoshi’s head swayed to the left with a pain filled grimace.
“Tell Arethusa I said hello. I’ll talk to you later,” he finished.
The call now finished, Yoshi looked at his mag with a sadden expression and sighed.
“Close call,” he sighed, resting his back against a cushioned backrest. “You know, sometimes I envy Reinhardt. Sometimes he just…well never mind. No use getting all stressed over nothing. Come on mag man, I think we had enough rest for tonight. Let’s see what he’s up to anyways.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/HMnrl0tmd3k)
Lucky for Yoshi, he caught his best friend just returning from a mission. Fellow pilots at his sides, a man and a woman laughed and talked, all three of them walking in Yoshi’s direction. Watching them come forth, Yoshi wasn’t sure if he should approach them or wait for the three’s arrival. With a quick glance at his mag, the bobbing of the floating helmet motivated the man’s ultimate decision, his trip north up the room. Flying ears or Reinhardt, Yoshi wondered. He didn’t have enough time for thinking.
Two arms shot up in the air. “Hey, Reinhardt, how’s it going buddy?” Yoshi shouted with a gigantic grin on his face. Yoshi then dropped one arm and let the other wave.
The red head newmen looked between his two fellow pilots, talked for a split second and watched them walked away.
“Yoshi, long time no see,” he finally said, greeting Yoshi alone. “How are the B-01s treating you?”
“A little restrictive at times but they get the job done,” said the human, walking alongside his friend. “Anything new with the B-02s?”
“Same as ever,” Reinhardt replied, patting Yoshi shoulder while at the same time redirecting their aimless walking elsewhere. “So, what brings you here? Seems you’ve been pretty busy as of late. Did you forget something?”
“Just came to say hi. Ask about the wife and maybe kids?”
Reinhardt instantly backed away and said, “No, no,” open palms waving side to side. “The wife and I aren’t ready for kids. Not for quite a while.”
“Ah, I see. Any vacations planned then?” asked Yoshi with raised brows.
Reinhardt stopped them at a doorway and replied, “Hey, I’d like to talk like old times but I got something to do right now. Maybe some other time?” He then knocked on Yoshi’s head and added, “See you around, expresso.”
“Yeah, later…” Yoshi weakly said, holding back an amused chuckle. The newmen gone, Yoshi stared at his mag and said, “Well that was short lived.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]
- Rock, Stone and Time: Part II -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/gDZo4EJZ_dI)
Knock. Knock. Knock. A hand rapping against a metal door sounded from outside a quiet room. An unusual thing to behold for anyone inside this room, for on this side, the inside, the door is made of wood, a single board of mahogany wood, etched away by several intricate symmetrical designs, sitting alone on a gray sunset lit tile floor. Within this room, fancy regal walls and surrounding stain glass windows made up the building. Various plants, trees and benches decorated this room. All evenly lined up, like a chapel oriented in a manner similar to that of a funeral. In front of this door, a single marble table, surrounded by two marble benches and a chair sat, over a black mat colored in by gold designs and lines. Though the building seemed to be that of a normal chapel room, the bark of a tree made up both the door’s frame and the wall it rested in. This tall tree supported a tall building and maybe even more, as if the door sat in a tower within a forest. Whenever the knocks stopped and the echoes fade away, the return of softened birds and crickets could be head beyond its stone walls. Knock. Knock. Knock. The hand rapped again.
“Come in,” merrily said the voice of a young girl, strong yet distracted at the same time.
At that moment, heavy doors swung open and a Newmen woman walked inside. Jet black in hair, cautious brown in eyes; a woman in pure black attire walked in and quietly closed the door behind her, another odd sight to see. Normally the door should have slid open sideways, like almost every other door on the ship. However, this door opened up in an arc instead, much like the doors of old and in tradition strong vessels. Though this woman tried to remain silent and polite, a loud click could still be heard being emitted from the door’s closing and this click bounced across an enormous empty room. Cringing a bit, the woman swirled around and walked towards the table.
“Ah, good to see that you remember the manner of which we use to gather. Yes, good, welcome sister. It has been a long while. Would you care for some tea?” the girl asked, a hand sweeping over a tea pot.
“Neona,” the woman said, almost in a scolding tone, “What is going on? Why are you talking like that?”
Neona’s eyes grew wide with surprise. At first she looked at her sister as if she woke up from something strange, as if waking from a sort of day dream. Then a pale hand covered her mouth and silently giggled.
“Sorry,” Neona said, leaning forward with both hands on the table. “I’ve been watching grandmother for so long; I’ve started to pick up on her habits.”
“Leanna? Why?” asked the sister, taking a bench seated across from Neona’s. “What could you possibly want from a sinister woman like her?”
“To learn. To see. To figure out how to survive like she has. Why she made the decisions she has. It’s not a happy life; she didn’t make the very good choices in life but before you go off on me about them, just remember that yours aren’t any better. Well…maybe a little better. I mean, just like you she also wiped out a good handful of-”
An open palm shot up in front of her. “Okay stop,” Sia demanded. “I don’t want to talk about her right now. I’m here about your messing of Yoshi’s dreams.”
“You mean Bitol?”
Sia swatted the air. “Whatever, you know what I mean,” she cried. She then placed a hand on her chest and continued, “Why didn’t you tell me? What have you been doing to him and maybe even me?”
“Well, I never expected you to know,” Neona complained, a tea cup in hand. “After all, you left when I was young. I wouldn’t be surprised if you couldn’t tell me what my favorite food was, what my favorite color is, or even what kind of weapon I commonly use.”
Stab. A dagger plunged itself into Sia’ heart. She was right. She did leave both her sister, and her mother, when she was young. All these years she had lived alone, without ever knowing her family. Never getting to know more about her mother, her father, her sister, or any other relatives she may have had. In a blind rampage of rage, revenge and selfishness, she threw it all away and as a result, she can only treat her sister as if she were nothing more than another stranger, someone completely different from her.
Kicked out of reality, Sia slumped against the bench lost in though. Her sister didn’t seem to mind though. Instead, she propped up a man who had been sleeping beside her; a man of teal hair, wearing teal coat, khaki pants and a grey shirt underneath. Then she took the time to brush off specks of rock and debris.
“So yeah, Bitol; I’ve been dragging him around so he can train. He may not remember it but he had been doing both work and training. Er, sis, focus,” she said with an anxious look on her face. Two fingers snapped in the air. Sia regained focus. “Hello. Welcome back to casa de Neona.” She then giggle again and added, “That’s another way to say house of Neona.”
Sia looked impressed. “You’re learning other languages now?”
“No,” Neona replied. “Just picked up a few phrases here and there. Universal language devices make it very hard sometimes; even to get an accent going. Of course, that also depends on what ship you’re born on. The trick is to think that you’re not speaking another language, like it’s all just gibberish. Then that accent will come out.”
“Okay,” Sia stopped her, “what are you doing with Yoshi?”
“Oh right, training, yep yep.”
“Training…how?”
“Let me put it this way, grandma and I share the same gift. We can take a piece of bubble gum, stretch it out or split it into two. When we do, we can gather up outside junk with one end and smash it back together. Does that make any sense?”
“So you’re splitting Yoshi into two and making him appear in two different places.”
“Yes and no, I need a better way to explain this. That didn’t sound right,” her sister replied. “Anyways, that’s why he’s here now, but not here at the same time. He’s stuck in coma mode but I brought him here because I knew you were coming. You know, to keep you sane.”
“That doesn’t sound like Leanna. And how do you keep sane?”
“Well yeah. My ability pales to grandma’s. She can go anywhere. I can’t. But I can pull people back if needed. That’s why he’s here today. I don’t do it alone though. A woman by the name of Sh-Shi-Sha, eh, she helped me do it.”
“And what about mom? What didn’t you bring her back too?” Sia cried.
“If I brought mother back, we wouldn’t be living like we do now. We would be servants to a newmen family.” Sia almost spoke but her sister cut her off. “I know what you’re going to say but you wouldn’t know any better if I had. You would have been content, sheltered and forever kept in the dark. Hate me if you want, sis, but that not the life I or either of us want to live.” Tears welled up in both their eyes. Almost sobbing, Neona then said, “I know, because I was there, Sia. I saw it all. I saw everything. Mother may have died, but you got me out of that ship. You can hate me but I can’t hate you. You saved my life too.”
“I don’t hate you, Neona. I can’t,” Sia shouted. “I just-I just miss mom and dad. I just want them back. That’s all I ever wanted.”
“I know.” Her sister whispered. “I know.”
In their moment of mourning, Yoshi’s body fell over and crashed against Neona’s arm. Using his sleeve to wipe her tears, Neona then looked back at Sia and took in a deep shuttering breath.
“What I did, bringing Yoshi back, I did for a good reason.”
“What reason? Did Leanna involve you too? What is she making you do?” Sia pleaded.
“I can’t tell you. All I can say is that his book must end with a magic seal. Only then can our enemy be stopped and our lives become better.”
“What magic? What does he have to do with me?”
“Sorry, sis, but I kept both of you for far too long. It’s time for you two to go now.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/zqrSavQ1ibw)
In that instant, Sia went deaf. Her vision blurred and lost its focus. She began to sway and weave. Someone made her sleepy and though she felt like passing out, she fought back, remained awake. She force her eyes open, struggling to read the lips of her sister. But in the end, it was not enough. Everything erased itself in darkness. Fading until she went into a sleep like state. Then she awoke. Her eyes opened up with ease again and she got up.
Looking around, she noticed that she was back in her room, sleeping on her warm comfortable bed. Filled with worry, she glanced at her clock. 3 AM, it said. The time she read before leaving her home. Looking around, everything seemed the same. Her once slightly cracked closet door remained closed. Her other pillows were still on her bed. Most importantly, the note she wrote about visiting her sister, the note she pocketed before leaving, could still be seen on her end table. Everything remained the same. Like nothing ever happened.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX] Really, you brought her with you? That was the kind of look Shiomi gave Yoshi from behind her luxurious sunglasses. Though he didn’t know how to respond, he gave her a lukewarm smile that made her step inside a flying limo. The classic black kind, decorated along the hull with a row of three bars of light, all horizontal, each parallel to each other. Not a very powerful vessel but it has always been driven as the choice vehicle for comfort and wealth. Yoshi has only been in one of them before, once upon a time, when he and his mercenary group guarded a business man transferring between ships. As it turned out then, it was all a mistake. Though Yoshi and his team were in the right place, and these people were the proper people. Yoshi made the wrong move. It wasn’t his seat, his spot. Where he should have been was in the car behind, where the son sat. In a much more normal yet still expensive looking vehicle.
Though it has been years since he had last ridden in one, this limo looked just like the same one he rode in those many years ago. Plush pearl white seating, a hidden mini bar made obvious by its bold outline, same with the Jacuzzi in the floor, folding speakers, a flipped over flat screen television and several extra goodies Yoshi has never seen before. Once inside the rather well lit car, Sia followed behind Yoshi and took a seat on the other side of the not so priestess dressed newmen. Instead of her wearing her usual attire of mint green robes and glowing dresses, this time she wore a long elegant black dress with her silver hair tied back in a bun, like Celtic knots on the back of her head. On the other end of things, both Yoshi and Sia dressed like bodyguard and wore black tuxedos. While Sia kept her black dyed hair down, Yoshi combed his hair back, exposing more of his forehead than usual and give himself a more intimidating appearance. Or at least this was the reason for doing so.
“Yoshi,” Sia cooed, “I’ve never seen you style your hair like that before.”
Yoshi frowned and rested an arm on the chair. “Well,” he began, “I did once a while back. Back then, Leanna commented on how I looked much like my father. I never did it again since.”
“You too, huh?” Shiomi commented, in a similar positon as Yoshi.
Curious, Yoshi leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“Nothing,” the newmen replied with a smile on her face. “I knew a girl who refused to be like her father is all.”
“Knew? What happened to her?” asked the man, two hands clasped together.
“Never mind,” Shiomi said instantaneously. “Sia, did you bring some headwear?”
“No, why?” Sia asked, looking at her partially unsheathed katana.
“Newmens aren’t the most welcomed race in our family. This will go smoother if you have something to cover those ears of yours.” While saying that, Shiomi rummaged around in an onyx purse until she pulled out a black headband. “Here,” she said, offering the hairband forward, “Use this to hide your ear behind your hair. You’ll need it.”
Though reluctant at first, Sia put it on. She’d rather not wear it, but she’d also rather avoid unnecessary bloodshed, which surprised Yoshi. For as long as he’s known her, Sia had always been looking for her next death filled job. Where she could slaughter as many people as she wanted.
“Now, I hope Bitol has at least filled you in on the mission?”
“You’re going to meet family and we’re escorting you while you’re there.”
“Remember, this is family. So try not to hurt any of them. Keep in mind that there will also be children around. So stay out of trouble. I want both of you to stay on your best behavior.”
A thumbs up sign was given. “Got it,” Yoshi replied.
“Right,” said Sia.
“Now if you will excuse me, I need to speak with the driver.”
Having said that, Shiomi got up and retreated towards the front of the limo. Left alone Yoshi turned and warmly smiled at Sia, who sheepishly smiled at him in returned.
“How do I look,” she asked, readjusting the hairband, a mirror looming in front of her.
“More lovely then the aurora borealis, prettier than the cherry blossoms in spring,” Yoshi responded, his smile growing wider.
“You’re just saying that.”
“No, I mean it. Honest.”
“I don’t believe you,” said Sia, looking away.
Yoshi furrowed his brows and also turned away. “Now you’re just messing with me. I’m not going to play this game, Sia.”
“I knew it. You were lying to me.”
Yoshi face her again and threw his hands in front of him. “Sia,” he said before looking away. “Never mind.”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing.”
“What did you want to say?” she pestered.
“I said,” Yoshi almost yelled. But he caught himself and relaxed. As he looked away, Sia could notice his lips fighting off a frown. “Don’t worry about it,” he calmly said. Looking at the front of the limo, his right hand rubbed at his ring finger. Noticing this, Sia stared at her own bare hand. No wedding band could be seen, just a plain finger. In the next moment, Shiomi stepped back in, this time with a much more serious face. Yoshi watched as lights came on and the tinted windows untint themselves, and as he did, his eyes widen in amazement. The outside world was moving. Windows, signs and buildings scrolled on by. He had forgotten how well these cars could absorb movement and how they could make turbulence seem nonexistent. Looking out the window behind him, his attention was redrawn by the voice of Shiomi who said,
“Time is running short. My father will be leaving soon. So this shouldn’t take long. Speaking family, where is Arethusa?”
“I left her in the care of James,” Sia replied. “He said he had nothing to do and agreed to take care of her for me.”
“Interesting,” said Shiomi wondrously.
Back at the Oracle Cruiser Ur, in the home of James, sat Arethusa and the man himself, eating out of bowls of beef broccoli and watching TV. Though instead of talking about the program where rocket launchers were being pushed to their limits, Arethusa instead complained about her father and Sia.
“Sia wanted dad to give her attention,” she complained. “Why does Sia get all the attention, huh? I have wants and needs too you know. Maybe I want dad’s attention. Do they ever thing of that? Huh?!” she screamed.
Jame tried to smile but he couldn’t think of anything to say. In an attempt to calm her down, he replied, “Hasn’t your dad taken you to nature gardens, buffets and fairs recently? He cares about you.”
“I don’t care about some dumb flowers and stupid clowns! I want bonding time. I want to go on missions where we kill stuff together, rip things in two. I want us to sit around and see how people react when we throw balloons of milk on them or something.” After saying that, she took a scoop of beef from her bowl and chew viciously while staring at the TV.
“That sounds a bit harsh. What would your mother say?”
“I’m sure she would want to throw fluids at people too,” she cried. “Except they would be, you know, the acidic kind. Mom is weird.”
Though difficult, James continued smiling, but it now looked like a very painful one. In an effort to escape, James then said, “Well, looks like you’re almost done with lunch. How about I go get you some dessert? Is there anything you want to eat?”
“Cheesecake,” Arethusa instantly replied.
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
And with that, James disappeared around the corner. Where as soon as he entered the kitchen, he instantly reached for an old fashion wall phone and punched a few button on a holographic screen. Though he could have simply done the hands off method, James, like many people his age, much preferred the classic more physical way, as it was the preferred method of contacting people. After a few dull tones, a female voice said on the other end, “Hello?”
“Karol,” James said in a relieved voice, “sweetie, can you do me a favor?”
“Yeah definitely, dad. What is it?”
Meanwhile, the limo had finally reached its destination. Parking on a large circular driveway, circling around a large water fountain and several flowerbeds, Yoshi exited the vehicle and opened Shiomi’s door. Once Shiomi had stepped out, Yoshi was about to do the same for Sia until he witnessed her getting out by herself. Everyone out of the limo, Shiomi’s bodyguards donned a pair of sunglasses in synchronous harmony and then took a place beside her, one on each side of the well-dressed newmen.
Leading the way, the trio walked up several stone steps where they reached the front entrance of a villa sized home that awaited them and where two butler opened it’s rather lager doors with a bow. Inside beheld a very reflective tile floor, divided by a large staircase, covered by velvet carpet.
“Ah, there’s someone I know,” Shiomi whispered. “You two stay here while I ask for father’s whereabouts.”
Once out of sight, Yoshi said to Sia with a light shrug, “Sounds easy enough.”
Sia smiled and looked around.
To the both of them, this room had been a sight to behold. Gold covered half walls acting as guard rails, carved to resemble olive leaves, ancient yet intricate paintings one the walls that made them wonder which were fake and which were real, expensive vases, golden lamps, elegant white and gold doors at every corner save for one and lastly, a giant gold chandelier hanged from above. Trying to take in as much as he could, Yoshi suddenly looked down the moment something bumped into his foot. Rolling on the floor a red ball that made him glace around until he spotted something. Hiding behind the armor of a knight in the corner, a little girl in a pink dress peeked and withdrew. In a show of kindness, Yoshi picked up the ball and slowly walked towards the little girl. However, instead of coming out, she stayed behind the large body of metal.
“Let me try,” said Sia, gently taking the ball from Yoshi.
As soon as she reached the statue, she knelt down and whispered something to the little girl. Like magic, she popped out, took the ball and scattered away towards the door, almost bumping into a man who had just walked out.
“Whoa, easy there,” pleasantly said the man.
“Daddy, can I have a bodyguard?” asked the little girl?
“But you do have a bodyguard. Sir Jimermin, remember?”
“I don’t like Mr. Jimermin, daddy. He’s old and scary. I want someone like her, who’s strong and beautiful.”
The dad laughed. “That’s not a very nice thing to say but i’ll think about. Is that okay?” he asked, patting his daughter on the head.
The girl nodded vigorously. Both of them left through the door. Distracted at first, Sia and Yoshi’s attention were then caught by the return of a grinning Shiomi.
“I know where he is now,” she said, struggling to contain her excitement. “Come you two, we head to the third floor.”
So they did. Up the stairs, though a hallway, up another set of stairs and by another set of large doors, Shiomi finally turned around and looked at her companions.
“Okay, this is it. I want you two to stay here and stand guard. No one gets in, no one gets out. Understand?” she asked, switching between the both of them.
“Understood ma’am. No one will get by me.”
“Good,” Shiomi said before entering the room ahead.
“You never said that for me,” Sia playfully said to Yoshi, both of their backs against the wall holding the door.
“You’re strong and beautiful. I didn’t think you’d ever needed the extra help.”
“Even I sometimes wish someone would watch my back too you know.”
“You sure you want me to stare at your ass all day?” Yoshi smirked.
“That’s basically what I’m asking you to do.”
Yoshi busted out laughing, quickly halted by a brick from out of nowhere. Sia looked away and blushed.
“Is that an invitation then?” he jokingly asked, rubbing his head.
There was a moment of silence. Getting no reply, he planted his back against the wall and looked forward.
“Promise me that you will always watch my back.”
“I promise.”
“Who’s back are you watching again?”
“Sia’s.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

@yoshi: Thanks for sharing! That gives me a much better idea what your characters look like. For some reason I was picturing Yoshi (the character) more like Gene from Outlaw Star (http://blindsquirrelprops.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Caster1_00.jpg), except with tear hair and a cowboy hat. :lol:

Now, onto story comments:

Resurfacing Memories:
[spoiler-box]I'm assuming Tuhina said "no" to that proposal? Either that or she said yes and died/left later. If it's a spoiler you don't have to tell me which. As you were describing Yoshi's mag I realized how impractical that model would be outside of combat situations. Imagine how many complaints the manufacturers must get about accidental injuries! Also, the bit about the knives in the ceiling at the end was pretty clever. ^^

P.S. It's the future, and in space. Do they even know what "western" is supposed to be?

P.P.S. Did you really decorate Yoshi's room like that?[/spoiler-box]

The Calm Before the Storm:
[spoiler-box]Wow, family drama there. And so rude to her own grandmother! xD I'm guessing there's some history you haven't mentioned yet.

I'm not sure exactly what role Team Celestial plays in this world. I guess it's a group of ARKS soldiers who work together on missions, but beyond that I have no idea.

I was momentarily caught off-guard by the inclusion of Levia and Nedra. Nedra was in CelestialBlade's story and Levia will be in mine later, so I guess we're all writing about the same world (and the same colony ship no less). Maybe our characters have crossed paths and didn't even know it! :p[/spoiler-box]

Gray Team:
[spoiler-box]I enjoyed the banter (almost wanted to type "Banther") between the different characters as they flew towards their destination, well done. ^^

By the way, what are Dagan Aclis? Is that a real thing in the game? I know of Dagans and El Dagans and Dagan Neros, but that's it.

I agree with Lilliman, Ijiraku gave up too easily there. She wanted to keep Yoshi safe but quickly shut up when he voiced a different opinion. I guess in the end she decided to protect him during the battle![/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]The Degans Aclis are a made up thing, simply to have an easy answer to destroy airborne targets, and to give a just as lazy reason for why you don't see many airships in your adventures. Not that i'm saying they all died or something.

Yoshi wears a ten gallon hat a lot, so the idea of western would be anything related to a cowboy. But since this is the future or something or the sort and the definition of western would obscured overtime, there will be some leeway as to what they think western would mean. Like a cowboy room with a random coffee table in the middle.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Earth Bullet:
[spoiler-box]I was a little confused as to who (or what) Yoshi was fighting. In my mind I was picturing something like Persona since he (it?) was able to talk, so I imagined a Darker with a human-ish form.

I liked the scene aboard the ship at the beginning (also, the idea of a Lillipan manning the turret :p). I could really imagine it being a war zone with lots of action taking place. The Monster Hunter song you used, albeit too short, did a good job of conveying the tone.[/spoiler-box]

A Lesson About Warping:
[spoiler-box]Wait, wait. I'm slightly confused as to where exactly the Darkers were coming from, the ones that attacked them after the ship went into the warp portal. Were the Darkers inside the warp tunnel or did they attack the ship after it reappeared? It's... somewhat important for me to know these things, as our stories are supposedly taking place in the same universe!

To my knowledge, PSO2 has never really explained the concept of warping. We know that ships can create a portal in space which they use to travel to distant places. I was thinking maybe it was some kind of hyperspace wormhole but I don't really know. *shrugs*

It finally hit me. It had been bothering me for a while, but I finally realized what Lilliman reminds me of: an Ewok! He is such an Ewok, right? Am I right? :lol:[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@stukasa
[SPOILER-BOX]The story takes place after the revival of Elder Falz and since he blasted off out of the planet, I would imagine that a few chunks of earth would be flouting in space. Now, you know how darkers tend to just up and come out of nowhere with their portal of darkness? They did that on one of those chunks of earth and used it as a platform to fire on top of. The mysterious figured kept his word though. The attack on their ship was pulled by someone else.

As for portals, I always saw them function like Stargate's or Starfox Assault's. This big circular water portal with a questionable lifespan. The way I see it is, the armed version of warping is portable and can be done on a dime. But the civilian variant is much slower to setup and requires a lot more room. So in a sense, only large civilian vessels can warp. But since the T-57 is modeled after the military S-57, this ship is blessed with the military form of warping. Along with military parts, which is why it was thrown into service as it was, before all the refitting Yoshi and Ijiraku did on it.

Lillipans can be considered ewoks and i'm okay with this.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
“You stupid mother fucker piece of shit filth human,” a newmen woman of purple hair screamed while she fiercely clung to the body of a teal hair man, who swung on a spark spraying cable wire, from out one building and over the streets of ant sized cars and flashing red and blue lights. A single tear shed because of dust stuck in his right eye.
Before any of this happened, before these two souls had mindlessly launched themselves out of the fortieth floor of a large corporation building, the man had scooped up the woman and all here combat worn clothing without consideration, grabbed onto a thick loose electrical wire that dangled inside a destroyed office and jumped outside in a large victory jump like leap. Though it wasn’t the brightest of ideas, jumping out of a building without checking first, the man acted fast as they were desperately fleeing for their lives. People were after this newmen woman and he happened to be caught up in all of it. Not a moment too soon afterwards, an explosion from inside the office went off, allowing shrapnel’s flight and the cables newfound freedom. Cut off from the only thing supporting their flight, the man grimaced at the floor and the two plummeted towards the lower levels of a neighboring office building.
Glass shattered, bodies roll. Lucky for them, the building had been cleared hours ago as the lights were off and not a person could be heard above or below. Quick to the recover, the man scanned the room, smiling at the irony of them landing in the table-less side of yet another cubical occupied floor. In the sunlight, pistol held low and in hand, he almost moved away without a sound, until a flurry of kicks and punches started wailing in his backside.
“Human scum. Filthy pig. Shit faced swamp head,” the woman roared in anger.
He was irritated at first, but the man’s mood completely shifted as he nearly busted out laughing. “Swamp head?” he tittered. “Don’t you think you’re trying too hard there?” he asked with a nonsensical smirk.
The newmen woman spat on his face. “Go die,” she retorted.
As if she never insulted him, the man wiped his face, moved forward and grabbed a table. “Come on,” he said while he pushed a table towards a locked door, “Help me barricade these doors.”
“Don’t order me around, human.”
The man looked back and shot a serious face. The kind that looked like it would say, “Keep it up and I’m kicking you out that window.” But he didn’t really say that. Instead, he said, as calmly as he could, “Look if you want to get out of this alive, we got to work together.” After that he then walked back and grabbed another table. “I can’t believe it. This was a setup. I knew there was something off about this mission. Who seriously hires only a few people for a large scale operation?”
“You call this large scale?” The woman said, an arm flung wide, still standing idly by. In the background the sounds of sirens intensified. Vehicles have begun moving in. Flying ones flew over and above.
“Yeah,” the man spat. “They used us as expendable bait to lure you out. Sent us to different part of their controlled area or whatever they call it.” When he came back he then came face to face with the man and said with a smirk, “Lucky for you, you ran into me.” He then reached into his pocket and took out a rather large black box. Once lifted in-between the two, he then tapped at the sides and watched it pop into the form of a katana sheltered in a saya. “Here, take this,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes. “I always keep it just in case.”
Dirty gloved hands snatched the weapon from much more torn ones. “You piece of shit. Did you think I’d believe that you carry a damn katana around for no special reason?” the woman asked with skepticism.
“Hey, I use blades too you know,” the man replied with a frown, now making a wall using the remaining free tables and shaking his head like he regretted all of his decisions.
The woman lifted the katana higher and tried to elbow the man in his face. He dodged. She unsheathed it slightly, aiming for another strike. He ducked. Under her arm, she got him into a choke hold and hugged him close. Huh, not bad,” she said with a satisfied tone in her voice. “A lot better than the usual blades I see.” After that, she let go of his head. When he dropped on the floor, she looked down on his and said, “And what, no gun too?”
The man looked at his pistol and said, “Well, I am using this thing that I picked off one their bodies.”
“What about that one?” she said in an unamused tone, pointing at a silver pistol holstered on his left leg.
A nervous laugh was uttered. “You don’t want to use that one,” the man replied. he shook his head and stared at her glare with wide worrisome eyes.
In the silence, the two heard muffled footsteps scrambling outside the room. Hearing this, the man got up immediately and readied his stolen pistol. Back then, the woman hated this moment in life, standing next to a human, a race of trash not even worth the dirt under her shoes. So much did she hate him that she would have likely felt like throwing up, preferably on him, If she had it her way, which would have been alone and not with this human, she would have tried escaping through a vent on the ceiling, where she could have avoided several guards and maybe get out home free. She didn’t. Instead, this human had ruined any plan of escape, threw all meaning of stealth completely out the window and now face death, whom lurked just outside this very room. As she gritted her teeth in frustration and fear, the man asked out of nowhere with all earnest, “Hey, you any good with magic?”
“What,” she cried in a low whisper like voice.
“Nevermind,” he then said, redirecting his attention on the door nearest to them.
Boom, the door blew open. Since they couldn’t bust down the door, they decided that a breach was the best course of action. Using explosives, dust flew everywhere, chunks of the door scattered all over the room and the people in armored suits made their move inside. Yoshi didn’t understand why they thought it was the better plan. They could have just had guns point at their enemy’s backsides, from outside the windows, flying machines and everything. As the points men moved in, he was surprisingly blow backwards by a mysterious gust of wind, one that was really meant to clear away the dust. On the floor, the point man shouted, “I’m okay,” and a second man moved in, just catching a pistol thrown at him by the man of teal hair.
“Don’t worry,” the teal hair man said out loud, “The safety is still on.”
At that moment, the man took the pistol off its safety and fired. Sadly for the man, instead of a seeing a bullet fly out like a normal bullet would, instead he saw an explosion that caused the bullet to hit him square in-between the eyes. “Told you- you didn’t want to use that gun,” the man commented before opening fire. As the unfortunate man fell, the rest moved forward and soon fell with him.
“Armor piercing?” the man cried while tossing the closest firearm he could grab at the women. “I don’t know what you did but you must have really pissed them off for them to use armor piercing on you.”
Seeing their allies fall, the team by the other door abandoned their explosive riddled door and clumsily engaged the two. Amazingly, for both the fugitives and the attacking police force, they took down the second team with ease. From there they fled down two floors, through a dark corridor and into an underground parking garage of slow evacuating people. While the two looked around, people sped walked across lanes, vehicles honked, people whispered, people shouted and various other noises echoed throughout the floor.
“This way,” the man soon commanded. “I’ve seen these kinds of keys before.”
“Okay, hold up. Why the hell are you helping me?” the woman finally asked.
“The police hired us as expendable people and I don’t take to kindly to that. You want bait; use your own men, not a group of mercenaries.” The man peeked around a corner for a moment. “This way,” he said again. “To the larger cars.”
“The fuck are you doing now?” the woman then asked.
“Rubbing my blood on my suit- might help.”
From one side of the garage to the other, they finally stopped at a lot of gigantic home sized vehicles. From there, the man looked at the keys and then at the numbers painted on the backs of each vessel until he finally stopped at a dull gray one. “Found it,” the man cheered. “Snatched these from a cubical in the first building,” he then added. Looking at the woman, he stretched out his arm and dangled the keys in front of her. “You know how to fly one of these things?”
“Yes,” the woman said, rudely snatching the keys out of the man’s hands. “But I hope you don’t expect to come with me.”
“I don’t intend to.”
And on that, he waved, turned around and walked away. As he did, the woman looked at the green and blue labeled keys with confliction on her face. Having barely gained any distance between him and the newmen, the woman shouted, “Hey, you,” causing him to turn around, expecting some sort of thanks. It wasn’t. Instead, he got a punch to the gut, then his shoulder, two on his leg followed by a few quick slashes of a katana. Giving him no time to cry in pain, she then started to choke him out saying, “Sorry, but it’s for you own good.” To this day, she never understood why she decided to help this human, but she did. Maybe it was because he saved her life, gave her an escape route, a life for a life. Normally she would have killed him on the spot. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. After he had nearly passed out, she turned on the vehicle, dragged him by the door, waited for an officer to come by so she could create an act, one where the man looked like he tried to stop her. A team came running by. Just as one of the officers noticed the struggle and her face, she slammed the teal hair man’s head against a gray wall and fled into the ship.
Fortunately for her, to get into the front end of a vessel like this, one needed a staircase and that staircase was now retracted, stored safely away inside the vessel’s walls. Now unstoppable, she took the ship out and got away, flying the vehicle out of the larger exits specially made for shuttles like these. Interestingly enough, she wasn’t the only shady thing in the area as the ship she stole also came with an old full body image projector, a banned device that allows entire vessels to look like something completely different, even things smaller than the user’s ship. Thanks to this device, she managed to turn her ship into a bus and fly away home free.
Free. Finally out of the Oracle cruiser, then suddenly darkness. Noise blurred and faded out. And when things everything finally went quiet, brown eyes opened up in a comfy moonlit room. A cold room paired with synthetic crickets that chirped outside a nearby window. In the view sat an end table, and on the end table sat, in view of those brown eyes, beyond the plush moon blue pillow, the vessel’s keys and an image of Bitol and Sia, smiling arm in arm, recently taken just a day ago. A photo she originally didn’t want to take but caved in anyways.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

-Space Drifters!: The Other Ones-[SPOILER-BOX]
{:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9bkPUA1WOA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9bkPUA1WOA:}

Everything was horrible. Fire danced everywhere. Broken buildings smoldered and crumbled. Cars littered the street; their frames smashed, window glass shattered, and paint jobs scratched. Then out of the sky, a giant silver hose, like a battleship in the sky. Solid, new looking and cone shaped. Penetrating the black clouds, a giant white vessel followed behind and with it, hot clear liquid material oozed.
Freeze. Stop. Zoom out. The city is smaller, miniature, a scale model. In the shape of a square, the city limits met a sea of gray. It was a plain ol’ gray carpet. Surrounding it, within the gray carpet ocean, were several different parts; some cars, some buildings, some people. Unfortunately for the people, a giant human male with black hair plucked them from the floor and placed them on a black plate which sat on top of a white organic shaped device. Once these figures have landed, they soon melted into a pile of orangeish pink wax which prompted a human girl of teal hair to yell,

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/EAhgKRkIw64)
“Hey, what did I tell you, numb nuts? The hot plate is for buildings and vehicles only. ONRY! Capish?”
“Yeah, yeah,” said the boy without a care in the world. “Let just say they’re CASTs and call it a day.”
“No,” quickly said the girl, the word ending as instantaneously as it came out. “Nobody melts like that. You dumb.”
After that, she then reached over and took away the hot plate. Placing it over on her side of the city, the girl looked up and cupped both hands around her mouth, shouting in a raspy voice,
“Kreszentia. Where are my aliens? They were supposed to invade ten minutes ago. Ten. They better not be eating out at a diner. The city can only burn for so long.” She then looked down for an instant and added, “I think the mini microwaves are exploding too.” Then there was a sudden poof. Looking back down again, the girl saw fires lick at gray feet. A statue started giving off a small cloud of white smoke. “Oh and the fire reached your statue. It did blow up. Your statue sucks.”
“Yoshi,” the boy interrupted. “Aren’t you afraid that the carpet will catch fire?”
“The carpet will be fine,” Yoshi waved away. “It the carpets fault for getting in the way anyways.”
Reckless as she was, concern for her bare leg did shoot up on her internal lists of things to avoid. Moving the hot plate even further away, she scooted over with it, saving her leg from a potential nearby fire. Soon after a gray ship the size of a melon hit the floor, nose first, next to her.
“What are they doing,” Yoshi cried, her voice moving high to low. “Flying drunk?”
“Yes,” another girl said, a newmen girl of white hair, who walked into the room and took a seat beside Yoshi. In a stoic, monotonous voice, she continued, “They had a crazy party on the way here and got wasted in the process. But that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they got here.”
“Got here, my ass. They could have died. Or worse, land in the fire and then die.”
“I think you will find these aliens to be very sturdy,” the newmen replied while opening the ship up.
Inside the nose bent vessel were various creatures of many colors and many more forms. Each one made of a different material and was molded in a different image, some original in design, some not so much. Taking them out one by one, the newmen girl them lined them up neatly, in a single file line, outside the city’s boarder.
“I don’t know,” said Yoshi as she began to scratch at her head. “These aliens don’t look very good.”
Smack, a pale hand danced across Yoshi’s head. “Shut your mouth,” said Kreszentia. “You are hurting their feelings.”
Rubbing her head, Yoshi gave the newmen a scary smile and said, eagerly expecting a throw down, “Oh ho, you wanna go?”
“Don’t waste your time, Yoshi. We both know who would win in that fight.”
“Yeah, me,” Yoshi said with a thumb on her chest.
“Say, Yoshi,” the boy intervened again. “Where did your parents go anyways?”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/_ouXET8zNI8)
“Well, about that, Kaz. You see, mom and dad went to the store to replace dad’s antique boombox. Because mom thought it would be a bright idea to literally make it go boom with a stick of some thing called dynamite. Well, that and she ate the cassette in it too. Film. Plastic. Everything. Gone.”
“Seriously?” said Kazamir, one hand on each knee, his face amazed, leaning forward.
“Oh yeah, totally,” Yoshi responded with an enthusiastic tone of voice but with eyes that stared diagonally at the ceiling. “Not a single drop of blood. Teeth like a Fang Banshee.”
“Man, Yoshi. Your mom is hardcore.”
“Hey,” interrupted Kreszentia this time. “Are going to send these aliens space drifting or not?”
Yoshi picked up a blue for arm alien and scratched her head. “I don’t know,” she said before looking over the still burning city. “Are the Caesar trebuchets ready?”
Kazamir scooted closer and loomed over some mini smoke pipes. “I don’t know. Let me check. That ones on fire. We still have the super omega gas station launcher. We also have the ultra-dome home over here as well.” He picked at the dome’s door a few times, then stared at Yoshi. “I think we’re good to go.”
Yoshi raised her eye brows and looked around. “Speaking of family, has anyone seen grandma anywhere? I haven’t seen her pass through here for a while now. Rude to come visit and disappear on us.”
“Maybe she’s gone off blowing up a jet engine or something,” Kreszentia said, trying to put sarcasm in her voice, but with no luck.
“Hey, hey,” Yoshi then said, poking the newmen in the shoulder. “No. Only I tell jokes around here.”
“At last, my own professional court jester.” Kreszentia replied, moving the figurines into a dog pile.
“Keep it up Moai face.”
[SPOILER-BOX]April Fools.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Finally, a proper part 1.


- The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part I -[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/OxfJL9-V9C0)
“Alright, so,” said Arethusa one afternoon after walking into a dim living room, her prototype magislash in hand. “I took a tour of this place and I got to say, for a fifteen year old ship, it’s looking pretty good.”
Across the room sat Sia who sipped away at a cup of coffee and stared. Her gaze locked on the little tan girl as she made her way to just cleaned sofas. Once near her favorite arm chair, Arethusa hopped onto it and slammed a fist on the arm rest. Once she did, a can of soda ejected out of the arm rest and spun. With masterful skill, it was cleanly caught by the little girl while she leaned back to relax. Opening the can, the girl looked at the newmen woman and continued,
“So, how did you get this ship anyways?”
“I bought some time ago, on another cruiser,” Sia immediately replied.
“Is that so,” said Arethusa with a lift of her brows, unconvinced.
Noticing this, Sia took another sip and asked with a more serious look on her face, “Why, was there something you were looking for?”
“No, not really,” the girl replied, imitating the newmen.
Both of them sat in silence for a few seconds, sipping away to nothing but the tick tocks of a distant clock on the other side of the room. Eventually, the coffee cup ran dry. Placing the empty ceramic cup on her table, Sia then placed her hands on her lap and asked, “Keeping secrets again I see?”
“Well,” Arethusa began, pausing for another taste, “if there’s anything I learned in life, it’s that everyone keeps secrets.”
“Is that so?”
“You keep secrets, dad keeps secrets, Shiomi keeps secrets- even mom keeps secrets. You people really think I don't notice your hints and lies.”
“You’ve been trying to get into the engine room again, haven’t you?”
“Why won’t you let me in there,” Arehtusa asked in frustration.
“Because it’s too dangerous in there,” said Sia with an arm thrown in the air. “Last thing I need is for you to goof off in there and lose an arm; and I don’t plan to deal with that sort of problem.”
Arethusa started to kick at the air. “But I want to know what dad did in there,” she whined.
Sia glared at the little girl and slowly said, “You’re not getting in there. I also told you this already.”
While Arethusa started to throw a hissy fit, Sia reach for her table and patted it a few times. After the third pat, a large jug of water materialized next to her cup where then picked it up and pour herself a cup of cold clear water. Once done, the jug was then placed back on the table where it disappears after five seconds. Fill to the brim, Sia picked up her refilled cup and looked back at Yoshi daughter.
“You keep it up and I’ll send you back to your mother. She’s getting real close you know.”
Arethusa folded her arms and threw her head to the side. “I refuse,” she said defiantly, kicking the table by accident. Water spilled all over the table. Lucky for them, everything on it was water proof.
“You still have never told me why you wanted to stay away from your mother so much you know,” Sia said calmly, pouring herself a cup of coffee this time.
“You never told me what father does in that room,” Arethusa shot back, carelessly slamming a fist on the arm chair again.



- One Day Ago -

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/4PMFYenhKPo)

A giant shadow loomed in the sunset of an urban city, where in the path of the sun, a giant a metallic green ship stood, silent and quiet. It’s easy on the eyes paint fresh and new, hiding the scars and scratches of both old and young. Like a sleeping giant, the engines slept but everything was not silent. For in the hanger was Yoshi; covered in oil, the smell of metal on his hands and synthetic petrol on his jeans, his glasses scratched here and there, all from working on a large machine inside the ship’s engine room; and while he work, he would often pause, look down, smile and continue working again. Every so often, he would also jump down, a four and a half meter fall, to move about and better work on this device.
In the distance, by the doorway, stood Sia, her hair freshly dyed black and her clothes cleaned and ironed. In her hands, a glass of lemonaid, half empty yet still full of a healthy amount of ice. Taking a sip every once in a while, she would watch from a distance, her face etched with a smile of interest. And whenever Yoshi would drop a tool, she would casually stroll by and toss it back up, seeing his surprised expression morph into a large grin every time.
Finally, once the glass contained nothing but ice, she looked down at a clock. It was a little watch, nothing more than a little screen on her wrist without any support or structure. Six pm, the clock said to her. Her eyes widen as if amazed and refocused on the teal hair man above, a thumb raised in the air.
“Very nice,” Sia said to the now jumping man. “I think you got it install in twenty eight minutes flat this time.”
“Twenty eight?” Yoshi asked as he rubbed a rag against his forehead, a bit exhausted from his speedy doings and excessive technique usage. “I guess that’s alright.”
Sia leaned forward and placed both her hands on her hips. “Bitol, you just reinstalled a warp engine. That’s normally a five man job. That’s more than alright.”
Yoshi looked behind himself and chuckled. With pride and a hint of false modesty, he said in return, “Well, to be fair. It is much easier when you’ve done it before.”
“I don’t think you understand the scoop of how long this normally takes, bonehead,” said Sia, smacking Yoshi arm after he attempted a sort of heroic smile. As he laughed, she lifted her hand, noticed the oil smeared all over it and frowned. “Well, so much for staying clean.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll wash off,” Yoshi reassured her, rubbing her hand with a clean and somehow different reg. On it traces of tiny blue metallic outlines glistened in the light above. Like magic, after one gentle swipe, the oil disappeared. “So, what else needs fixing?”
“Well…,” said Sia in a mischievous tone and a finger on her lip.
Seeing this, Yoshi rubbed the back of his head and said, “Oh boy.”
Just then a small girl of green hair bobbed in and around the garage until it reached the two. Once she did, Yoshi said to her in a very happy voice,
“Neona, how’s it going? I’m surprised you aren’t on a mission with Anna.”
“Hello, sis. Hi, Bitol,” Neona replied with a peppy smile and a high pitch voice.
Yoshi stepped backwards. He felt uneasy, a little sick in the stomach. Neona calling him Bitol, he wasn’t how he felt about everyone calling him by his real name. Though he tried to maintain a smile, his disturbed eyes showed the girls how he truly felt. “Hold on,” Yoshi said, backing off a little. “I’ll go get us something to drink. Anything you want?” he asked Neona while at the same time took Sia’s lemonaid glass.
“A glass of water would be nice,” Neona replied. “Thank you.”
With that, Yoshi vanished into the ship with an unusual amount of haste. Once the ship’s gray garage doors opened and closed, Sia said to her sister with traces of contempt, both facing in the direction of the door, “Neo, what are you doing here?”

(No Music Here)
Likewise, Neona’s cheery attitude dropped in an instant. Who Sia chatted with now was a much more serious girl, one with hidden agendas and disregard to the life of others. “Well, I was here to chat with Bitol, but it seems there are more important matters at hand.”
“Oh?” Sia replied, her arms folding, an eye brow in the air.
In response, Neona pointed at the warp drive and spat, “That.”
“The Hyperon 370 C? What about it?”
“Why do you have it?” Neona replied bluntly, she eyes darting all over it.
“I needed a new warp engine and this is the first one I went for,” Sia casually replied.
“An unwise decision.”
“It will be fine. You worry too much. Yoshi did a good job installing it, don’t you think. You should really see him in action.”
“He’s missing a detail. Sia,” Neona asked, glaring at her sister. “What are you planning?” Before her sister could answer, Neona’s sparkling green eyes widen in revelation and then narrowed again. “I hope you know what you’re doing, sister. That’s a very dangerous game you’re playing.”
“So you figured it out.”
“Dad wouldn’t approve of this misuse,” she scolded, but then she paused and gently said, “Dad is not here.” With newfound determination, the little newmen looked up with fire in her eyes. “For this to be pulled off successfully, I hope you know that precise timing is required to avoid detection.”
Surprised, Sia squeaked, “So you approve of him.”
“No,” Neona said darkly. “But it is beneficial to you regardless. To be so invested is a mistake, sis.” On that, the smaller of the two stormed away with great speed, her fists clenched and her back hunched.
“Where are you going?” Sia shouted.
“I must go. I need time to think,” her sister furiously shouted back.
Sia turned around. Instead of watching her sister run away, she chased after her, footsteps heavy. “Get back here,” she yelled just as the garage doors opened again.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/JdqhYB3kxMw)
“Like a clam, here I am,” sang a dancing Yoshi, a tray of drinks in one hand.
“Bitol,” Sia frowned.
Moving from side to side, he then said as he reached the newmen woman, “Hello to the pretty pearl.”
“I’m the pearl now?”
Yoshi stretched out his free arm and replied, “I’m the man with the plan. Keeping the door locked away so that nothing ever hurts you. Here’s your drink by the way.” After handing Sia her drink, he then grabbed the glass of water next to it and looked around. “So, where’s your sister?”
“What I’m wondering is what she wanted to talk to you about. Second of all, I think everything should be reversed.”
“Maybe,” said Yoshi, putting the drink back down. “So, what did she want to talk to me about.”
“Beats me. She ran off shortly after you left.”
“Was it something I said?”
“Nah,” she said. Sia then look at her drink, wiggled it and said, “And thanks.”
After that a thud on the floor, similar to that of a dropped body, was heard behind Sia. When the two redirect their gazes to its origin, they saw a newmen of white hair and regal clothes walk into the ship’s garage. It wasn’t Shiomi. Instead, it was a woman they have never met before, one with a commanding aura about her, a stoic face rock solid and a very confident posture. Yoshi and Sia may have never seen her before, but they could tell she has stained her hands before. Walking forward, she gently bent down and lifted an unconscious Reinhardt from the floor. Though his face lack any form of scratch or scarring, his suit didn’t not share the same fate; bullet holes in the vest, parts of fabric dangling on threads, fibers stuck out everywhere, almost like he got into a knife fight.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]Alright, other people are adapting my April Fool's gig! I love having an excuse to do something different. And enjoy something different, of course.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Truth be told, I originally planned for the story to end on April 1st, but as it turns out, I ended up make it longer. Which is funny because I also cut out a few parts to speed the story along. Heh. So when 4/1 came around, I didn't really know how I was going to reference a caseal blowing up some part of a vehicle, which in hindsight would have been very easy to do. Be it crashing a ship into the wall or something going boom outside. But it had to be an important boom. I also didn't want to abruptly end the story because that's just dumb.

So long story short, I used Yoshi F to not only display how different a life would been under normal not dead parents who had a child later in their life, but also how fate or destiny sometimes never changes.

But yeah, lets just go with me copying you. Make life a lot easier.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Cargo / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Marean has quite the mouth on her, huh? :p

Also, I lol'ed at the "What's a phone?" remark.[/spoiler-box]

Mandragora / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Yes! Animal Crossing music, I approve. :D

The Mandrake is definitely the most interesting setting you've done so far. It feels different than anything we've seen in the game and I can tell you put some effort into fleshing it out as a real place, with details about the people, the ads, even the smells.

I enjoy the strange rapport between Yoshi and Marean. I guess you can call it a rapport. They don't always get along but they seem to understand each other pretty well.

During the filler, I didn't really get why they were attacked. Marean left and the next thing we know there are bloody corpses lying around! You mentioned there being suspicious characters but I guess I didn't understand why. ^^;[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Heh, guess that slipped my mind when writing those entries. Marean is a smuggler and a part time hitwoman. That said, people sometimes make a few enemies when they steal potential profits or killed people important to organizations and/or family.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]It's hard to express details like that, huh? I can go months on a certain story arc, and then notice nobody knows a certain major characteristic about a character I thought I made clear.
I'm trying to do up a shocking reveal, but I realized I didn't do enough buildup for it to really matter. So I got stuck trying to make it work while keeping the scene going, and it's just a mess.

So is the ship crashing thing going to be a yearly thing? I can get behind that.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part II -[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/K_Uz83uBTko)
Yoshi set the tray down, dropped into a combat low stance and immediately reach for his gunslash; but before he could rip it from his backside, Sia quickly grabbed his arm and softly whispered, “Wait.” Confused, angry and already jumping to conclusions, Yoshi grudgingly watched as the newmen approached them, carefully studying the area she roamed in. Her head stiff in movement, her eyes fluid and swift, scanning over everything twice or thrice. As if making sure she wouldn’t miss a single detail.
From time to time she would readjust her grip on Reinhardt, who to Yoshi was a prisoner of war, latch on to for later questioning. For Sia, he was something else. The newmen held him not tightly, but firmly and thoughtfully. Studying the way she held him, along with his well-maintained face, he may have a broken bone or three. Medical techniques may even have been used for temporary stability at the moment. This in turn would be aided by the thick armor like ranger jacket he wore. To Sia, Reinhardt was not a prisoner of war, but a victim of some large fight prior to their visit. Along with this, and judging by the well-off, yet still slightly bloodied, regal officer suit the newmen wore, Reinhardt may have been protecting this woman. Why he would do so remained a mystery. Using this info, and incase trouble followed them; Sia twitched her ears around and slightly opened her mouth for better hearing.
Though she could have told Yoshi, “Don’t worry, she’s not an enemy,” Sia still wasn’t sure herself either. So instead, she tugged at the human’s arm and softly patted his shoulder with an eased “everything will be alright” expression on her face. In response, Yoshi gave off a sort of whining sound and slowly relaxed his weapon hand’s grip. Even in doing so, he prepared for combat still by readying the usage of techniques or diga.
Just as he did, his left hand merely flexing and twitching, the newmen woman of white hair placed her attention completely onto human and studied him for a brief moment. After two sweeps, she then studied Sia, where the same was done for her as well. By the time she looked back at Yoshi, he could feel the coldness of her stare chill his skin, along with the dislike for his kind. Oddly enough however, she also gave off a sense of understanding and acceptance, as if she could see the history behind the two. By the time her gaze set back on Sia, the newmen’s gaze became different. For Sia, her eyes were more laxed, yearning for further understanding and knowledge. So much did she desire more info that she lifted a rifle at Yoshi and as she did, Sia stepped in between the two using an aggressive stance of her very own. For a while, the newmen didn’t move. Her face hardly changed. Only her eyebrows moved, matching those of a confident smile.
“Dimitri, I know you’re out there,” she suddenly said out of nowhere. “Come out before I make you. I advise your companions to do the same.”
“I’m sorry, sir,” a young boy cried from behind Yoshi and Sia. “I have failed you.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/fPi5cm_0nJo?t=20s)
Out of thin air, three more newmen faded into the ship’s garage, like a mists of color painting several three dimensional bodies. Among the three of them, a newmen of short well-kept black hair knelt on the metal floor, obviously being the one responsible for cloaking the trio. On his left, a newmen of blue hair, nameless, frail in appearance and to their right, Dimitri himself; another newmen of white hair, who looked rather impressed. He even clapped upon entry.
“I see you’re as keen as ever. As expected of the heir of the Borchards. Tell me, did it feel good, for you to spill so much good newmen blood? Was it even necessary?”
The newmen woman gazed stoically at Dimirti and replied, “Had your men not attacked me first, there would not have been any need for such bloodshed. You will pay for your crimes, Dimitri.”
“Now now, Rosalin, I was not the one who told them to attack. They must have done so on their own accord, or maybe, you manipulated them to attack you yourself,” Dimitri countered, with a smug grin, a pushed up brow and his arms held wide open. “Or… maybe it had to do with your friend there? It’s not every day I see a newmen withstand a tank breaking punch, let alone three.”
“Still redirecting the blame on someone else I see?”
“Ah, the Durenes, such a family full of confused and pathetic offspring, producing nothing of value for years if my memory serves me well. And to side with a human for most of his days, it’s no wonder someone would attack him. He’s nothing more than an incompetent traitor. Or maybe, he just wanted someone to make himself feel more superior, worthless like the rest.”
Enraged, Yoshi lunged forward, yearning to rip the newmen’s throat out and again Sia held him back, a serious expression painted her face as well. At the same time, Rosalin also held out a palm towards Yoshi, silently instructing him to stay where he was. In doing so, it provided him a strange sense of clarity. Angry as he may have been, he couldn’t find the will to argue, not when Sia told him to trust Rosalin, not when newmens could be cloaking reinforcements. In the end, Yoshi obeyed, deciding that Dimitri, who still looked down upon him this very moment, should have the first attack. For defense is Yoshi’s specialty anyways.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/Y45uyPpEDog)
Unfortunately for Yoshi, Dimitri would not attack. Not when there were so many unpredictable factors around. Behind his show of confidence, he did not think to bring any sort of reinforcement. Scared, he pushed on. “Alas, maybe I was quick to judge,” he said, his face unchanged. “I can see why he would side with a human, such as this one, when they can keep him sane.” After he said that, he began clapping again and stared at Sia. “Bravo woman for keeping your pet on a leash. You do us proud in proving who the superior race is. Tell me… are you of the Melchior as well?”
The two behind him began clapping as well. Sia didn’t answer. She only stared.
“Ah, but I knew I remembered you from somewhere. Yes, you were the woman who stayed for our act of forgiveness. I hope he hasn’t given you much trouble. Just remember that you are free to kill him should he ever step out of line. Wouldn’t want trash like him to feel too free now would we?”
“Enough of this Dimitri,” Rosalin interrupted. “Leave, now. Lest I have to remind you of what happens to those who cross a Borchard.”
“What are you going to do, cry to father?” Dimitri sneered, before rubbing his eyes in a mocking manner.
“Worse,” Rosalin replied. In the next second, a blade of light sprouted out from the top of her wrist in the shape and length of a gladius. Fully extended, she lifted the energy blade in air, pointed it at the unfazed Dimitri and furrowed her brows.
In response, Dimitri did the same. He too summoned a blade of energy, one more like a long sword than a gladius and said, “Need I remind you about the arm you almost lost in our last encounter?”
“The same could be said for your head but what’s it to a brainless fool such as yourself?”
“Sir,” shouted the two newmens as they moved to guard their leader.
“I wouldn’t harm her if I were you,” said a weakened Reinhardt, tightly gripping Rosalin’s shoulder for support. “Spill a drop of her blood and you’ll find yourselves going home in body bags.”
“That wouldn’t be advisable. You still require medical attention,” Rosalin said calmly.
“Relax, sweet cheeks, these wounds are nothing to me,” said Reinhardt confidently, just before almost coaching a lung out. Once he recovered, he then readied himself for combat and said, “So what’s it gonna be, snowflake? You feeling lucky?”
Just then, in an effort to grab everyone’s attention, Yoshi coughed a loud cough; the kind of cough that could echo across the entire room and overpower all the noise. Once done, when the echo subsided, Yoshi switched his attention between everyone and said, “Look if you guys want to fight that’s fine by me, but could you guys seriously do that somewhere else? This ship just got a fresh paint job. Not to mention that someone could be recording all of this right now?” After that, Yoshi began pointing at all of the mags in the area, each which have already given off their own invisible auras of malicious intent.
“You got everything you wanted to see here, Dimitri. Now go before I really get angry.”
“Hah, you showing me an expression? That will be the day. For now though, I will humor you. I shall leave and be a bother no more. This isn’t over human cattle,” Dimitri finished, pointing at Yoshi with a cruel smile, starting his trip backwards. He then turned around and said, “Come, we have other matters to attend to,” and without question, his men followed, both of them whispering to one another.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/7N3ShDSMBik)
Once gone, Rosalin dropped her weapons and helped Reinhardt stay on his feet. When the sword his the floor, the blade faded into a mist of white light, disintegrating until the pommel had been engulfed by hungry gray steel. The rifle on the other hand, an object made like any other Arks weapon, simply bounced on the floor. “Reinhardt, I told you to stay out of combat. You still require medical attention,” said Rosalin, resting the red headed newmen against a nearby green metal crate. “What am I going to do if you get yourself killed?”
“I’ve been through worst, trust me,” groaned Reinhardt. Finally getting comfortable, the man then glanced at Yoshi and lazily lifted a finger off the floor, saying, “Besides, I’m not going to be shown up by Mr. Diga McGee over there. I got a reputation to uphold.”
“Dude, I don’t think that would matter if you’re dead,” Yoshi grumbled. “Besides, we’re brothers. If you got into a scrap, i’d have to be in the fight too. Remember?”
“Nobody is getting into a fight,” Sia butted in. “Brothers or no brothers.”
“Speaking of siblings, I need to have a word with you… Marisa,” said Rosalin, now facing Sia. “I wish to learn more about your relationship between you and the mind witch.”
“Excuse me?”
“The cabbage head that called you her sister.”
This time it was Yoshi who held Sia back, saying in response, “To be honest, their relationship could likely be like mine and Reinhardt’s. Isn’t that right, big bro?”
“Yoshi, not in front of the pretty lady,” Reinhardt blushed.
“I see, is that true?”
Before Sia could speak, Yoshi spun around in front of the black hair newmen and did a few hand gestures near his mouth to warn her not to use her sailor words. After that, he gave two close thumbs ups and smiled.
“Maybe,” Sia unhappily replied.
“And I assume your relationship with the human goes beyond sanity needs?”
Shock told hold of Sia. She forcibly turned away, her face subtly flushed up a little. As she kept an eye on Reinhardt, she silently lipped “Yes” before facing forward again. Now feeling a little bit violated, Sia then leaned forward and said, “So what the hell do you want with my little sister?”
“To keep her away from Dimitri,” Rosalin replied, truth reinforced by the honest look in her eyes. “He is a zealot who despises his own family for the wrong reason. The Melchior is more than just another ship. We live a-”
“Yes, yes I know,” Sia intervened. “We live in a lie. Arks doesn’t want people, they want soldiers and they steal kids at a young age to get them. I know. I’ve been there before.”
“Then you must understand how important it is for Dimitri to never gain another one of her kind.”
In response, Sia crossed her arms, lifted her chin and continued to glare. “And what makes you think my sister is this so called ‘mind witch’?” she asked, a hand rolling in the air.
“Because one of my own has noticed your sister’s increased activity for the past few weeks. Dimitri had one of his own as well, but foolishly allowed his to die.” Just then, a newmen girl of green hair walked up to Rosalin and whispered something into her ear. When the newmen of green hair finished, she then bowed and retreated out of sight. “I see. Her plans only involve you and an unfortunate implication with your human companion.”
“Unfortunate? In what manner?” asked Sia.
Deep down inside, Sia knew she was being fed lies. She knew newmens of green hair could be born with the slim chance of having memory manipulating powers, but she also knew that they can’t simply detect one another through their actions. To do that, one must retain memories of the overwritten timeline and even then, they wouldn’t know who was responsible for the time shifts. One would have to be omnipotent to be able to. After Sia has asked her question, Rosalin then turned to Yoshi and asked,
“Human, what do you know about rebirth cycle of the dragonkin?”
“Not much really. I don’t keep up with the research being done on it,” Yoshi replied with an expression of disinterest. “Why?”
“You’re destiny await you on Amdusia, human. Lucky for you, someone has gone through a considerable amount of effort to narrow down the uncertainties. Your chance of failure is much smaller than your chances of success. Sadly, who this person is still eludes me. Now then, let me ask you something else. Something only you can answer. How you answer this question will affect many things in your life.”
Yoshi rubbed the back of his head and said in a soft, uneasy voice, “No pressure or anything.”
“No,” Roselin’s voice trailed off. “On second thought… it is not for me to ask such a thing. For now, I must tend to your brother’s wounds.” With that, the newmen carefully picked Reinhardt off the ground and continued, “Worry not, he is in good hands. And… he has discovered who he truly is.”
“I’m afraid you lost me there,” said Yoshi with a weak grin. What?”
To answer Yoshi’s question, Rosalin summoned her blade again and moved it under Reinhardt’s chest. Just as Yoshi reacted, his arm launching in the air, the red head newmen raised an arm and weakly said, “Yoshi, relax. She can’t hurt me.”
“That is correct. His ability is the natural equivalent of your comrade, Stamato. Now, if you will excuse us, we must leave, now.”
Before she left, Reinhardt weakly twisted upright, looked up at Rosalin, squeezed her mouth with one hand, saying, “Rosalin, how many times do I have to tell you? Just because you’re smart and beautiful, doesn’t mean you have to sound like a calculator.” In response, Rosalin bonked him on the head and replied, “I told you to stop doing that,” and carried him away, all while he laughed and coughed.
Waiting for the moment they disappeared from sight, the newmen from earlier reappeared out of the blue and bowed.
“Please don’t think too harshly on Master Rosalin,” the newmen said retaining her bow. “She only wishes to see us special newmen live free lives, away from the clutches of Arks. Your sister is no different.”
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Yoshi interrupted, “What does a mind newmen exactly do? I take it they aren’t super forces.”
“Yes,” the newmen replied, not towards Yoshi, but towards Sia instead. “Newmens of blue hair are the one who specialize in super charged technique usage. Us repressed green hair newmen are of the memory kind. We travel through time via memory and also fare much better than the other races. CAST, for the most part, meltdown upon reentry, the human body finds it much harder to adapt to the sudden change of youth and mental capability and dewmen’s minds break entirely. Some even die just attempting it. Even then, there aren’t many of us around. You see, when you send a memory through time, you must be careful of how you do it. Most of us tend to throw our everything into the future the first time around and as a result, leave our bodies to become nothing more than, should I say, a shell, a useless body. No future us creating a future means no body to return to. No body to return to means a dead time traveler; and that’s just making a leap forward.”
Sia held her hand up, stopping the newmen from talking. “How long has Dimitri been following us?” she demanded.
“Not often, that’s for sure. The diga-born keep him very busy and other problems always arise when they don’t. Time is on your side. You don’t have to do this. The human however-”
“He has a name you know.”
“It’s alright,” Yoshi butted in, patting Sia’s shoulder. “I’m already used to the Melchior’s ways. Besides, I remember when a certain someone used to be the same way”
“I changed,” Sia pouted. “Or maybe you want me to start attacking you again? Is that what you want? Huh?”
“Alright, alright, i’m only pulling your leg,” said Yoshi with a large smile on his face.
A couple of arms were thrown towards the floor. “I’m right here, thank you,” the green hair girl whined.
“I’m not done with you,” Sia said, poking Yoshi chest before turning back towards the newmen girl. “Aright, so what are you trying to tell him? Bitol, by the way.”
“There’s nothing for me to say other than a raise of arms may take place and the diga will not be spared. If this is to be prevented, he must stay alive, if he even can. But seeing as I really don’t care for humans, it doesn’t really concern me.”
“So in other words, you’re really just a little bitch and can’t see into the future very well.”
“How dare you,” the newmen shouted, taken back by Sia’s words. “I’ll have you know that I am among Rosalin’s trusted elite. I can order your death with a snap of my fingers.”
“Is that a threat?” Yoshi and Sia said together.
The newman backed away, slightly intimated by the duo’s fierce glares. “Tread lightly human. You’ll need it,” she growled. After that she spun around and sprinted away, disappearing into the now sunset lit building coloring the outside walls beyond the ship’s garage.
“Great, just what I needed. Now I have to keep a close eye on you,” Sia complained, a finger poking at Yoshi’s chest.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/LGWm2P22A0k)
In response, Yoshi grabbed Sia by the shoulders and said in a comforting tone, “Sia, relax. Nothing is going to go wrong. And even if something did go wrong, I’m sure Neona would have told us by now. After all, she’s the one wasting her time on me. I’m going to assume I’m suddenly important because now I get in the way of their plans.”
“Well I’m going to double check just in case,” replied Sia before she turned and faced the engine room. “You finished setting up the drive right?”
Doing the same, Yoshi folded his arms up and casually responded, “Yeah, it should be good to go whenever you need it. All you got to do now is fuel it. Speaking of which, want me to do that right now?”
“I’ll do it some other time. For now, I’m going to find my sister. See what she really has to say.” Sia then turned towards Yoshi again and looked down at his chest. In a sheepish voice, she then added, “Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.”
Immediately afterwards, Yoshi looked up in the air and searched for his mag. As if knowing that it master needed it, the mag came swooping into the garage and displayed a sign that said, “All Clear.” On that, Yoshi then looked back at the newmen and said in a pleasant voice. “Well if you need to find her, she tends to hang around Ijiraku these days. Not sure why to be honest. You could try Leanna’s place as well.”
“Thanks but I think I know where I’ll find her,” Sia replied, staring outside the ship.
“Want me to come with you?” Yoshi asked with a smile, ducking around so he could look Sia in the eyes.
“Arethusa should be getting home any minute now. Think you can seal the engine room off and make sure she doesn’t get in?”
Yoshi quickly glanced back at the engine room. “Good idea. Consider it done,” he said. “I don’t want her messing with what’s in there either. Could be dangerous.”
“Then I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Alright,” said Yoshi before his started voice trailing off, realizing that he spoke with no one now. Just like that, Sia vanished. He didn’t even hear any footsteps of her leaving. “Sia?” he asked, looking around with concern written all over his face. “You still here?” Uneasy with how she just suddenly disappeared, Yoshi placed one hand on his hip, the other on the back of his head, and stared at the engine room doorway. “Well, better make this thing idiot proof I guess,” he said in his head. “Who knows what she’ll use to get into here. I hope she doesn’t use any explosives. If that’s the case, then I guess I should gather some more materials. What to do, what to do.”
In the next hour, Yoshi successfully reinforced both the engine room’s door frame and door itself. After taking a moment to bathe in the pride of his handy work, he then waltzed inside for a fresh cup of coffee. For a few moments, he sat in silence and in the next few minutes, that came after, finally came Arethusa, back from work and ready to hit the sack. Or she would have had it not been for a lounging Yoshi, who sat on her favorite armchair, using her favorite cup holder for his mug of coffee. He even sat in the same manner she would have had their positions been switched. “Dad,” she yelled out loud. Caught off guard, Yoshi began scrambling in his seat and ended up catching a falling daughter, who jumped in with a running leap. Legs now sore, Yoshi hugged his daughter and said with a wheezy voice, “How are you, my little chicken nugget?”
“I’m doing fine,” Arethusa replied before immediately continuing with, “So, what’s with the engine room?”
“Oh nothing, Sia just got a new door installed just in case of random internal fires, that’s all.”
“You installed it, didn’t you?”
Yoshi let out a spit of air, looked away, saying “Maybe.”
“So what’s in it?”
“Nothing, sweetie. Everything should be the same.”
“Oh?” Arethusa asked while frowning. “Then why is there a giant chunk of metal sitting outside the ship?”
“Oh that? That’s been there since this afternoon.”
“And why is it there?”
“No reason really,” Yoshi lied.
“Dad,” said Arethusa, her head slightly tilted.
“Alright, you got me,” said Yoshi, as if he was going to confess. “I used the thing to replace some parts in the warp drive.”
“Dad, those are two completely different things, for two completely different purposes. And one is at least fifty years older than the other.”
Yoshi pinched Arethusa cheeks and said in a fatherly tone, “Look at you, my very smart and precious daughter. So, how did find out?”
“Whose skills do you think I inherited?” Arethusa cried. After than she then folded her arms and made a pouty face. ‘I’m good with machines too you know.”
“Then this calls for a celebration,” exclaimed Yoshi as he raised and lowered his daughter onto her feet. “So, what do you want to eat for dinner? Do you want more dessert?”
Something caught Arethusa’s ear. Her eyes widen in joy. “Dessert you say?” she asked, her head turning slowly in a creepy fashion. “Well… if you must know…”
“Oh boy,” said Yoshi in his head, smiling with squinting eyes so he could hide his inner concerns. “Just like her mother.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Extra:
[spoiler-box]Seems like every day's an adventure at Yoshi's house. :lol: No wonder you didn't name Yoshi's "daughter" until near the end, otherwise it would've been too confusing with two Mareans! At first I was like, "Wow, his daughter sure has a dirty mind!" Then I remembered about the support partner thing and it made more sense. Is skimball based on anything, by the way? Or did you just make it up from scratch?[/spoiler-box]

Filler III:
[spoiler-box]I'm not sure what was going on at the beginning of this one. My first thought was that you were doing a play on support partner client orders, but I have no idea who that mean guy was supposed to be.

The humanoid creature, I'm guessing that's the same one from that earlier chapter? Not sure what its interest is in Yoshi, I guess I'll find out later. Feels like Marean (the support partner) has a lot of baggage to deal with for such a little girl![/spoiler-box]

Hitch in the Plan:
[spoiler-box]I liked how Marean drank from both cups when Yoshi walked away, to me that spoke a lot to her personality. Also how she pushed Yoshi down when Reinhardt called, it made their time together seem... inappropriate. Like they had something to hide. xD[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Skimball is a shameless ripoff of FFX's Blitzball. They're more or less the same thing but Skimball has you wearing nothing but the waterproof equivalent of underwear, protected by a sports grade line shield. This is the only time its mentioned though.[SPOILER-BOX]Sports grade is different from the military grade and is only issued to professional sports teams, because civilians shouldn't get their hands on it regardless. Its really handy because not only can it cushion blows and protect clothes, but it also filters out drugs and outside invaders such as pocket sand. Only medical grade and white listed drugs can bypass the shield. The reason why I never expanded upon it was because not only was it a ripoff of blitzball, but the story I also had for it got out of hand, involving an attempted rape case and how the line shield more or less melted the guy's go-nads off, plus how a movement was made for it to be less fatal after there has been a record of women using the defense mechanism to kill rival players and blaming it on men. Men doing that too but most tend to do drugs, which required them to turn off the line shield. So when something happens to them, its not the line shield's fault. Celebrity drama![/SPOILER-BOX]

Marean (SP) is different as she's an experimental support partner. So while she has been issued to Yoshi, for reasons I think I covered later in the story, her missions are issued to her by ARKs. Yoshi can't have her doing anything for him. The humanoid figure is also hinted in the author's note. :wacko:

And finally, that's because it is. Yoshi is listed as MIA and Marean has underlying motives. Also got to give props for staying cool when knowing that someone broke into your ship just to steal the ship within your ship.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part III -[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/4mfGDaC_CM8)
“Hiya, sis. Glad you could drop by,” said a peppy female voice the moment a blur fell into the room.
Falling from a hole in a roof, the panels quivering as a female newmen of black hair made her entry, Sia landed on one knee, and hand, within a circle of debris littered tables and bloodied carpet floor. As a dark room without welcoming light, four stories above the lobby floor, she gathered that she landed in what seemed to be a conference room, one of the many in this building. In a sense of retro style, everything held a clean slab of wood somewhere on it. Against the door, a thick vertical rectangle by its right, words listed on it by electronic panels. In the very front of the room, several feet way, a thinner horizontal slab, underlining the edge of a projection during conferences. Finally, over by the windows, each blind, all closed sealing away the outside light, wooden boards covering the blind’s origins. Drawing her attention inward, she noticed that around her, one at each front, there were five dead bodies, each sprawled in a similar back on the floor positon, holes burned into them in differing place, like they all were first slashed and blown away second.
Taking mental notes of the environment, she noticed that while the people appeared burned and destroyed, the surrounding area wasn’t. Only the tables held what came from the battle, along with the floors which absorbed the fallen fluids. Along with that, weapons were still sheathed, faces frozen, full of fear and in deaths that seemed quick yet painful. Sia could tell that these people were taken by surprise and when she looked right in front of her, where the hallway light shined through a melted hole in the door; there she saw her knelling sister, Neona, holding her hand out above the head of a fallen man. While she watched, Sia witnessed a misty stream of silvery white, pink and blues hues float around and about her sister’s hand. Within the next few seconds that came after, Neona finally placed both hands on her lap, rose and bowed towards her sister.
Surprised, still in a landing position, Sia didn’t know what to say. What she witnessed, what she could gather in this room, she never imagined her sister doing any of this. It was undeniable proof that her sister is more than just a normal newmen, more than just her naïve, sweet, innocent, kind, wouldn’t hurt a fly little sister. An image now broken as her sister could fight with nothing but a basic gunslash, though melted, inside standard issue force clothes, the kind humans normally wore then they enter Arks, and uncharged techniques. Even more amazing, her sister’s dress hardly had any blood on it. Only a few drops stained the dress. It made her realize how much she really knew about her sister and how much she should know.
Up on her feet, Sia approached the warm faced newmen with a much more serious one of her own and asked,
“Neona, what’s going on? What happened here? Are you alright?”
Neona grabbed her arm and shyly looked away. “Oh, you know,” she said calmly, swaying back and forth, “Just people not taking rejection all too well.”
“You killed them all?” cried Sia, growing more shocked as she studied furthered into the inflicted wounds.
“Isn’t that neat? With an improper combat style too,” Neona replied, sounding very pleased with herself, “Very improper, me using a gunslash, which is not a katana and all.” Once finished, she then tilted the gunslash behind her and overlooked the bodies. In the meantime, Sia strolled around a table and looked for any more collateral damage.
“When did you learn to do that?” Sia slowly and curiously asked.
Neona quickly stuck her hand out. “Hold on, this one still has something. Got to make sure no one can see any of this.” After she said that, Neona knelt down and repeated the same process from before. “You know, sis,” she then began, “it quite funny now that I think back on it. You see, Yaotl taught a form of Iaido to grandma several years ago. Back when they were inseparable partners.”
“Who the hell is Yaotl?” Sia interrupted, her hand pressed against the table.
Back in the day,” Neona giggled, “Grandma used to be a pistol kind of person- carried at least fifteen magazines on her at all times. Then this guy shows up in her life, a very drunkard of a man I might add; dirty clothes, old boots, shaggy hair,” she added, waving a hand over her eyes, “met in a bar fight, that’s where they became friends, and teaches her how to use a katana on his spare time. After that she modified it to suit her more offensive needs, because the way he taught it to her, it was pretty defensive.”
Sia frowned and knotted her arms together. Before anything was said, she let of a sigh, which then lead to, “And let me guess, you copied it from Leanna?”
“Yep, yep. She did a lot of the same things you did too,” said Neona, looking up with a weary smile.
Sia, in response, turned around in frustration and threw her arms up in the air. “Oh great,” she complained, “Just what I needed, a comparison between me and her.”
“She got drunk a lot, killed a lot of people, smashed through a dome during one of her smuggling runs, the ship never survived that run. She fell in love with a human and had very strange relationship with that man- its best we don’t talk about it. Stopped drinking because of said human-”
“Look Neo, I’m not here for a comparison. I’m here because they called you a mind witch. Why are they calling you that? What are you not telling me?”
Neona closed her eyes and got up, giving her sister her full attention. “Well that’s not very nice, but also very true,” she replied, a thoughtful finger held in front of her. “So yeah, these people here wanted me to join their group, I saw what they really wanted; personal gains, easy victories, you name it. In the end I said no and well, now they’re all dead. Amazing what you can do when you already know of their team’s killing procedures.”
“Okay, slow down,” Sia interrupted again, waving her hand around. “You can read people’s minds?”
“Those are telepaths silly,” babied Neona. “Nah, we just read memories and by memories I mean none of them are safe, even the suppressed ones. We can see all of them. Or at least I can.”
“All of them?”
“Yep, even your dreams and fantasies.”
Sia cowered behind a table, slightly ducking a little with an eyebrow pointed at the smaller newmen girl, as if giving a warning.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/rx4K8ubSU5U)
In response Neona stared down at the floor with a gloomy expression and slowly walked across the side of the table. “It’s kind of sad really,” she continued. “Not many of those so called mind witches are as good as Grandma and I. We can steal your memories, replace them, compress them and even send them through time. It’s a very scary power, scary enough to believe that we should have never existed. Then come to find out, most of our fellow mind witches have a hard enough hard time just looking into people’s memories in the first place. They can’t even narrow down their inquiries half the time. It’s quite pathetic really. Very pathetic,” she said darkly, her voice growing more sinister by the second. “How they are treated as a threat when they can’t even do their jobs properly.” After that, Neona’s eyes grew dark, her face turned cold. She began to approach the other side of the table with walk of a hunter, until her hands firmly yet gently gripped the edges of the table. Looking her sister in her eye, Neona then continued, “How it takes more than one to get the job done right. The oppression worked, Sis. We, as a whole sub group, are damaged. In an effort to better control us they had to do this, but they didn’t get all of us, no. Do you know how many times I’ve looked into the past, hmm? Do you know how many times I had to kill? Knowing that the others can’t even do it once? Do you know how many times I’ve seen the same person die, over and over again?”
Circling around, the two stared at each other very seriously. Grim as they may have been, deep down inside Neona’s eyes, she sought compassion, help. Her eyes urged her sister to see the heavy burdens Neona wanted to tell, but could not. She wanted the pain to go away, but she couldn’t, because Sia’s eyes were different, indifferent. They were alert but calm. Not looking for meaning or understanding but for a threat and a motive. Staring into each other, they stood in silence.
Seconds passed, neither of them blinked, both of them steadied their breath, as if expecting combat. Then Neona looked away. “If there was a better way, I would have found it,” Neona finally said. “If I could have kept them alive, I would have. Sadly, I had to draw my blade. Not just for the sake of my safety, but for yours as well.”
“I can handle myself, thank you very much,” shot Sia quickly.
“You think your path is clear, sis. Well it’s not,” Neona rebutted, circling around, a hand on the gunslash again. “You assume that when you’re successful, either outcome will suffice.”
“I don’t take kindly to those who read my mind, sis,” Sia growled, a hand on her katana’s hilt.
She restored their gaze. “You think that whether you stay grounded or not, it won’t matter. Like a penguin, even if you could fly what would you do? What would that change? Do you expect to fly south for the winter like any other bird? Expecting life to simply get better?”
Sia let go and said, “Now you’re losing me.”
Their gaze broke again, Neona twisted around and thought for a moment. Once coming up with something to say, she then spun back around, pinched two fingers and said “Fine, I’ll speak in terms you can understand then. How do you know your plan will make life any different, hmm? It could also be the hammer that drives the bullet forward, still living the same way you do now; different name, same face- different company, same problems. You see where I’m coming from?”
“What would you know? You can’t even see the future. I bet everything you do, everything all of you ever do, is reflect on the past. You think you’ll always get the upper hand just because you understand more than the average person. That doesn’t shape the future, Neona. It just fucks it up.”
“Ugh, I hate it when you do that,” Neona suddenly shouted, both hands balled near her waist. “Dad keeps telling you all the time. When will you get it through your thick head of yours? That it is never lady like to swear all the time. It’s so… annoying.”
“You keep bringing him up like he’s still alive, sis. Get a hold of yourself. He’s dead- been dead, for years.”
“And what makes mom any more special, huh? You cry for her but never for dad?” asked Neona in a low voice.
Uncaring, Sia crossed her arms again and replied, “Dad didn’t give his life for us.”
“Dad was poisoned before he give his life for us, you incompetent cow,” hissed Neona. “He didn’t even get a second chance like mom did.”
“Whatever, Neo. Obviously you need to cool down.” Sia then turned away and walked towards the exit door adding, “I’m out of here,” along with a good bye wave.
But before she could move very far, Neona took a step forward and said, still in a low tone of voice, “Oh of course, just like a mirror. Just like grandma. Walk away.”
Sia paused and glanced at her sister with a mean eye. “Want to repeat that.”
“Need to clean your ears, Leanna? Let me get something so you can hear better.”
“Don’t piss me off, sis.”
“What are you going to do? Stab me? Please, Leanna; i’m sorry your tiny little newmen arms will always be too weak to punch like a real body builder.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Come on,” Neona softly said, patting her check in a confident manner. “Right here. I bet it won’t even hurt.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Come on, grandma. Save mom.”
After that, a fist of rage connected with warm soft check. In an instant, the smaller newmen girl of green hair went flying, flipping back first over the table, rolling once over across its black table top until she finally plunged onto the carpet floor. Once there, she weakly got up and began to cry. As she got back up, tiny tears fell over a dim black surface and her sister rushed to her side. Once arm in arm, a door was then blasted down. Several men came rushing in; some with rifles, some with pistols. The moment they said freeze, Neona started to cry louder.
“No. Make it stop, sis” she bawled. “I don’t want to die.”
“Ma’am, what’s going on here? Are you two alright?” one of the officers calmly said, looking at the fearful Sia.
“She just fell over is all,” Sia replied, holding Neona up. To her surprise, the gunslash has disappeared, her katana as well. Neona must have stored it away at some point. “I just got here myself. I felt it was best if we locked the door, just in case.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/_2plO3WcGKU)
“I see. I’m very sorry but i’m going to have to ask that you come back with us for some questions. Now if you would please come this way, hands in the air.”
“He’s going to come back,” Neona sobbed. “He’s going to come back.”
“She told me some man came here earlier, said she played dead to survive,” Sia added nervously.
Keeping an eye on the two women, the man then leaned on his left leg and shouted, “Hideyoshi, spread the men out, tell them we still have a criminal in the area.” After that, his eyes went slightly dull. Neona started to look up at him. Just like that, he slowly lowered his pistol and added, “Cielo, Komori, escort these two women out of the building. They’ve been through enough drama already.” Though one of the officers did say, “sir,” his fellow officers obeyed without question, as if nothing was wrong with the order at all.
As commanded, the two men escorted the women out of the building. Once outside, where they walked back into the building like nothing ever happened, Neona then guided her sister and her to a parked hover car in a parking lot complex. Unlike Yoshi’s car, a vehicle mode for high speed racing with the soul of a smuggler, this vehicle was much cuter in appearance. Instead of being cool, edgy and rugged, Neona’s car was much more bubbly, easy going and friendly, as well as being painted in a bright green color; in comparison to Yoshi’s simple and less sleek blue racing stripe white finish. Starting from the trunk, Neona split off, where she stopped by a door, unlocked the car and enter the driver’s side of the vehicle. Sia, taking much longer, not use to having someone else drive for her, slowly got into the passenger’s side.
“What was that all about?” Sia asked, buckling herself in.
“Before you arrived, someone called the police thanks to Dimitri’s goon’s suspicious behavior. The conference room may have been sound proof, but the hole in the door rendered that useless. Well, almost useless.”
“Are you alright?” Sia then asked, her hand outstretched wanting to rub her sister’s cheek, but at the same time floated, scared she might hurt her again.
“You have to learn to hurt in order to understand when not to hurt,” Neona replied while she started the car. “It was four birds with one stone.”
“Four?”
“We got out, you learned something new, I got what I needed and the last thing is something I can’t tell you.”
“Alright, so what did you get?”
“Valuable information,” Neona replied, snapping her fingers while she looked around. “I’m going to take us to Anna’s place. When we get there, I’ll explain the rest. You may want to tell Bitol that you’ll be late. It might do you some good. Someone already spent enough time trying to suppress his memories of Tuhina as is and I also already had plans to work this in my favor.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Seeking Answers / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Oh, Rappy SHAPED patties. Not real Rappy patties. Phew~

Again, lots of backstory and character development. I can appreciate that.

I was interested in your line, "a moon could only do so much." In the game, of course, a moon will revive a dead player, but that would be too powerful an item for our stories... which is probably why I never mention them. I guess in your story a moon can be used to save someone who is badly injured but not quite dead? Sort of like a... tetramate? (the imaginary next-level healing item beyond trimate :p)[/spoiler-box]

Civilian Shift / Filler:
[spoiler-box]lol, you actually mentioned the mini map! xD In some ways I see a lot of game references in your work. Personally I've tried to avoid mentioning certain things, as I'm not sure how (if at all) they would be implemented in this world, assuming the world was a real place. They make sense in the game but are a little wonky to really exist, you know? The one-size-fits-all clothes reminds me of the first side story I wrote, but I wasn't actually serious about it. :lol:

W-Wait... what? That scene in the grocery store was very surreal. At first I thought Yoshi was imagining it, then I thought Marean was really there, then I thought he had imagined her after all. Now I don't know what to think. xD

Not really sure why you call those sections fillers, by the way. I guess you could skip them if you were in a rush, but I think anyone taking the time to read the story in the first place is going to want to read all of it to get the whole picture. It's not what I would call irrelevant like "real" fillers tend to be.

Sometimes it's hard to write things the way you want them to be, that's for sure. I have to cut out certain things at times and I always hate it because I hate wasting any work, especially if it's something I liked, but sometimes it just doesn't fit for whatever reason. *shrugs*[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Yeah, in my story, moons can only heal the badly injured. Its more or less based on the intro of PSO2 and Star Trek, where you life depends on how fast they can get you to the medbay or hospital. That and Zeno may or may have not bothered to help the dude that died. In case of lost limbs, you also need to visit the hospital but you can at least use a star atomizer or a trimate to keep the wound from bleeding out and numb the nerve endings. As for mini maps, they can usually be accessed by people with contact lenses or glasses. I'd imagine its the future so eye issues shouldn't be as much of a problem, but with so many people wearing glasses, I figured they would now be repurposed as a new kind of tool. Like having a video call in on corner of the lens and a calender on the other. Would ideal work for contact lenses as well, only they would have more freedom in window placement. Otherwise, yeah, I can't really explain it. On the other hand, the story also has people like Echo opening up little screens out of thin air, some with words and some with data and charts. So i'd imagine you could also just pull out a map out of nowhere at any time.

Heh, when Sacrificial asked about the fillers, I more or less told the dood that they were moments that happen same day or around the events of the episodes. But that was me being dumb. Originally, to me, they were just extras that I wrote for fun and didn't or shouldn't really affect the plot. However, not only do they do effect the plot, but not all of them happen around the time of the plot like I stated. For example the filler with Yoshi vs the purple hair newmen. I also said that I wanted to make a slice of life like thing with comedy, but look how that turned out. So firstly, I must apologize to Sacrificial and all of my readers. I am a bonehead. Secondly, now I just think them as entries I was too lazy to give titles to. Yeah, I did it. I saved the world. 8-)

Finally, for the grocery store, yeah surreal was what I was going for. It did happen though and as a darker, they could move in and out where they please the same way they come in. Whether they go noticed is another thing entirely. On an off note, do wish I wrote more cuisine in my stuff.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Velarium -[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/upL1t_5DDZw?)
“Commander, there’s not a darker in sight. Think we’re done here?”
Sitting on the tree branch of a mighty forest tree, Arron, a human in black knight like armor covered by a flatter black jacket, looked down, hands cupped, directly at Yvonna. His face telling how he felt both tired and hungry, having sat in a forest for over half an hour. Yvonna, a newmen woman of black hair whom just took a hair band out from one of the many pockets of her combat suit, looked up and said in response, her hands working with her hair,
“Not until we find out what happened to the missing force.”
Arron’s shoulders dropped a little. “Missing force?” he asked, shuffling for a better position.
“Stats, go ahead and give him the details,” Yvonna replied as she plucked a map out of a wondering blue particle.
“Yes sir,” an angular looking black CAST said, walking forward behind her. Head twitching upwards, the robot man took out a white chunk of rounded armor, laced with a reflective film and started, “During our mission, I have detected a pauldron resting on the grass. Upon close examination, I conclude that it is of a female force, human judging by size, and is mostly in good condition considering that it could simply be placed back on. On this, I assume the force survived the encounter.”
“What makes you say that?” asked Arron, his head now aimed at the other side of the tree.
“The lack of blood in the area as well as how much armor had been cut off suggests as such. The only other piece of evidence we could find,” Stamato said, taking out a tiny glass veil, “this strand of burnt hair. Judging by the length and coloration of the hair, I assume that the human is techer class with brown hair long enough to get in the way of a casting wand.”
Arron sighed and jumped off the tree, landing as if he had only hopped a few inches off the ground. “Have you considered that she was a force using a talis or her hand?”
“Yes, however, only the tip of the hair is burned. If it were a hand, the middle to lower portion would have been burned. Had it been a talis, the strand of hair would have seen either an even singe or a sporadic one.”
“Right,” replied Arron with slight disbelief.
“Stats,” interrupted Yvonna. As she walked back, the newmen threw aside a floating see through holo-screen, which then faded away into a mist of particles. “Why are you twitching around like that?”
On this, Stamato’s arm jutted up with a finger pointing in the air. “Ah, I am pleased that you have asked. While studying humans, it appears that people tend to imprint themselves onto others around them. As such, I have begun to mimic other casts we have encountered in hopes that I would better understand this process.”
“Well could you please stop? The team will worry that there is something wrong with you? Like bugs or viruses or something,” said Yvonna in a concerned tone, her hand dancing in the air as she described her examples. After that she walked up to the much larger cast and patted his shoulder. “You are your own person. Remember that.” After a short pause then then added, “You miss Yoshi don’t you?”
“I will admit; his lack of presence has proven to be a sort of missing variable within the sum of our equation. The gunslash he has provided me has also proven to be quite beneficial.”
“Arron, what did I tell you?” Yvonna asked suddenly, jerking her head towards then reclining human behind her. At the same time, a B-02 airship flew overhead and held it position.
“What?” Arron cried past the strong breeze and in a sort of confused tone, the speed of his short flowing hair increasing by the second. “What did I do wrong this time? He hasn’t asked me for any sort of help yet.”
Yvonna’s pony tail slammed into her face as she spun around. “I bet you never even offered it in the first place,” she said before spitting strands of hair out.
Even though he avoided her eyes, he still gave a ‘caught red handed’ sort of look. So Arron looked away and whispered, “May have slipped my mind.” After that he pushed off the tree and continued, “You know, ever since Yoshi ran off to chase after tanks and that newmen girl, we’ve been seeing fewer newmens constantly approach us.”
“What does that matter to you?” frowned Yvonna. “Do you really have a problem with Yoshi hitting on women, or is it really you who just wants more women for yourself, to flirt with. So what is it, hmm?”
At that moment, the B-02 successfully landed. A leaf slapped Stamato in the face but he stood and watched unaffected. Engines kept on, a loading ramp dropped down and dug into the floor. Grabbing everyone’s attention, heads all staring into the ship from various distances, everyone noticed another black hair woman, human in kind, walk out of the ship; a sage green helmet in hand and an irritable face basking in the sunlight. Once outside, she stormed over to Yvonna and said,
“Change of plans, we’re heading back to the ship. The missing techer turned in half an hour ago. Aiko said she got into a fight with a Gwanahda; had the help of a hunter named Sivil. Turns out everyone were fine in the end.”
“What happened to you, Kerri?” interrupted Arron, who entered the small group circle that had formed, Stamato still standing right of Yvonna. He then chuckled and continued, “Looks like you haven’t slept in days.”
“I haven’t,” she said bitterly. “Thank you for noticing. And speaking of Yoshi,” she continued in a high pitched voice, her eyes widening, “did you know that he once promised me he would help me with something? Funny, I haven’t seen in him days.” Her voice began to get more irritated by the second; her left hand held her other elbow, the other hand patting her cheek. “I wonder where he is?” she asked with an annoyed tone. “Oh, where could he be? Oh, I know. Is he still with that dumb newmen bitch? Trying to get lucky?”
“Whoa now,” Arron said, struggling to hide the fact that he found the situation amusing, “I think you need to calm down a little.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me to calm down,” Kerri screamed. “I don’t give a damn if he has some woman to woo. If he makes me a fucking promise, I expect him to keep it.”
“Kerri,” Yvonna said with a soothing voice. “Everyone has their own problems in life too. Maybe he forgot. Have you ever asked him about it?”
“Do I look like his secretary?” Kerri spat. “No, if he made a promise, he should damn well remember that promise. I shouldn’t have to remind him, ever.”
“Right, I’ll talk to him about it when we get back, okay?”
“Good, hold his head in a tub of water while you’re at it.”
Yvonna, ignoring the last comment, signaled everyone into the ship and placed a finger against her ear. “Elm,” she said as the others silently jumped into the ship. “Kerri has picked us up and is returning us home. How are things looking on your end?”
“I have docked inside the camp ship. Will be waiting for you there, Elm out,” a man replied over the radio.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/lnpjugdb3-0)
Once Yvonna has stepped into the ship, she then looked inside and shouted, “Alright, we’re good to go. Get this hunk of junk off the ground. We’re going home.” After that, she slapped a blue button, the ramp lift up, plugged the hole and flew off into space. Nearly an hour later, the crew would find themselves in one of Ur’s most leftward hanger bays where they would meet up with Elm and James, two men who waited outside Kerri’s just landed B-02. When everyone departed, they all gathered in a circle and exchanged words, some complaints, some hellos. Among the six of them, Kerri was the first to leave, almost followed by James. But before he could leave, Yvonna closed the distance between Elm and James and whispered,
“Kerri may need some time off to… cool down a little. Think you can help me with that?”
“Should I offer my assistance?” Stamato butted in.
“You should wait for her to settle down a bit,” said James in a casual manner. After that, he then glanced at Yvonna and said with a wink, “I’ll see what I can do. You three take care alright?”
While everyone waved goodbye, Elm then turned and said to them, “How is the device working so far? Any noticeable difference?”
“Thanks to Stamato, I haven’t been having any issues lately,” said Yvonna, now smiling at the CAST.
“That’s good to hear, and Stamato, there was something you wanted of me?”
“Yes,” said the CAST, taking out a necklace adorned by wooden blocks. “I seem to have damaged my necklace and wanted to ask if you could repair it.”
“For a CAST such as yourself, I’m surprised you would want me to fix it.”
“While I do possess the knowledge to perform such a small task, I feel there is a certain factor missing from it; a sort of spirituality if you will. As a CAST, I feel we lack the ability to imbued objects with the spirit of guidance; hence why I feel it is better if you repair it.”
“I see,” said Elm with eyes closed. “I would be honored to repair it then.” After that, the shaved headed man allowed the CAST to drop the necklace onto open palms, where he then pocketed it for later examination. Meanwhile, in the distance, Yvonna grabbed Arron by the ear and dragged him away, saying,
“Arron, don’t think you got out of anything. We have things to discuss about.”
“Yowch,” cried Arron. “That my ear, Yvonna. Yvonna, that’s my ear.”
“Yes, I know that’s your ear, dearie.”
“Well, this meeting ended quickly,” remarked Stamato. “If you don’t mind me asking, could you show me where you buy the materials used in your accessories?”
“Not at all,” replied Elm, turning away while gesturing that Stamato walk with him.
In the next short while, the two were surrounded by strange people, or in reality, normal people in actual normal civilian clothes. Though the people may have been normal, the advertisements weren’t and passing vehicles sported ads of their own as well. In their travels, Elm had informed Stamato that a new line of vehicles promoting child safety and emergency three second ninety degree turns were available, and while they could have rode a taxi, they chose to walk instead, as Stamato found the advertisement music catchy. Sun still high in the air, they roamed in-between several civilians, some gawking, some ignoring them, discussing about the nuances of spirituality, mental wellbeing and human nature; and when they neared their destination, the duo suddenly stopped to see a familiar looking newmen woman speed alongside a smaller green hair newmen, out of a parking complex just up ahead.
Reacting to the situation, Stamato grabbed Elm and hid him behind the cover of a vending machine. “I see Marisa,” said Stamato lowly, feeling like a detective at the moment. “I wonder what she is doing away from Bitol?”
“Oh right, Yoshi’s partner,” said Elm, patting a fist over an open hand.
“I think we should follow them.”
“Why do you think that?”
“As you would say, it’s just a hunch,” and so they did.
Over in the distance, Sia huddled closer to Neona as they walked further away from the complex. Guiding her sister by locking arms with one another, Neona lead and made demands on the go. “Be aware that grandma is going to be in our path,” she said. “When we meet her, I don’t want you to say a word. Let me do all the talking.”
“Couldn’t we go around her then?” moaned Sia.
“No, we can’t,” said Neona, tugging her sister closer. “I have something to tell someone.”
“What should we do about the two following us?” Sia then asked, tilting her head a little towards the right of them.
Neona turned the corner and replied, “Don’t worry about them. They won’t be a problem.”
In response, Sia rolled her eyes and said in a low tone, “You sound so sure.”
“That’s because I am, sis,” Neona shot back in a matter of fact tone.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/aFArQuYsZro)
Several minutes of walking later, they finally come across a standoff between their grandmother Leanna and their comrade Shinobu Shiomi. Though Sia was confused why they were even talking to each other in the first place, she didn’t think too far into it, concluding that it was just a result of Leanna’s many attempted schemes. Though Sia narrowed her eyes and glared, Neona on the other hand put on her bubbly tone of voice and shouted, “Hi, grandma.” After that she then looked at Shiomi and said with a cheery inside voice, “Hi, mom.”
A bit unsettled, Leanna lifted a brow and said, “Mom? Neona, she is only that of a sister. Not even blood related to you. The nerve of you people, to think that your ilk is trying to corrupt my own granddaughter.”
“She knows what she said, Leanna,” yelled Sia, still glaring at Leanna.
“It’s a pleasure to see you too, dear,” Leanna bowed. Before Shiomi let a word off, Leanna lifted a hand and continued, “No need Ms. Safaia, I’m well aware that you know of their identities. The question is; what will you do now?”
“What matters is that all the pieces have been set into place,” Neona interrupted. “You won’t find anything from her, grandma. I made sure of it.” On that Neona tugged at her sister again and walked away. In response, Leanna lifted both brows and said, a little impressed by her granddaughter’s actions, “Oh? That’s quite the boast.”
Neona stopped, looked over her shoulder and said before walking away again, “And I don’t make them often. Farewell, grandmother. See you around, mom.”
“Velarium, it fits quite well,” said Shiomi finally. “Your family shelters those who enter under your lives and like curtains, cover doors leading to different ends from not only strangers, but from your kin as well.”
“Are you implying that you know our family well?” asked Leanna, reshaping to her once refined posture.
“No, but I’ve been around the family long enough to say that with confidence. Your grandson aside, did you know that while Sia sticks to her father’s surname, your granddaughter, Neona, uses her mother’s maiden name instead.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You know full well where I’m getting at. After all, it runs in your family. And I don’t mean your special powers.” After that, Shiomi turn and walked away, finishing with, “Until next time, stay well.”
From then on, Leanna watched and waited. She stood there, allowing the newmen of white hair to disappear into the city. In reality, she bought time for when she could shout at the two men hiding nearby. Once gone, she then yelled, “Alright, out you two. I wish to speak to you. Yes that’s right, I know you’re there.”
Elm jumped. Stamato hummed in curiosity. Without saying a word, the two step out and approached the newmen woman.
“I can see why you are here,” Leanna said, looking at Stamato with a raised chin. “It seems a lot of legal loop holes had to be found to put you into service. Tell me CAST, are you aware of your functions?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ma’am if you please.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“I see. And you,” she continued, looking at Elm this time. “You know something I do not. Tell me, Shiomi, what is she hiding from me, and don’t make this difficult for the both of us.”
“As far as I know,” calmly replied Elm, “I thought I was assigned to this group for a suicide mission. But now, I assume that I was guided here for a different reason. For some reason, I was tasked with mending a fragmented soul. Of whom that soul belongs to and why it is protected by Shiomi is beyond my knowledge however.”
“I see, mother indeed. You may go now. I have other matters I must attend to now.”
“A fragmented soul,” Stamato whispered.
“The little girls doing to be sure,” Elm whispered back.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

That first song, did you mean for that to start part way through? The length would have been perfect if it hadn't started in the middle.

[spoiler-box]I don't know who any of these characters are ^^;
Except Stamato. He's too much of a badass for me to forget.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Oh, right song, wrong link. Accidentally used the other tab I was using for mash up shenanigans. My apologies.
[SPOILER-BOX]Can't say I blame you. Never really expanded upon most of them and all of them haven't appeared often. Neona was only introduced in a few entries beforehand, by name and an ending appearance. Yvonna, Elm, James, Stamato and Arron were all introduced around the time team Zelatus was formed/introduced. As well as the B-01 - B-04 airship series.

In order of appearance,
Chapter XX: Kerri and Neona (mentioned), seen in a filler later.
Chapter XXII: Yvonna.
Chapter XXIV: Aiko, Arron, Elm and James.
Chapter XXVI: Stamato.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

I've done that a few times too. I normally catch that on re-reads, though. It's kinda jarring going into a sentimental scene, and have Great Balls of Fire suddenly play.
I'm just kidding. I don't have sentimental scenes.

[spoiler-box]Yeah, characters are hard. It takes a lot of skill to incorporate a large number into a story. I'm glad I really only have to worry about two.
I think what most authors do is give each one a gimmick, to give the reader some identifier. Like in Harry Potter, Luna's the cuckoo one, the twins are the pranky ones, Draco is the bitchy one, etc. It's cheap, but effective.
That's probably why I remember Stamato, and not the others. He's much too different from them for me to forget him. Of course, that doesn't really help you out, since all your characters are already established. I'm just thinking aloud.[/spoiler-box]

[Sacrificial]

[SPOILER-BOX]Once again he didn't keep/go to an appointment .-.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]It was treated like an arranged marriage agreement. You expect it to be kept over a long period of time. Even when you're far away and junk.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Starting the Course / Extra / Extra / Extra:
[spoiler-box]You've got a lot of really good moments in your story but the story sections/chapters/whatever you want to call them are often so random that it takes me a while to figure out what's going on. Like, in one part Yoshi will be hanging out with Marean and Lilliman, then suddenly he's with Kazamir and Reinhardt, and I have no idea whether it's supposed to be a flashback or in the future, or where it's supposed to take place, or what's going on. xD

I *am* curious about Marean's secret vault, though!

Also, Marean sure is crabby. :p[/spoiler-box]

Decisions / Filler:
[spoiler-box]It's been so long, I kind of forgot what happened with Ijiraku. ^^; Also, Lilliman saying he "needs help killing a few traitors" sounded pretty dark coming from a cute little furball![/spoiler-box]

Delusions / Remix:
[spoiler-box]I like the atmosphere/tone you had going starting with the second song, "Black City Skyline." And I don't just mean the music, though I enjoyed that too. It was written in a very dreary, blues-y fashion and I think you got the tone just right.

Marean expected Yoshi to kill her? He's way too laid back and easygoing to do something like that. :lol: Is Yoshi at all inspired by Spike from Cowboy Bebop?[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Well as they say, one truth only leads to more questions.

Lilliman is right about the secret room. Though nothing has happened between Marean and Reinhardt, she doesn't want Yoshi to know about it. She doesn't want Yoshi to know about her origins or her people's culture. Not only does she hate the fact that she has such a room, but its also part of the reason why she left ARKS, lives alone and consumes alcohol. At least until Yoshi showed up, where she then no longer had a reason to drink it. Speaking of Lilliman, even lillipans have their own troubles and history.

That last filler takes place several years in the past and yeah, it did come out of nowhere. It takes place when Yoshi was that annoying kid that says dumb stuff, tries to act cool and wants to be a grown up; when Kazamir was a wannabe Casanova and the local skirt chaser and when Reinhardt emulated his drill sargent like father figure. During this time, the three didn't really know Marean and Marean at the time was just "girl who was wanted for several charges and mass slaughter" on not only her home ship, but others as well. So when the story zips back into the future, she just doesn't know how to atone for her crimes, among other things.

As for Yoshi, yes and no. Him being a bonehead who lives on the edge from time to time, gets into a lot of trouble and just doesn't give a damn; maybe. No, because I try to make him his own person and not be inspired by anyone. Hobo space cowboy solely came from the fact that I made him wear a ten gallon hat ingame with every kind of outfit available.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]I do have to admit, I have trouble when I start reading your chapters figuring out where I am. If it's been a week since the last chapter, I might forget what happened last week. Or if it's a filler that takes place in a random time spot, I might not catch on for a while. I'm not sure that's necessarily a bad thing, so long as you don't want to tell a single continuous story. As long as each set is an entertaining read.
I think I had the same criticism for stukasa before. She tried to fix it by adding a short "Last time, on Dragonball Z" section before each chapter. And while it helped, I'm glad she got away from that. Nowadays, she just has enough skill for me to jump right back in with the chapter and let me know everything I need to know before anything happens.
I'm... not sure if I was building up to a point there or not.


And as far as the Yoshi-Spike connection is concerned, I think it's an easy connection to make considering they're both space cowboys, and probably the only instances out of a handful of space cowboys to exist (Besides them, I can only think of the male lead of Firefly, and Sparks Nevada. Maybe the new Kirk.). I'm sure even if you aren't going for the reference, it's easy to draw inspiration from Spike. And even if you're not, it's easy to see a connection to him even without you meaning to put it in there.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]The point is there. In case of continuous chapter it doesn't hurt to have a little refresher, as it would be better for the people who wonder if things are still in the same time frame or not.

I also can't say no. I can deny any influence but I can't say no. Subconscious always wins at the end of the day. Like naming your new enemy Atticus and never understanding why, when in fact two weeks ago, you ran into this really mean dude named Atticus.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Chidori]

Nice ^^

[yoshiblue]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/5G4bAvuxlfc)
A figured popped jetted outside a thick blanket of gray cloud and relentless rain. Square like in shape, gray with rounded edges, the glow of flat yet swollen thrusters lit the hole it made behind them with a warm dull glow. A hole that quickly filled up with gray mist and fluff, swallowing the rays of light behind it until they visibly faded away one beam at a time. Once closed, the vessel increased in speed towards a sea of sand and water, the planet it flew over, Vorpal. In the distance, tornadoes of waters swirled up into the atmosphere; and over on the horizon, ruins of what seemed like an ancient civilization, sitting there broken yet also untouched. The closer the ship got the more objects it had to dodge. Eventually, it would dance around towers of rock, each decorated with rainbow minerals, over just as color rocks, some covered in moss others without a plant in sight, until it went for a touchdown in a large sandy clearing cul-de-sac in appearance.
Particles of gleaming sand blew away. The nearby shell flowers rushed out of the ground. Over by the shore, under the waning shoreline, a blue shark like canine creature, curious at first, watched the ship sluggishly yet gracefully float towards the landing zone before it jumped into the water and swam away. In the past, the creatures would be more curious and inquiring. Nowadays, they knew better than to stick around. Since the day they came here, those strangers in unusual clothes, several of the fish, reptile, and amphibians alike would be slain in the name of justice and mercy. Some did it for sport. Others hoped the population’s infection would decrease along with the darker’s presence. And as it so happened, the ship dropped down for this very reason.
Closing in on the sand, two flaps, each nearly the length of the bottom hull lifted upwards in a ninety degree angle. Flaps tucked in neatly behind the large thrusters, wheels covered by a long belt would then shoot out and dropped into place. From underneath, four small thrusters, one on each corner of the dropship, pushed the vessel upwards as the treads touched the sand. Carriage slightly lower than the wheels, they began to feel the weight of the ship it successfully carried, the engines shutting off once it had successfully landed.
Now on the ground, its ramp slowly opened up and gently dropped onto the sand. Once on the floor, three figures creped outside. The first one, Arron, a man wearing a black jacket over an onyx knight suit, took point. Out of vessel and down the ramp, he knelt down and yelled “clear,” before a larger robot stepped out. Following behind came Stamato, equal in color, who went out in the opposite direction, looking over the B-01s left rather than the right, gunslash readied in the air. Preforming the same kneeling position as the human, he calmly said, “All clear, commander.” Once said, a female newmen in a well-protected black combat suit stepped outside without a care. Unlike the previous two, before she could walk down the ramp, a voice said to her over the intercom, “Commander, I don’t have to be formal do I?”
“No Yoshi,” Yvonna replied, a finger on her right ear. “Just make sure you get the job done. You do remember what the mission is right?”
“Yeah,” said Yoshi in a cheery voice. “Shoot a bunch of bad dudes, take everyone to the next island when done. Should be easy enough but now that I’m down here, look how narrow these paths are,” Yoshi groaned. “You sure it’s a good idea to bring a tank here?”
“You’ll do fine,” Yvonna replied, looking back into the vessel. “Stamato, you got the scanners and markers right?”
A black metallic hand snapped its fingers for a red tubed to appear in its palm. “Right here, commander,” Stamato replied, giving the device a few shakes.
Yvonna then roughly slapped the inside of the ships hall, turned around, stepped off of the water spilling ramp and continued, “Good. Let’s move out. We’ll go left. Yoshi move ahead and scout the area to our right.”
“Right away, commander,” Yoshi responded. “Let me know if you need an assist.”
In the next instant, the airship deployed the main cannon, which sat directly right of the driver and drove away. As it did, Arron got off his knees and strolled over towards Yvonna’s right side. With one hand on his katana hilt, he leaned over and whispered, staring at the rear of the tank, “Commander, a moment of your time?”
“What is it, Arron?” pleasantly asked Yvonna as she turned to face the man, both hands kept on her rifle. At the time, Stamato, doing the same with a launcher, joined up with them and listened. In response, Arron looked over his shoulder and quickly glanced at the looming CAST. Having had his fill, he then looked back at Yvonna and added,
“Is this off the record?”
In a show of frustration, Yvonna shifted her weight around and said, “Just tell what you have to say before I change my mind.”
Arron pointed two fingers at the rear of the tank and said in a low voice, “You sure it wise to let a partner machine man the turret of a tank- let alone trust that thing with our lives.”
“According to the reports, a Lillipan used the same turret and has seen high praise by both Yoshi and the survivors of Shield Scar incident,” Stamato butted in. “Her stature shouldn’t be of any concern.”
Yvonna tilted her head slightly towards the floor and leaned forward. “Look, Arron, I don’t know what the problem is between you and Yoshi, but when we’re out on a mission, I expect you to leave it back on the ship. Got that?” After that she then spun around and added, in a low voice, “I never had this problem when I worked with Yoshi.”
“Yeah and when was the last time you worked alone with him?” Arron asked with a smug look on his face.
“Two weeks ago,” Stamato replied, walking forward to keep up with Yvonna.
“Hold on,” Arron said in an unpleasant tone of voice, as if he felt betrayed. “You worked with him two weeks ago and you never told me?”
Yvonna stopped in place and irritable turned back around. “Alright, whatever is said now… will now be on the record. What do you want to know?”
“Nothing commander,” said Arron, putting on his hazmat grade, armet style, helmet.
Yvonna stepped forward and twitched her head for a split second. “No, no; by all means, go ahead and ask.”
“What was the mission about?” asked Arron cautiously.
“Well if you must know, the higher ups deemed Yoshi’s modifications to the B-01 to be illegal and hazardous to the wellbeing of everyone around him. So he asked me to come with him and make sure they didn’t mess anything up while ripping the ship apart.”
“Were any inconveniences found?” asked Stamoto with interest.
“After a few runs, we found out that they replaced his engines with the default set, stripped it of its barrel chamber options, took out some of the coding done for the targeting system- as it was deemed unnecessary and made it venerable to hacking. The upgraded top hatch turret was ripped out and replaced with a regular ground variant and last but not least, they took his comfy leather seats and replaced them with the harder standardized ones. Said the crew was safer that way. Of course, none of it is on the record as the modifications were illegal to begin with.”
Stamato twisted his head and said, “Aren’t both parties in violation of regulations?”
“Apparently not; seems he pissed off the original designer, if you could call him that, of the B-01 after he found out; wanted that thing back to the way it originally was to be begin with. Personally, I think he just felt attacked over Yoshi improving his design, but seeing as he is one of more prominent designers of ARKs however, they had no choice but to comply with his demands. I hear he also oversaw the stripping of Yoshi’s vessel. Be that as it may, they were kind enough to leave the suspension intact in and they left the emergency power supply and the refrigerator alone as well. Overall, you could imagine how happy Yoshi was after getting it back. Well, about both his food and his missing upgrades. And before you ask, Arron, after we had finished up, he then promptly left me for a meeting with Marisa, his newmen co-pilot and gunner. Are there any further questions?”
“No, commander,” said Arron, walking past the two.
“Good,” smiled Yvonna. “I was starting to wonder when we’d start accomplishing anything here.”
“That was a joke, yes?” Stamato asked while he walked alongside Yvonna.
“Yeah Stats, that was a joke. Now come on, let’s go kick some darker butt before they infect the sun or something.”
“Right with you, commander.”
As the three started their adventure leftward, the other trio continued their drive down their path of the right beach uninterrupted. Much to their dismay, the road was peaceful with neither a darker nor native in sight. During their drive, the trio eventually got bored. Yoshi started to slump in his seat, Marean held her head up with a dashboard supported elbow and back behind them and a spinning Arethusa twirled in her turret seat. Though she increased in speed with every turn, her voice remained a dull monotonous “weeee,” as she had nothing to shoot at and nothing else to do. After a while of driving, having gotten enough distance to be seen by anyone, Yoshi then sat upright in his seat and leaned over by Sia.
“Marisa,” he whispered. “I may have some photon powered turbo doohickey installed in this ship. Want to try it out?” he asked, smiling a childish smile towards a bored raised brow newmen.
“And where did you get this from?” She asked.
“I didn’t use your connections if that’s what you’re wondering. May have picked it up from a certain ship wreckage,” Yoshi replied, eyes back on the road and his body wiggling like a snake.
“Do you know what happened to everything else that was installed in this ship?” smiled Sia.
Yoshi nudged the newmen co-pilot and said, “Come on, it will be fun.”
“Last time you said that, we almost died taking a joy ride through the Anzio’s left wing wreckage.”
Yoshi chuckled and flatly waved his hand towards Sia. “Hey, that joy ride found us some stranded engineers. But, if it’ll make you feel any better, I’ll take it out when we get back, alright?”
“I’m with da-erm, him,” butted in Arethusa. “It might be fun. How fast will we be going and how come you didn’t get in trouble the last time?”
“Seems they liked what I did to the tank enough to give me a free pass. Said it will help the development of future vessels. Anyways, the average speed is around one hundred forty kph, but I plan to be pushing two hundred by the end of this.”
“One forty, that’s all? And why turbo?” asked Sia.
“Hey, this thing is a heavy machine,” glanced Yoshi before putting his eyes back on the road. “And it was the quickest thing that came to mind, something to do with the excess usage of photons that move this thing. I am open to opinions though.” A short pause was had before he then added, “So you ready to burn some sand or what?”
“Does sand even burn like that?” asked an amused Arethusa.
Yoshi tapped a few screens, flipped a few switches and said with an even larger grin on his face, “Only one way to find out.”
“I really hope we don’t get in trouble for this,” said Sia with hand on her forehead.
“You know you enjoy the shenanigans.”
“That’s the part that scares me.”
Back with Yvonna, they eventually came across a hunter and force hiding behind a rock. While they peeked, peering over the droop in the middle, they watched as five large blue creatures gather around their meal. Too preoccupied at the moment, all of them failed to notice Yvonna and her team approach the two until she was just a step away.
“Whoa,” said the hunter, throwing his body against the rock with sudden fright. “Don’t scare me like that.”
“Commander Boga, Zelatus squad. We’re here to assist.”
“Kyo… a hunter and this is my friend, Lily, a force.”
“I see you found our targets. Nice work. What can you tell me about our current situation?”
“Five Org Blans sit over on the other side of this rock,” the hunter said, pointing a thumb behind him. “Two of them boosted; one level one, the other level two. They haven’t noticed us yet and it’s just the two of us. So there’s no need to worry about someone getting caught by any them.”
“Good to know,” smiled Yvonna, who then looked towards Stamato and said, “Stats, take the force with you and flank around the right. Get a Jellen shot out on all of them. Let the force flash make their eyes bleed with grants.” She then turned towards Arron and continued, “Arron, you stay here with the hunter and wait. When it time for you to attack, I’ll let you know.” After there she then towards Kyo and finished, “I’m going to shot each one with weak bullet. If you don’t know how it works, your hud will let you know which one is shot and which isn’t. When I do, the five of us will focus on each one until it’s all clear. Questions anyone?”
“Commander,” Stamato suddenly said in an informant tone. “There’s a Bal Rodos lurking in the area. Your orders?”
Yvonna nodded and placed a finger on her ear. “Bitol,” she shouted.
Over the radio, she could ear and excited girl yell, “Did you see those shell flowers go ‘boof’ and then when the whole crop come up, ‘bwoof’. That was so awesome.”
“This is Yoshi,” Yoshi nervously responded.
“Are you having fun over there?” asked Yvonna with smile on her face.
“If fun means nothing in sight, then yes- I mean, no… commander.”
“Good, going to need you over here,” she then replied, staring in the direction of where she wanted Yoshi to be. “When you do, go on patrol duty just ahead of our current location right now.”
“Roger that commander. We’ll be there before you know it.”
“ETA?”
“Well, we don’t want to let you down so, but let say three minutes? Two at best?”
“Make it one, pilot.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
After that, Yvonna placed her hand on the trigger of her rifle and said, “Let’s get to work, Zelatus.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

When All You Can Do Is Stare / Filler:
[spoiler-box]For better or worse, this chapter definitely felt like the game. From Koffie to the transporter pads to the team room, this part of the story screamed "PSO2." I don't know who the giant Rappy was supposed to be, hopefully it was just a costume and not actually a giant smooth-talking bird. >.>

Everyone loves the Holtes City theme. :lol: I would've used it in my story if CelestialBlade hadn't already used it in hers. It was a pretty good city-type theme and brings back a lot of nostalgic memories for me.

Also, I really hate Reinhardt's mom.

Does Yoshi actually use a gunslash in-game, and is his subclass really Force (or Techer)?

I was planning to read another chapter tonight until I saw the four(?!) fillers in a row. I don't have that much time now so I'll have to get to it another day.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

It's a very lovely theme and does a good job of creating a healthy happy environment sort of setting. Along with the happy comes the Rappy as well. No worries though, its a man in a suit. Originally the team use to have a Rappy run the team mission counter on the ship. Seeing as he sat across from an empty bar, I then imagined him being a bartender before being picked up by Celestial. Alas now-a-days, he's been replaced in game by someone else, because reasons. But yeah, I do try to make the story similar to the game to an extent and Rappyman is a good example of how I take what was already built and expand upon it.

In-game wise Yoshi is a RA/HU for the most part. I do use a gunslash when i'm alone, but other wise will use a launcher to better "contribute" to the team. Ironically, Force is Yoshi's lowest class, Braver being Marean's. So it a bit funny to think that the classes they use in the story is their lowest class in-game. [SPOILER]Gunner is Kazamir's and Techer and Bouncer is Reinhardts, but they aren't those classes in the story so its all good..

As for the story, yeah, I got a little out of hand with the fillers. So do take your time. There's no rush. Also, Reinhardt's mother is a taste of where Leanna, Marean, and Reinhardt comes from, and why Zorafim wants to punch them in the face. Fun times. :-P[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Filler / Filler / Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]That's a lot of filler! I nearly slammed my face into my desk when you had Koffie holding a coffee mug. I mean c'mon, really?! :lol: Also, it's funny because in the actual game there are never any lines at the mission counter. People just shove each other aside to talk to the mission lady. I guess Yoshi stopped paying for a premium account, seeing how his room got downsized? And what are the odds that he and Kerri just HAPPENED to become neighbors right after he met her earlier? Suspicious...

Near the start of the second filler, when Yoshi's mag flew at his face, I imagined for a moment that his face would be ripped apart horribly by the spinning ninja star blades. xD Seriously, those things are a hazard! Also, you'd think the mag designers would come up with a more effective means of communication. In my first story, Aki's mag, Spike, could beep and whistle to communicate. It was sort of an homage to R2-D2 from Star Wars. Anywho, this filler definitely seemed like the type of side story I would write. The last part felt a bit rushed, though. Oh, and by the way... this filler implied that people are turning their mags into CASTs for "companionship," and that's just plain weird. XD

Wait, so, in your story, unidentified weapons are LITERALLY small red boxes? That's... very literal. :lol: P.S. The "I got coupons!" line made me laugh. Really. It was so spontaneous, I never saw it coming. Also, Kerri just HAPPENED to run into Yoshi again? Suspicious...

Whenever Mr. Rappyman talks I imagine a smooth-talking black guy with a deep voice like Isaac Hayes, and that makes me smile. Are all these people real members of Celestial, by the way? I'm not familiar with all the players and their characters, so I'm not sure. I recognize some of the names but others are great big question marks to me. Oh, and one line in the fourth filler caught my attention. It was the line about how Yoshi is one of the team's few male members. It's funny since a clear majority of in-game characters are female, and I once considered writing a side story to explain such a phenomenon, but decided against it because I couldn't think of a way to do it plausibly that wouldn't sound cheap and forced.

P.S. I had the Holtes City theme playing on a loop as I listened to these fillers. :D[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]You know, I think I imagined a smooth blues voice on the rappy too. I agree, that's the best possible voice he can have.

I can't remember exactly what names Yoshi used, but I know he does use a few Celestial players as background fodder. I was kind of surprised when Levia helped a ship down, when she was only in Celestial for...two weeks at that point?

And as for the MAG thing... I just imagined them to have similar intelligence as a dog, which would explain their lack of communication. Just smart enough to form bonds with their owner, but not enough to have meaningful conversations with them. Of course, the only source material for MAGs is that one mission in PSO. Since there's not much information to use, there's plenty to make up.[/spoiler-box]

And, now for the new one:
[spoiler-box]The music you used in the most recent one... Guy apparently had trouble with extending. There's a jump on each repeat.
Really, it's not that hard to smoothly extend a song. Why are so many people so bad at it?
Sorry, just ranting. Fun chapter. Arethusa's adorable. Yvonna's the one that bitchy newman, yeah? I might have missed something, she seems much calmer this chapter.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Stukasa & Zorafim:http://i.imgur.com/njniBYH.pnghttp://i.imgur.com/rHwZgmt.png

You're on to something. Though coincidental as things may seem, they wasn't done by one person. For the weapons, its more of a storage conversion thing. Helps save space and keep it from being damage. Kinda like trying to preserve a fossil.

As for the mag, it's also the reason why Yoshi now tries to keep his line shield on him at all times. Too bad I can't make him have a Pikachu-Ash relationship. Not sure how one goes about becoming immune to pointy objects. I base the mags off of both PSO and PSZ knowledge. As the forerunners to CASTs, I imagine that converting them via body extension would be a rather easy thing to do. Seeing as they have feelings, can recognize people and store weapons inside of them, I imagined they would be kept this way as a portable buddy buddy system. If something goes wrong, they can help out. If you need guidance, they could offer advice somehow. If people need to discover what happened to the owner, the mag can offer a log of what was said, video evidence of what happened and retain all sort of other relevant data. Its also to make sure that nobody is ever alone. Kinda like the Felines in Monster Hunter. I guess throwing in a voice would have been an after thought on their design. Not everyone wants a Navi or Fi. I was tempted to leave out the companionship part, but I found it to funny. I also could totally see it happening in real life. So I left it in.

Celestial Saga wouldn't be a Celestial anything without any of its members showing. That said, I cut a lot of celestial content from the story. The reason I did so, and why they receive such short roles, is mainly because I hate having to go back and forth between everyone just to make sure they agree with what I wrote or what their characters say. The only exception being Neona, who pretty much doesn't mind what I do with the character. [SPOILER]Its also the reason why I can provide a picture for her. As for Rappy Man, yeah, the voice was what I was going for. He's a black man in a suit.[/SPOILER-BOX]
Zorafim:[SPOILER-BOX]I knew I forgot something. I forgot to mention that Yvonna cut her hair as a sign that she cut ties with her home ship. Being out among various people and races, she's learn to respect them and become a better person as a whole. Its pretty lame character development in my part because I did it so crudely. I could have done better. It also doesn't help that she has an aborted arc as well. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

Heh, forgot it was Tuesday.
- Chipper: Part I -[SPOILER-BOX]
Arethusa folded her arms and threw her head to the side. “I refuse,” she said defiantly, kicking the table by accident. In the fit of her rage, Sia’s glass tipped and spilt water all over the once spotless table. Lucky for them, everything on it was water proof and the glass top made it hard to see the water.
“You still have never told me why you wanted to stay away from your mother so much you know,” Sia said calmly, pouring herself a cup of coffee this time.
“You never told me what father does in that room,” Arethusa shot back, carelessly slamming a fist on the arm chair again.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/pIK3G7VuqXM)
Another can of soda shot out of the arm chair. Arethusa caught it just above her head with swift precision. Her eyes kept on Sia the entire time. As she did, never glancing away once, a hand wondered over towards the tip top of the can and tapped it. Once tapped, a small hole, large enough to fit a jelly bean through melted away, allowing her to enjoy her drink. For a while, they sat in silence again. Not a word or sound had been uttered and neither of them would submit to the other’s ways.
One can passed by, nothing happened, it merely got recycled. Arethusa made faces at Sia. She groaned and sighed, shuffled around in her chair, but Sia didn’t react at all. Instead, she preoccupied herself with data and daydreams. There was always something her eyes darted torwards on the screen, but Arethusa was too lazy to get up and see what it was. A second can came and gone, Sia only looked at the news. Arethusa could tell due to the images of weather that flattened as she slumped further into her chair. In hindsight, she never thought about the weather system on Ur. If she wanted to go shopping, it would have always been done on another ship. After a while she got so bored that the laptop itself started to interest her. A floating laptop made of nothing but light with pulses of energy running all over its dimly lit structure, as the room wasn’t very bright at the time and the keyboard faded and lit as the buttons were tapped. How Sia could tolerate it baffled the little girl. On the third can, Arethusa got up and walked away.
She couldn’t tell Sia or her father why she wanted to stay away from her mother. She didn’t want to admit that Tuhina scares her. Of how every so often, her mother would have episodes, fits of rage, as if the medication she made for herself was becoming less effective with every passing day. To this day, it made her question the differences in their clone anatomy, their immune systems, their body functions and even themselves as a whole, personality and DNA. Every now and again, he mother would glow is a dark aura. Sometimes she remains calm and act like nothing was wrong. Other times, she would slam her fist on something, a table, a large boulder, snapping it in two. Tuhina wouldn’t scream, but the look on her face would always scream death. During her stay on Vorpal, Tuhina grew more distant with every passing day, she would come home with more blood on her coat than the last, going about her business messing with the materials of day, where she would spend countless hours making potions, poisons, medicines. Out of fear, Arethusa only could watch from the shadows and never ask what her mother did all day or what she was doing now.
At times she would wake at night teary eyed, comparing her mother’s life to her fathers, who happens to live a calmer happier life. Even with newmens hunting for him, diga rivals trying to kill him and the line of work he and his team got into, his life never seemed as tragic. Yet despite this, she never bugs him about her mother. Arethusa never asked if he could help her mother beyond the task she had given him. Even after his recent odd behavior. Before, he would talk about Tuhina all the time. Now a days, not a word of is ever mentioned. Though he gathers the materials on her lists without a second though, he will always question why he does it in the first place.
Separated from reality, Arethusa mindlessly wondered down the hallway, instinctively opened a door and blindly walked down another. Stuck in a sort of drift in warm space, it took rays of light from the outside world to snap her out of it. Eyes refreshed, she now found herself outside of Sia’s ship, in front of large foldable gray doors. The crates from before still sat around, two left open, the rest closed. Brown eyes swept around for something to do. Arethusa uttered a sigh of despair. Not knowing what to do with herself, she threw her back against the refrigerated green hull of the ship and took in the scent of citrus that filled the air. After seeing nothing of value, her eyes then closed to rest until sounds of running footsteps filled the room.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/-M2KISwcrPg)
“Frosty, there you are,” scream a girl of similar age.
Arethusa’s eyes flew open to see a girl of similar teal colored hair dash in. Though similar in hair color, unlike Arethusa, her skin was pasty white and her eyes glowed with a blue brilliance so bright, Arethusa could see them from half across the room.
“Chipper,” Arethusa scream back. In a rush of excitement, she pushed her back off the ship and ran towards the similar sized girl. “Where have you been? What have you been doing this whole time?”
“Surviving,” Chipper responded, glancing around, as if looking for someone. “Say, you wouldn’t happened to have seen Yoshi around have you?”
Arethusa frowned and raised a brow. “No, why?” she asked in a casual manner.
“I just wanted to see the great Yoshiblue for himself, and you too of course.” Chipper replied with a weak smile.
Arethusa studied her friend for a moment, Looking up and down, she noticed subtle white strands of hair gathering on her head. Glancing downward, she then noticed a few black spots on her skin. “He might be here soon,” Arethusa slowly replied. After that she then laid a hand on Chipper’s shoulder and whispered, “Say, you wouldn’t have happened to have seen the others have you?”
Chipper’s smile weakened even further. She took a few steps back and twirled in the opposite direction. “I did see Java and Princess for a time, but they… they’re not around anymore.” Chipper then spun back around and looked Arethusa deeply in the eyes. She could see the sorrow in them. “And I…I won’t be around much longer either.”
“What do you mean?” Arethusa asked in confusion, arms both thrown in front of her. “You look fine to me.”
“I’m not fine, Frost. I’m not. You could probably tell already… can’t you?”
“Nothing a few dyes can’t fix,” Arethusa smiled. “Come inside, we can do that right now.”
“Frosty, this isn’t a joke. Not anymore at least,” Chipper whispered. In an instant, her head then shot up, she immediately grabbed Arethusa by the shoulder and added, “Frost, for my sake, please tell me where father is. I want to see him before…before…”
“Chipper, relax. Just tell me what the problem is and maybe we can fix it.”
“There is no fixing it, Frost. They knew we would live too long, like they knew they found good genes. They knew and placed a disease inside us, all of us. Java and Princ faked their death but ARKs got their dead bodies in the end. Java, Princess, me… we’re all dying. It starts as a few strands of white hair, maybe to let the scientist know. Next thing you know,” she said while taking a large gauntlet off, “Your skin starts to discolor. It’s almost like becoming a dewmen, but you die instead. I don’t know what happens but what I do know it that I don’t have much time left.”
“It can’t be that bad, I mean look at me,” Arethusa said, patting her chest. “I’m just fine.”
“It must be nice to have inherited father’s luck. To see him before you go, to have lived with him and form memories with him.”
“What about your mother?” Arethusa asked, in an attempt to change the subject.
“You remember that force inside the crashing campship, the one that blow up on the floating continents? That was her.”
Arethusa looked down and whispered, “I’m sorry”
“Don’t worry about it,” Chipper replied as she walked in circles, swinging her arms loosely. “I got over it a while ago. Interestingly enough, I was told she’s the reason why father rarely ventured out to Amducia. I was also told that they got along quite well before she died. Think they could have had a future together?”
Arethusa’s eyes grew wide. She wiggled her hands in front of her, not wanting to think about and quickly said in response, “Hey- I- they would have been lovely together.” After that she gave a forced smile and threw her hands behind her. While watching Chipper smile a heartfelt smile, out of the blue, a voice said, “Arethusa, hi.”
Coming from behind Chipper was Yoshi with a few toaster sized boxes in hand. Just as soon as he appeared, Sia opened the door and stormed outside. “Bitol,” she shouted, “I told you not to come over today.”
“You didn’t tell me why. So I thought something may have gone wrong. I had to come,” Yoshi said, shaking the five weapons that hung off of him. He then smacked up a lid and reached inside, saying, “Besides, look at these, I thought they would be cool to have.”
Sia peeked into the boxes. “You didn’t,” said she in disbelief. “How did you know?”
“Found this,” he said, reaching a free hand into his pocket, “on your table and figured I’d check it out.”
“Why did you- do you know how expensive this stuff is?”
“You don’t want it?” Yoshi asked with a laugh.
Sia puffed her cheeks and grabbed the boxes. “We’ll talk about this later,” she said before walking back inside, closing the door behind her.
“So you do have a name, eh Frosty,” said Chipper with a sly look on her face, rubbing Arethusa’s ribs.
Arethusa pushed Chipper away and said, looking at Yoshi, “Dad, this is my friend Chipper. She’s a partner machine too.”
“Please to meet’cha,” said Chipper, flick her hair like there was a ten gallon hat on her head.
“So what brings you here? Does anyone know you’re away?” Yoshi asked, scratching his head in the process.
“She’s been given some off time,” Arethusa lied. “She came to see me so we could talk about…” Arethusa started circling her heads around. “About…”
“About, girl things and the adventures we had together,” finished Chipper. They then both held identical poses and smiles. So much so that it started to creep Yoshi out.
After a few seconds of staring, Sia popped out from her ship in a jumping leap and said, landing, holding a card in front of Yoshi’s face, “I got thing to do with Shiomi today so why don’t you take these two out to the park or something?”
“We can go see a movie,” exclaimed Chipper.
“Or we can go hyper laser tagging,” shouted Arethusa.
“Can we go, can we go, can we go?” the two asked in unison.
Yoshi rubbed the back of his head and smiled.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[babylon]

loveable :D

[stukasa]

Early Morning Shenanigans / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Reading this chapter made me wish I had time in my story to do something like this. Not this specifically, I just mean taking a simple premise like "Yoshi gets Kerri to take him to Lillipa" and turn it into a whole chapter. I'm often faced with the opposite challenge, trying to cram a lot of things into a single chapter so I rarely have time to focus on one thing like that. Anyway, it was nice. I liked it.

Kerri's logic is a little flawed. Even if she doesn't like warping in her own ships, the colony ships have to warp to get around and she's riding on the colony ships, so either way she's going to get warped. Maybe it doesn't bother her if she's not the one doing it? :p

Is Marisa a made-up character? I'm guessing yes since you didn't mention her being part of Celestial but I thought I'd ask.

Wait, are you trying to make a connection between PSO2 and PSU with the Guardians thing? I'm not even sure where the two games take place in the timeline relative to one another. Are you even certain that PSU takes place before PSO2?[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Large scale warps are okay because there less of a chance of you dying in it. Unless you one of ships that try to squeeze it on the edges. Its like telling someone you're afraid of heights but you don't tell why. Marisa is a lie, a guise, used by someone else.

As for PSO2/PSU thing, its more of a nod than anything. Like an alternate universe. They could have existed as a small scale group once upon a time. They could have been the prototype to ARKs. The Guardians could even be a team within ARKs, a shadow of what they once were. The uniform has to come from somewhere to be a replica.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

Hm... After that last one, I'm not sure if I should be depressed or cute'd out. It gave me mood whiplash.

And who's Sia again? Was that Merean's undercover name? It's tough keeping all these faces straight.

[yoshiblue]

Flip it.

[yoshiblue]

- Chipper: Part II -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music*) (https://youtu.be/qHM-pfFGv20)
“Wow, Frosty, I didn’t know you get to drive around in a racing vehicle,” enthusiastically said Chipper, who loomed over a slender racing vehicle. Moving from front to back, she carefully examined every bit of the hull with keen eyes. Though she wasn’t much into racing vehicles and their specs, she has driven one before and understands their potential uses outside of the track. As she walked around, she examined every single tweak, every scratch and every modification done to the original design with an old holographic picture floating alongside her right eye. Arethusa, who walked behind her the whole time, only followed as the two waited for a worried Yoshi, who kept asking Sia if she wanted anything.
“Ah, to be honest,” Arethusa replied, brows gathering together, a finger tapping Chipper’s shoulder. “I’ve only been in this thing once.”
Chipper swatted at the holographic image and glanced over her left shoulder. “This thing?” she smiled. Hand still in the air, she snapped two fingers and summoned a pie chart labeling the several materials in vehicle had. “Frost, do you know what this thing is made of?”
“No, what?” asked an aloof Arethusa. Arms knotted with disinterest.
Chipper swatted away the pie chart and turned around. Afterwards she pointed both hands towards the car and said, “Let’s just say, this wing alone is strong enough to get into a high speed car crash, take another hit from another vehicle, and still walk away with only a small scratch on it. I should know,” she said, pointing at herself. “I’ve used something like this before. Only it wasn’t made out of composite materials like this one is.”
“So are you saying that the design is what makes it so strong, or the materials that make it strong?”
“More so the materials but the design is alright I guess. A bit rear heavy if you ask me, makes it far too drifty, even with today’s what-cha-ma-call-its’.”
“Hey,” Yoshi shouted. Finally done with his conversation, he came strolling back with a makeshift keychain in hand. “You two ready to go?”
Behind him sped Sia, who said after him, “Yoshi, I’m serious. Don’t.” However, Yoshi kept on walking, as if nobody spoke to him on the way back. By the time he reached the vehicle, he tapped at its handle and opened its door, where Sia then said, “Yoshi, I really mean it.” Paused and continued, “Bitol, look at me in the eyes.” On that Yoshi swung on one heel, with the door, and stared at her with a casual yet slightly concerned smile. Looking each other in the eyes, there was a moment of silence.
Chipper dived into the car. “I call the middle seat,” she shouted.
“Hey, I wanted to sit in the middle.”
“You snooze- you lose, Frosty. It’s what you get for being such an ice queen.”
“I am going to kick you.”
“Hey,” said Yoshi without looking behind him. “Nobody’s kicking anyone.” After that he took a step forward and placed both hands on the Newmen’s shoulders. “Sia, relax,” he reassuringly continued. “I’m not going to break the bank and we’re not going on any joy rides either. Everything will be fine.”
“You know that’s not what I’m worried about.”
“Alright, look at it this way. When I come back, there won’t be any surprises. No black eyes, no cuts, bruises, or scars. No other people, just me and the kids, safe and sound. And if I see Leanna, I’ll try to make things brief, I promise.”
Sia lightly punched him on the shoulder. “I’m holding you to that,” she said before moving in to hug him.
“By the way, did you want me to pick up some dinner on the way back?”
“I’ll let you know later.”
With that they said their goodbyes, Yoshi got into his Jovis II and closed the door. Once inside, Yoshi looked leftward to see two grumpy cross armed girls stuffed into the same middle seat, both of them sharing the same middle seatbelt. At least the seatbelt was in good condition, thought Yoshi. Since Yoshi worked with older, not as great parts, to build his vehicle, several colors made up the interior everyone sat in. For the seats, grey old yet still plush and comfortable covers. For the walls, a white paint finish colored by orange and silver panels and white and orange knobs. Black ones speckled the ceiling here and there. For the dashboard, plastic with a black finish, also covered in orange panels and black or white knobs.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/VDrqIuipd_A)
All set and ready to go, Yoshi started the Jovis and backed it out of the garage tower it rested in. While clearing the garage doorway, a message from Shiomi popped up which then said in scrolling text, “Jeez, kid, you really know how to put on a sap show. Have fun and try to stay out of trouble.” Upon reading it, he chuckled and looked down his shoulder. Chipper had been poking him the whole time. Giving her his full attention, Chipper said,
“Hey, pops. I can call you pops, right?”
“I don’t see why not,” Yoshi shrugged.
“What’s with all these unnecessary knobs on the roof?” she asked as she used a finger to poke at everything above her.
“Some of them actually have preset settings to them. For example if I want to go fast, this one over here will reroute all power to the engines. If they start to overheat, the next to it, this one here, will cool them. If I get into some tight corners and narrow path ways, I can use the switch above your head to give the port side jets a little more kick.”
“What about the big blue button under the glass?”
On the dashboard, dead center between the seats, sat a translucent blue button the size of a coaster. Immediately, Yoshi placed his hand over the glass that shielded it and responded in a paniced voice, “Don’t touch that button. It for an experimental warp drive and has still yet to be tested. Bad warps are never pretty.”
Chipper’s eyes widened, her bodied recoiled as she said, “Oh yeah, when warps go bad, they really go bad. Hey Frost, remember the ship that lost power while trying to escape?”
“The one where only half the frigate made it through?”
“Yeah, that one. Not very pretty at all.”
“I don’t know. That one seemed rather tame to the ones I’ve seen.”
“Okay,” interrupted Yoshi, putting a hand over Arethusa’s mouth. “This ship runs on smiles. No grossing out the driver, please.”
“Heh, heh,” mocked Chipper.
Arethusa lifted a quick raging fist. Afterwards, she then removed Yoshi’s hand and said with a sly look on her face, “So, daaaaad.” Chipper started to shake her head as Arethusa laid hers against her father’s arm. “Where are we going?”
Yoshi rubbed Arethusa’s head and replied, “I was thinking about going to the mall, the one with the stained glass hall. I hear they have a new tour bus there. I’m also told that it’s very scenic and simulates flight in those old jet fighters.”
“Hey Frost, we should totally go see a movie there.”
“I think we should defiantly check out the hunting store in the steampunk zone, Chipper. They have a new shooting range there.”
“A shooting range?” cried Chipper. “I see what you’re going for. You’re planning to show me up with your so called Ranger skills. We’ll guess what? It’s not going to happen.”
Arethusa boastfully patted at her chest and replied, “You afraid, Chipper? Afraid that your cavegirl knuckle skills won’t save you from a defeat?”
Chipper punched her sister in the arm. “Oh please, me afraid of you? Your frail little baby Force arms don’t hold a candle to what I’m capable of. The only thing you’ll ever have is ice techniques.”
“Oh, I’ll show you that I’m more than just an ice Force.”
“Okay, settle down you two,” Yoshi butted in, gently rubbing Arethusa hair. “There’ll be plenty of time to do both when we get there.”
“It’s alright, dad. We were only having a little fun.”
“Yeah, pops. Snowflakes here could never hope to beat me.”
“You know what, Chipper. You’re right. I won’t beat you. I’ll be flat out destroying you.”
“So, what kind of movie did you want to see?” interrupted Yoshi, hoping to change the subject.
“Go Booma and the Tomb of the Pal Rappy,” the two said in unison.
“Really?” Yoshi asked with a slightly raised and impressed brow. “I’d figured you two to be watching something more… eh… more… heartwarming.”
“Well you see,” Arethusa began. “Back in the good ol’ days, Chips here introduced me to Go Booma- Curse of the Ob Lily.”
“We still need to finish Revenge of the Pal Shark though,” Chipper added.
“Finish?” asked Yoshi.
“The theater kind of fell under darker attack in the middle of watching it.”
“That’s not good,” Yoshi remarked.
“Don’t worry, pops. We showed them what happens to darker when they show their ugly faces. Isn’t that right, Frost?”
“Please don’t remind me,” Arethusa blushed.
Chipper looked towards Yoshi and pointed a finger at Arethusa, saying, “She turned one of them into a popsicle and I dared her to lick it.”
After that, Arethusa started pounding on her sister, screaming, “Chipper, why did you have to tell him that?”
“There, there, people do dumb things all the time,” said Yoshi, trying to comfort his daughter.
“Oh yeah? What dumb things did you do, pops?”
Yoshi rubbed the back of his head and said, “Erm… well… let’s see…” After a moment of raking his brain, he then pointed a finger in the air and said, “There was this one time Kazamir challenged me to a lift- no never mind. Let’s see, oh I know, one time Reinhardt attacked me with a permanent marker just before inspection. So I started to panic and went to Kazamir for help. He suggested that dumping a tub of hot coffee on me would do the trick. Needless to say, it didn’t work.”
Unknown to Yoshi, as he told his story, Chipper wasn’t listening. Instead, she leaned against Arethusa with a mischievous face and whispered, “I bet he dug through that woman from earlier’s panties drawer.” She then snickered with a hand over her mouth while Arethusa, unamused by the remark, disapprovingly frowned while facing forward.

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

You Can Still Find Excitement in the Desert:
[spoiler-box]Oh man, there are a couple things I'd like to say but can't due to spoilers in my own story. I hate it when that happens! :p

Anyway, why does Yoshi have so many problems with women? xD Every one is either trying to attack him, seduce him, or get back at him somehow.

He's like a big kid, though. I mean really, that scene at the beginning where he was playing with Kerri in the desert... I just imagined it as a day at the beach. And is it me or is Kerri freaking strong to be able to suplex Yoshi a bunch of times? :lol:

Riding the Vargrs, huh? I don't think that would work so well in the game![/spoiler-box]

Filler:
[spoiler-box]OH. MAN. More things I want to say, but once again... spoilers. xD

Is the name "Eito" supposed to be funny? Because it sounds exactly like the Japanese word for "um/uh." Every time I heard his name it sounded like Reinhardt was going "ummm."

Also, I find it funny that an officer would use the phrase "it sucks" about the new bomber. A very informal assessment![/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]I think it's more a problem with the number of racist newmans he meets, more than the number of women he meets.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Nah, Eito is an actual Japanese name that means wealth, if I remember correctly. Also, you got to admit, riding Vargrs would be cool. Especially the ones with the cannons.

In my defense, the amount of professionalism displayed in PSO2 isn't all that high and I don't really plan to make it any better. You got (Ingame) Aki who keeps asking for a death wish, Melitta and her constant talk for cute things, Hans being Hans, a guy who goes around beating the shit out of everything he doesn't like, Fourier being Fourier and from the get go, are introduced to a pair that bickers to each other all the time. To put it into perspective, they're like Mass Effect's Specters who few rules and mostly do as they will. However, unlike Specters; who go through years of stertorous training, are people chosen for their outstanding contributions and the iconic image they promote for their race; ARKs more or less has a bunch of teenagers with good photon capabilities, running around expected to self govern themselves and they tear worlds apart. As far as the game goes at least. So I figure Yoshi having fun out of nowhere wouldn't be so out of place.

Also, Kazamir and Kerri came from one of the more militarized cruisers, so they are much more physically fit than the average person.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Delving Steps to Heaven + Extra:
[spoiler-box]OH, the Ace is supposed to be the player character in the game? OHHHHHHH. I totally did not get that when you mentioned the Ace before. There's a lot of backstory in your story so I figured it was just another character we haven't learned about yet.

Using the Mag as a flashlight. Neat.

I have to say, it was pretty satisfying when Marisa knocked out that Newearl. She was being way too stuck up. Luckily Yoshi seemed to have a ton of patience! (Maybe he's just used to dealing with stuck up Newmans? :p)

The extra bit reminded me of the matter boards from the actual game, basically an alternate version of events (caused by time travel?!). I try to avoid much connection with the actual game story for the same reason you were reluctant to characterize Persona. There are still so many question marks in this game; I don't like to guess at the expense of being wrong later.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Chipper: Part III -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/hsMW-smv5Ls) “Aw! What did they do to this store?” cried Arethusa upon entering a well-lit and classy room. “Where did all the guns go?”
From behind ebony stone archways were several firearms on display; sniper rifles, battle rifles, shotguns, pistols and launchers. Every one of them under their own lighting, held up by their own wooden pedestals and shelves, each of them behind thick glass. Along with them, several people roamed about the place, some pausing and stopping form one display to the other, some passing several before stopping, but none of them commented on calming crocodile green paint that made up the walls or the bold pine carpets that complement the wood that stood on it. To Yoshi, it was a great change of pace from the black and orange steam works his group just walked in from.
“What’s wrong with the current look it has now?” Chipper asked with hands held up in front of her. Unlike Arethusa, Chipper had never been here before. Also unlike her sister, a museum proved to be a great idea, as it promoted a father daughter bonding vibe for her.
“They use to sell weapons here,” Arethusa complained. “Why are they behind glass? Where did all the others go?”
Yoshi placed a holo-screen in front of her. “You forgot to read that they also had a new gun museum, chicken nugget,” he butted in, a smaller holo-panel in hand. “It’s not so bad though. All they sold were heavily stripped down variants anyways.” After that Yoshi patted his daughter’s head and move forward into the crowd. Upon reaching one the nearer displays, Yoshi leaned forward and examined the weapon within with hand under chin, the girls mimicked him in kind. Yoshi poked at the glass in the direction of were a magazine and said, “They’re not loaded either. See? They’re all empty. I bet all of the live ones are further inside, in that shooting range.”
Arethusa looked above her and gave her father an unamused stare. “I think I know when a gun has ammo or not, dad,” she whined.
Yoshi held back a surprised chuckle and smiled. “I’m just saying.”
After that, Chipper moved in between Yoshi and Arethusa. “What he’s trying to say is that we need to get to the other room if you want to shoot anything. Gosh, Frosty,” she sassed. She then grabbed hugged closer to Yoshi and added, “Besides, I like it here.”
“Can we go to the range then?”
“So eager to lose?”
“You’re the one who’s going to lose, Chips.”
Chipper elbowed her sister in the arm and replied, “You know I don’t like being called that name.” In response, Arethusa looked back and stuck her tongue out.
“Alright, settle down you two. Remember who will be the one who’s paying for all of this.”
“Yes, dad,” said Arethusa.
“Yes, sir,” said Chipper.
“Now then, let’s head on our way. I have a surprise to show one of you. We can look at the displays on the way back, is that alright, Chipper?”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/aU25-PyizhI)
At the back of the museum were two doors. The one on the left appeared to be a grey door surrounded by a green neon doorframe. This one opened freely for any person passing through. Next to it, on the right, a grey door surrounded by an orange neon frame, one a civilian couldn’t access due to the keypad that asked for identification. For this door, a dark grey device with an ARKs logo would unknowingly scan anyone who approached it. Unknowing to Yoshi as the door happened to open as soon as he was about to tap it. Learning this, he then let the girls in first, just to see what happens when a partner machine enters.
Walking inside, Yoshi then noticed a large window on the left wall, which allowed him to watch all the other people and their usage of civilian grade guns. On that side, it seemed several booths manned by several people issue firearms to civilians standing in line. When Yoshi turned his head towards his side, he noticed that only one booth sat on his side. From what he gathered, everyone inside this room used their own weapons here. However, in the end, both rooms had the same color scheme. Both rooms had gray paneled walls, grey checkered floors and grey metals stalls. The only difference being the color of the room’s highlights and booth labels. Yoshi’s side being orange like the door he walked through.
As the girls followed, Chipper nudged Arethusa and whispered, “How do you reckon I got inside?” she asked with worry written on her face. “I’m kinda not supposed to be alive.”
Just then, Yoshi stuck his head in-between them and whispered back, “When you’ve been in the business for as long as I have, you pick up a thing or two. Don’t worry about it.” After that Yoshi winked and continued forward ahead of the group. “This way,” he pleasantly said.
“Pops is so cool,” admired Chipper, next to a slightly impressed Arethusa.
Upon reaching the only booth in the room, Yoshi placed both hands on the counter and leaned against it.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/2VDC6jL7kDA)
“Welcome,” said the attendant behind it. “How may I help you?”
“Hi, I’d like to rent two rifles, please,” Yoshi replied with a smile.
The woman then opened up a large panel and browsed the data that swam in it. “Let’s see… Yoshiblue. Am I correct?”
“That’s me,” Yoshi confirmed.
“And with you is your second partner machine, name still pending, just to remind you, and Inanna, partner machine to a Marisa Kinjal. Is that correct as well?”
“Yep yep.”
“Alright then, I’ll have you signed here while I bring out your two rifles.”
Arethusa walked up to her father and tugged at his blue shirt. “Couldn’t we use one of your gunslashes?” she asked.
“I would but if you two wanted a fair competition, I feel it would be better if we did it this way.”
“So how many of those things do you have anyways?” asked Chipper, who stood on the opposite side of him.
“Enough,” first replied Yoshi, then Arethusa.
Chipper bounced her eyebrows and replied, “Alrighty then.”
After that, the attendant reappeared from behind an open door with two bulky green cases in hand. Once back behind the counter, she then neatly laid the two of them side by side and said, “There you go, two standard issue rifles. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“That will be all. Thank you,” smiled Yoshi.
Cases in hand, silver logo flashing in the light, Yoshi looked around for the closest available stall and said, “Let go to that one,” before pointing a case towards a stalls five and six. In response, Chipper and Arethusa skipped ahead where on the way there, Chipper hugged close to her sister and said with barely contained excitement,

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/wIdn2TqlFCI)
“Did you hear that, Frosty? I’m his partner machine.” She then hugged herself and shook in joy. “I’m so happy,” she said under her breath.
“That’s great,” smiled Arethusa. “Now we’ll be able to go on missions together and beat up all sorts of bad guys. Just like before.”
Chipper gave a thumbs up and smiled. “You bet,” she said. “Kicking butt and taking names.” Afterwards, she took a case handed to her by Yoshi.
“One for you and one for you,” he said. “Looks like you two been here before.”
Chipper placed the case on a nearby miniature counter, both hand on her hips and said with pride, “It’s similar to other one’s we’ve been to.”
Meanwhile, Arethusa adjusted her weapon and said after her, “Yeah, and everything functions the same two. We got this.” She then looked towards her right and added, “You ready?”
“Born ready,” Chipper responded, flicking her case open. While the girls started firing away, a voice shouted from behind,
“Hey, Yoshi!” Hearing this, Yoshi spun around and shouted back to a red head newmen, “Hey, Reinhardt!” The two men shook hands.
“How’ve you been man? I haven’t seen you for a while.”
“You know, living the pilot dream. Where’s Kazamir?” Reinhardt pointed behind himself. Back at an open doorway stood a pale dewmen, crossed arm, leaning against the frame with the most dissatisfied face Yoshi has ever seen. “Still uncomfortable around firearms I presume?”
“You know it,” Reinhardt responded, turning around with Yoshi. “He refused to come in here. And you… I ought to punch you in the face.”
“What did I do this time?” Yoshi laughed.
“She’s bad news man. I thought you’d know better by now.”
“So she has a few edges to rough out. She’s a gem all the same. I think you need to be a little more open minded”
“Yeah, open minded,” mocked the newmen before he looked down in disappointment. “Man, Yoshi,” he sighed, placing a hand on his forehead. “I don’t even know what to tell you anymore.”
“Hey, she’s been keeping out of trouble. Nobody has died as of late. Everyone’s happy. Am I right? Well, save for grumpy over there,” said Yoshi with a hand directed at the distant dewmen.
“Sure she has, Yoshi. Sure she has,” Reinhardt smiled, wondering towards stall seven. Hands on the small counter, he looked up at the sky and said, “Look, I’m not here to tell you how to live your life. I… I guess by the end of the day, we both have bad taste in women, bonehead over there too.”
Though his words struck at Yoshi’s heart, Yoshi merely smiled and replied, “Maybe. Who knows?”
“So, who’s the girl with the partner machine?”
Yoshi and Reinhardt looked over at the two girls, watching them as they continued to outdo one another with every round. While Reinhardt focused on the Chipper, Yoshi paid more attention to the targets, where just then, for a split second, Yoshi noticed something; something faint, quick and odd. When the moment Arethusa’s bullet almost hit the target’s head, a bit of earth appeared out of thin air and redirected the bullet. Seeing this, Yoshi’s eyes widened. He could feel his heart freeze up and time around him slow down, enough to muffle the slamming of Arethusa’s rifle as she turned to yell at her sister and to halt the people around him.
“That was unfair,” Arethusa screamed. Time resumed at normal speed. She glared menacingly at her sister and continued, “You cheated.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Chipper with a smug look on her face. “Obviously you just didn’t fit the bill. Anyways, step aside and let me show how a true markswoman does the job. You may want to pay attention to this, as just might learn a thing or two.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/UfuxqV8ANj4)
“Heh,” Reinhardt chuckled. He then stared at Yoshi and continued, “Reminds me of you. Didn’t you use to say the same thing?”
“Can’t say I do,” Yoshi lied.
“Sure you don’t.”
“You saying I was just as cocky as she is?”
“Maybe, I just found it interesting mention? Say,” Reinhardt then said, as a rifle landed in Yoshi’s panicked arms. “You want to have a go?” He then flicked his head towards the just emptied stall eight.
Just then, Chipper leered at a smug Arethusa and said in a bitter tone, “Okay, that was just uncool.”
“Sure, why not,” Yoshi replied before turning towards the exit and saying, “Hey Kazamir, ya dang zombie, want to join us?” A paper ball met a human’s face.


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

That first song reminds me so much of Chronno Trigger's Corridors of Time. Similar harmonies, instrumentations, and chord progressions.
And, Girls und Panzer, huh? I never thought I'd hear that name again.

[stukasa]

Why Must I Have to Meet With New People + Filler + Filler + Filler:
[spoiler-box]
“Eh, sure,” Yoshi replied, holding back his urge to punch the newmen in the face.
Do it, Yoshi! DOOO EEEET!!

And WOW was this a long chapter! 5,545 words (yes I counted... or maybe just pasted into MS Word) plus three fillers which were another 2,700+ total! I think my longest chapter was about 4,200 or 4,300 words back during the first story. How long did it take you to write all that? Surely you didn't write that much in a week, right? If so, I'll be impressed.

It was a long chapter but an interesting one. I actually like Yvonna's slightly pushy and condescending personality. One of the few Newmen I don't want to punch in the face. :p You used humor well in this chapter, like the bit where Yvonna asks to share a room and Yoshi tries to close the door in her face, or when he finds the male Newman in the same situation with a rifle under his chin.

You spent some time introducing a lot of new people. I assume we'll be seeing more of them in future chapters! By the way, why is it Yoshi's job to console Marean? Shouldn't that be her husband's job?

Is Yoshi's name Yoshiblue or Yoshi Blue? And am I correct in assuming your favorite Yoshi (from Mario games) is the blue Yoshi? :lol:

Hey, it's the Clyez City theme! So much nostalllllgia~[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

Yeah, Yoshi seems to be amazing at pure word count. I don't know how he does it. Not only can he put out a chapter a week with seemingly little rest, but he can do it with chapters of actual length.

And of course the blue yoshi is the best. Nothing beats being able to literally fly over entire stages.

[yoshiblue]

Stukasa & Zorafim:[SPOILER-BOX]It took three days to write all that and cost me my sleep. Head was so full of ideas that I couldn't rest. Such an example would be Yoshi's name, which is used interchangeably. He never liked his name, so he started off using Yoshi as a nickname, then used blue after joining Arks. Which to him means "luck alongside misery". I do like all the Yoshi's though, so that's where Yoshi came from. As for Leanna's visit, she hates Reinhardt.

Girls und Panzer is still relevant. They've been doing things with World of Tanks and stuff. [/SPOILER-BOX]


- Chipper: Part IV -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/6mNVAN2aKc0)
Just above head level, upon a stall wall, flashed large digital red numbers within a black panel. Red number in the hundreds over the head of Reinhardt, a smiling red headed newmen who had just placed down his rifle, looked over at his right towards a still shooting Yoshi. Rifle still shouldered, visible small red numbers above the magazine, slowly drop down to zero, where once they did, produced a soft clicking noise which caused Yoshi to look down, close his eyes and sigh. Without having to look, he already knew his numbers were far fewer than Reinhardt’s. He knew the newmen has won, further proven by the translucent war torn targets that reappeared up ahead.
“Is your skill slipping, Yoshi?” scoffed Reinhardt with a mean smile.
Yoshi placed hand over his face and replied, “Please, I wasn’t even that far off.”
Though Yoshi wished his friend would leave it at that, Reinhardt did not and instead, bathed in his triumphant victory. Smile just around the wall, he leaned over and responded, “Come on, I thought you could do better than that. Guess all that spell slinging is making you rusty, huh?”
Yoshi lifted his eyebrows and giggle. “Being a force had nothing to do with it,” he rebutted.
“Oh, so you’re just saying that you’re bad and that you should feel bad.”
“I’m about to make you feel bad if you keep it up.”
“Yeah,” Chipper butted in.
Coming over from stall six, a fair skinned, teal hair girl walked over and gave the newmen a very competitive stare. Now standing by Yoshi, she then crossed her arms and said, “He’s going to show you what a real force can do. Isn’t that right, sir?”
At first, Reinhardt stared at the girl with a baffled expression. Then he fell into a fit of laughter. “Hahaha, Oh, so you’re going to use magic to win,” he said, head against the stall’s counter. “Oh, you’re sure going to show me, Yoshi. Hahaha.”
Chipper’s cheeks flared up. She put on her mean face and stared at the newmen with intense rage in her eyes. With a simple “hump”, she then looked up at Yoshi and gestured for him to come closer. With one eye open, Yoshi bowed down and listened. But before she spoke, she quickly looked toward Arethusa and gave a subtly nod.
“I think you cheated,” cried Arethusa out of nowhere.
“Cheated?” replied an amused Reinhardt, almost bursting into another fit of laughter. “How could I have possibly cheated?”
“Okay so here’s the plan,” then whispered Chipper. “You challenge him to a rematch but instead of using bullets, you use… diga.” During the short pause, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a pre-prepped metal container.
“How do you bypass the mussel flash and ammo counter then?” asked a slightly skeptical Yoshi, one brow raised in interest.
“Easy, you put in blank rounds instead of normal one. And lucky for you, I happen to have such a magazine for such an occasion.”
“You know keeping their magazines are against the rules right?”
“Says the man who did a complete refit of his B-01,” she sassed. “Anyways, how these things work is that the counter do-dad on the rifle constantly sends signals to the magazine to see how many slots are still currently fill inside of this thing. If you simply fill it with something that could register as a filled slot, or in this case, something that could produce a flash, the thing wouldn’t know the difference. Pretty cool, huh?”
After that, Chipper offered up the magazine with a sly smile and a shake, and though Yoshi accepted it, he whispered back with a still skeptical tone of voice, “I guess, but just so we’re clear, this is not an okay thing to do.” Grey metal object in hand, Yoshi stood back up and turned over to see Reinhardt fight Arethusa for his storage case. “Alright,” he remarked before saying, “Arethusa, let Reinhardt have the case.” Afterwards, he gave her a boyish smile and a wink. Seeing this, she did as she was told, let go and walked over to him. “Alright, Reinhardt, since Chipper here wouldn’t take no for an answer. How about a rematch? No magic, just guns.”
Surprised, Reinhardt rested his back against the counter and raised his chin, saying “I see where you’re coming from. You just don’t want to look bad in front of them. I got you.” After that, he picked up his the rifle and replaced its magazine. “Alright, since you want to lose again so badly, I’ll humor you. One mag, one rematch.”
“You got it,” Yoshi smiled, putting the object in hand into his own rifle.
In the next moment, both of them then slammed on a small red button and watched the targets ahead flash their countdowns. Once they hit zero, several of them instantly disappear and reappeared. Out of all of them, the stationary targets lit up first. Both men began to fire in bursts of three, closely and surely. So closely that the sound of their rifles created a strange, quick and wonderful air tearing sensation. Soon after, moving targets filled the lanes. Things began to change up. While both rifles moved left to right, then right to left, Reinhardt led his shots while Yoshi aimed directly at his. In the next few minutes, the targets increased their speed and slid side to side faster than before. Shot began to miss. One after the other, the once synced numbers started to stray apart until one of them clicked first.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/_R89qiJjnX8)
Upon hearing Yoshi finish first, Reinhardt smiled and uttered a chuckled of assured victory, a chuckle that would fade once finished. For once he had used up all his rounds and set down his rifle, the red score above his head showed how far behind he really fell compared to his friend.
“See, pops? I knew you had it in the bag,” Chipper cheered, giving Yoshi a big thumbs up and a hug.
“Nice,” added Arethusa, who frowned and ripped Chipper off of Yoshi.
In response, Yoshi gently placed down the rifle and shrugged. “Twas just a fluke, I assure you,” he said to a wordless Reinhardt. Even though he had won, his victory felt hollow, like nothing ever happened; and since he felt nothing, he simple grabbed his friend by the shoulder and continued, “Well, it could be worse. You could have been Kaz over there, stuck by the door way, hissing like a scared and confused snake.”
After that, the four of them looked over at the exit and watched as a grumpy dewmen stared back at them.
“Eh, I guess so,” the newmen smiled. “But this isn’t over. Next time, you won’t be so lucky. You hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah,” smiled Yoshi. “Anyways, I’m hungry. Are you three hungry?”
“I could go for something to eat,” replied Arethusa as she patted at her tummy.
“Eh, I guess,” shrugged Chipper.
“Reinhardt?”
“Not like I came to do anything else,” he replied. “I only came here to keep Kazamir from being a loner, or worse, a shadow chaser.”
“Kerri?” asked Yoshi as the two made their way towards the door.
“Kerri,” Reinhardt confirmed. “She’s been doing some strange things too lately.”
“Like what?”
“It’s better if we didn’t talk about it in front of the partner machines. Let’s just say that the old grave digging habits are coming back. It’s not a tale for the squeamish.”
“Alright, some other time then. And here I thought you spent most of your time with the newmen chick. Oh, also, are they even aware of the truth?”
“Firstly, yes I have. Secondly, they’ve known for a while now, but they seem to be refusing to accept it or something.”
“Alrighty then,” said Yoshi with raised brows.
“Defiantly odd,” sighed Reinhardt before he cupping his mouth and shouted, “Hey Kaz, you can stop looking like a gargoyle now. We’re going to lunch.”
Though the two expected some sort of snide remark, Kazamir didn’t respond. Instead, he waited for the newmen to pass and grabbed Yoshi by the shoulder, where he then pulled the human away, saying, “Just a moment.”
Taken aside, into a corner inside the gun museum, Yoshi said, “What’s up, Kaz? Is there something you are allergic to? If there is, you can choose were we eat then.”
“Enough about food, Yoshi,” Kazamir growled. “How did you do it?”
Yoshi’s smile faded into a more serious expression. “Do what?” he asked with concern.
“Partner machines don’t just come out of nowhere. Where did she come from?”
Yoshi chuckled and replied, “I’ve been requesting for another one for a while now.”
“Bullshit,” Kazamir spat, giving Yoshi a quick shove. “If you did, I would have known.”
Yoshi tilted his head and replied, “Getting real tired of your spy games, Kaz.” Afterwards he then pulled up several screens and flicked them into the dewmen’s face. “You want to see the forms,” he hissed. “Here they are. Happy?”
Kazamir smacked the screens into dust. “You’re lying,” he said before pointing at Chipper. “You see the discoloration in her hair? I seriously doubt she’s a brand new partner machine.” Afterwards he poked at Yoshi and continued, “And I seriously doubt you requested for another one. Fathers don’t simply move on when losing their daughters.”
“Look, where she came from shouldn’t matter. What does matter is that she’s my partner machine, not yours.” Yoshi started to poke at the dewmen’s chest. His breath grew heavy. Rage began to build up in his heart. Bad thoughts now swirled in his head. He no longer trusted Kazamir and because of it, continued, “And if you even try to lay one finger on her, Kaz, I’m going to make sure you regret it.”
“You making me regret something. You have never even beaten me in CQC and you know it.”
“I never had a reason to, buddy.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/yMGlMCYdZ-Y)
“Hey, hey,” interrupted Reinhardt, tearing the two apart from each other. “This is a time to relax, not fight like a couple of goons off the street. Besides, you’re starting to scare the children. So why don’t we just leave this place and find something to eat like friends?”
“Yeah, Kaz,” Yoshi spat. “All I wanted to ask was what you wanted to eat.”
“Keep it up, Yoshi. Keep it up.”
“So the dewmen has emotions after all,” butted in the newmen. “A shame it was anger that broke our local stoic.”
Hearing this, Kazamir straightened his tie and responded in a calm icy demeanor, “Yes, well, sometimes when I have to deal with simpletons, I tend to grow tired of them rather quickly; this being such a case.”
“You expecting an apology?” asked Yoshi as he shrugged Reinhardt’s hand of his shoulder.
“Kissing my boot would be a good start.”
“Some things just never change, do they?” sighed Reinhardt. “Look, would you two shut up already. Let’s just go and get something to eat, that’s an order.”
Hearing this, lightning zapped Yoshi heart. Instinctively, he then said, “Yes, sir,” and walked off in the direction of his daughters, giving one last leer before his. After Yoshi had reached a good distance away from them, Kazamir cracked his neck and started,
“All these years and the piece of shit still doesn’t know his limits.”
“I thought you two made up already.”
“Yeah, so did I,” Kazamir responded, now leaning against a wall. “But apparently we did not.”
“Have you two even sat down and talked like normal friends do?”
For a moment Kazamir stared at Reinhardt with a rude face. After a few brief seconds, he then pushed himself off the wall with his back and said while walking away, “Shouldn’t need to.”
“And then you wonder why you two still have issues with each other.”

____

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/qyUokbOxBPY)
“I fail to see why we can’t sit at a regular table.”
“Sorry Kaz, but I insist that we sit at a booth.”
“What good would a booth do? I’d just make whoever’s inside a sitting target.”
“Only for those who don’t know how to handle the situation.”
“Excuse me,” interrupted a girl in the background. “I hope you aren’t suggesting that there will be an attack.”
“Excuse my friends,” said Reinhardt, as he elbowed his two friends. “One of them has just seen a lot of action in the darker war is all.”
“I see,” she replied, hiding behind a few menus held in her hand.
After that the newmen looked over his shoulder and said, “Look Kaz, nothing is going to happen. We’ll take the booth.”
“Right this way then,” the waitress weakly responded.
Fitting with the steam punk themed section of the mall, a black conveyor belt below their feet moved northward. Every so often, the direction of the belt would stop and change whenever the waitress tapped at a gold device on her wrist. Holding the belt together, a gold frame guarded and slopped over the belt as intersections and pathways were reached and over taken. Along with the belt and gold trim were gold painted tables sitting under steampunk theme lanterns and pipe work, each of them blowing steam every so often. Within a twist and turns, the six of them finally arrived at booth in the very back of the restaurant where once there, the waitress placed the menus on the table and took out a note pad.
“Girls, over here,” commanded Yoshi, waving his arm over by the left side of the booth. Letting the girl in first, Yoshi, at the same time, prepared himself for any sudden movements made by Kazamir. Having begun the counter intelligence game with him, the now frustrated dewmen reluctantly sat by Reinhardt as a silver device retracted back into his sleeve. Once seated, the waitress took their drink order and left.
“Oh, that reminds me,” said Yoshi to say in a fatherly voice. “Girls, let’s go wash our hands. Wouldn’t want the taste of metal in our food, now would we?”
“Okay,” said the girls in unison, hopping off the booths bench one after the other. After that they disappeared into the crowd were Kazamir them remarked,
“Since when did Yoshi care about archaic forms of hygiene?”
“I don’t see any problem with that,” said Reinhardt, face buried in the menu. “It just means he grew up differently is all.”
Kazamir started to look around. “Right,” he replied. “Somehow I think something else is going on here.”
“I think you need to stop being such an asshole and relax.”
As Kazamir eye’s loomed across the restaurant, he failed to notice that in the background sat a rowdy Neona, casually sitting across from her friend Anna with french toast all over her mouth. By the time Kazamir stopped looking in her direction; she then slowly turned to look at him, sneered, and went back to playing with her food.
“Is something wrong?” asked Anna before taking another bite.
“No, just making faces because I felt like it.”
“Just try not to make anyone mad, Neo. Last we need is to be kicked out of here for a fight we didn’t start.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t,” smiled the newmen.
Meanwhile by the restrooms, Yoshi huddled by his daughters outside the girl’s restroom door. Heads all close together, Yoshi whispered,
“I don’t care if it dries out your skin out or something, I want the both of you to keep a layer of earth on you at all times. Also, I want you two to cover all your arteries with a thicker layer on top of it. You understand?”
“Alright,” replied Chipper.
“Why?” asked Arethusa.
“I just got a bad feeling is all,” Yoshi replied.
Arethusa laughed and said in response, “I think you’re just letting the old affect you old man.”
“Look, I just want to keep you two safe, alright? Now let’s go wash our hands. I’ll wait out here for you when you’re finished.”
Once the two girls have went inside, a voice from behind him suddenly said,

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/1lyEMIdtUPY)
“Hello, Bitol.”
“Sia?!” Yoshi squeaked, scrambling to turn around and face her. However, instead of facing Sia, he instead faced her little sister, Neona, who started and laughed at his reaction. “Neo?” Yoshi then said in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” cried Neona. “I couldn’t resist. That was just priceless. Don’t worry though. I’m not here to mess with you though. I already have the answers I wanted.”
“So what brings you here then?”
“I wanted to say, nice call on the skin thing. Just try not to overstep your specialty. You specialize in defensive techniques, not erosive or manipulative ones. He if strikes; don’t go on the offence.”
“I’ll try to keep that in- wait, how did you know…?”
“Women’s intuition, Yoshi,” Neona replied. “Don’t worry about it.” After that, she walked inside the girl’s restroom and said, “Have a nice day. Be sure to pick up a keychain before you leave. They’re having a ‘create a custom emblem’ sale today.”
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Hunting Beasties I & II:
[spoiler-box]First of all, let me just say of your previous comment: Three days?! Holy heck, man! I usually average maybe 300-400 words per day. Sometimes less, sometimes more, but that's about the average. A few times I managed about 1,000 in a day, but that's rare.

As for the chapter: Silly Yoshi, you can't kill a Nab Rappy anyway! It would've just buried itself into the ground. :p I know people use a remodel ticket to "magically" change their room in the game but I just can't imagine that's how it really happens. xD The Emergency Code thing is debatable. I can see that being a real thing, but I'm not sure if they would actually "declare" it out loud like that. Is the Diga thing a reference to PSU? (OMG crossover! :p)

Magislash? Is that actually a thing or did you make that up? (I'm guessing the latter.) I liked the fight scene with Arethusa, she was pretty awesome there. And who knew Micdas could be so cute, pawing at her bag like that? Awww~ :lol:[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Having a lot of school work in the form of essays helps. That said, my proof reading could use work, among other things.

How I envisioned rooms is stretching it because its envisioning that the whole room is there, but sealed away. Idealistically to save you from going into debt because you couldn't afford the upkeep or something. Anywho, how I envision a room expansion is that the outside will lift up like a garage door until you see the outside wall, door and porch. Then the room's door's will appear or unlock, allowing access to that room.

Since this was written before kitchen accessories were included (I think); how I envisioned bathrooms, kitchens and a basic bed would come appear was something in the likes of a magic sweep across a portion of the room, or in the form of a flipping wall/floor. For example,

(Without restroom)
xxxxxc
xxxxxx
xnxxxx

(With Restroom)
xxxxxc
xxxxoo
xnxxoo

Legend: n + c: Door, x: empty space, o: bathroom
All furniture is temporarily removed, window becomes a wall or something until the bathroom, ect. is dismissed.

And yeah, Diga is a nod to PSU. Wouldn't work in PSO2 because for the most part, its a human only ability and PSO2 doesn't do race exclusives. I do mention something about beasts sometime later too. Magislash is something I made up. More or less a gunslash that has a tech shot mode rather than a ranger mode. Makes more sense, in my opinion. No need to worry about a magazine or a barrel. Just cast everything from the tip of the blade. Finally, Aiko doesn't really shout it per say. She just acknowledges it. Something like,

"Hey, something just came up. Giving you authorization to go smack it around. Have fun."
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]See, computer science major here. I say few words, and make them count. So, my word count is pathetic.

Ha, proof reading. I know I never like the way something sounds my first time saying it, so I often go through it time after time and make sure it sounds exactly how I want it. Giving the most amount of detail in the smallest amount of words possible, making sure everything's in character, making each character sound like themselves... I seem to spend more time proof reading than writing. That's if I even have the mental strength to even read my own words, which I often don't.


So, bigger rooms cost more money, and you're given bigger rooms if you pay for it. Each room is built the same sans any customization, and the customer pays more just to access features he already has. That seems kind of unfair...
Oh wait, that's what Sega's doing! That's a subtle amount of genius there.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

I try to do that too, but when things are constantly on a word floor, it gets rough.

[yoshiblue]

- Chipper: Part V -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/P6LY_Nqf39Y)
Of the five of them, Kazamir was the first to dash far ahead of the group. Past several people, jumping over an empty black and orange bench, he ran until he could find the nearest restroom corridor, where unlike the rest of the hall outside, held a more modern vibe to it. Retaining only the same color scheme of black and orange; plentiful modern cushioned plastic chairs, metal snack and soda machines and flora decorated the area. And the only things that retaining the steampunk hall designs, the door signs and the pots that held the flora in them. Once the other four had caught up, they could faintly hear him say as he entered the men’s restroom, “I think I’m going to be sick.” Though the girls giggled and laughed, Reinhardt was the only one who found the situation unamusing.
“Alright, Yoshi,” he said, looking at the teal hair human with an expression of utmost seriousness. “What did you do to his food?”
Yoshi pointed at himself and asked, “Who me?” In response, Reinhardt dipped his head until his eyebrows pointed at the human. Seeing this, Yoshi knew he was caught red handed and continued, “I may have dropped a few volcano pills into his drink.”
“Volcanos bombs?” the newmen asked in disbelief. “You mean the kinds we used to use back in the mercenary days?”
“Yeeeaaaah, those,” Yoshi replied, slowly looking away. “I may have gotten them from Carol.”
“Carol?” Reinhardt almost shouted; two hands in a strangling position. “Let me guess, she also called you in so you could do so called public service.”
Shocked, Yoshi covered Reinhardt’s mouth and uttered, “Shh, no one is supposed to know.”
The newmen fiercely smacked away Yoshi arms. “Look,” he said, taking a few steps backwards. “I can understand if you took on an extra client order, but whatever is going on between you and Kaz, I want it to stop. We’ve been friends for a long time and I’m not going to let some stupid-,” he suddenly paused and glanced at the girls. Looking back up, Reinhardt lifted a finger and continued, “Nonsense… ruin several years of hard work.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. The girls and I – ah, hold on. I think I’m going to throw up.” Yoshi started to hold onto his stomach with one arm and smacked Reinhardt’s chest with the other. After that, he pushed away and made a mad dash for the restroom, wheezing just before going through the door. “Damn, you Kaz,” he cursed under his breath.
“What happened to him?” asked Chipper to Arethusa.
Arethusa shrugged in response and as she did, Reinhardt crossed his arms with a worried expression and began, “Knowing Kaz, he probably slipped something into his drink as well. Normally he doesn’t miss a trick that bad and hopefully he didn’t go overboard.”
“Does this normally happen?” asked Chipper again.
“It used to,” smiled Reinhardt. “In the past, Kaz would do this to ruin Yoshi chances with the local women. After a while it devolved into this.”
“Did he ever do that to you too?”
“Oddly enough no, he didn’t.”
Just then, Yoshi came back out with a sinister smile and threw a plastic juice box away. Still hunched over, he approached the three and said, “Luckily I came prepared.”
“See what I mean?” said Reinhardt, flipping a hand towards the human. “Anyways, what were you saying before?”
“Oh,” said Yoshi as he slumped against the nearest wall. He then lifted his arm and pointed outwards. “I was going to take the girls over there.”
Over in the distance stood a small store with a large keychain and chain hanging above the door. Also above the door, in between the ring and chain, hung a sign that said Chainpunk. Grey on the outside, cream on the inside, in it held several people roaming about, blocking lights, shelves and isles with every passing person. To Reinhardt, it looked like a mess. To Yoshi however, it looked like a new experience. As the two men stared, Reinhardt broke the silence by asking with a curious expression,
“People actually go to that place?”
“Apparently there’s a make your own emblem thing going on. May explain why they have such a boost in business.”
Reinhardt cautiously stared at Yoshi. “And you’re really planning to just go in there?”
“I don’t see why not, could have something nice,” shrugged the human.
“Yeah,” laughed Reinhardt. “If you want something girly looking.”
Yoshi simply replied, “Heh,” and walked forward. Spinning around with arms held wide open, Yoshi causally continued, “Only one way to find out,” and twisted back around. Seeing him walk away, the girls followed behind, spurring the newmen to do the same. One by one, they crossed one platform and walked onto the other via a lifting bridge like walkway. As they moved closer to the entrance, Reinhardt grew more uneasy. Uneasy enough to eventually grab Yoshi by the shoulder to hold him back.
“Are you sure about this, man?” he nervously asked. “There are better places you could take them, right girls?”
“Eh,” Arethusa shrugged.
“He has a point,” Chipper nodded.
“See, they agree-.” He suddenly locked up as he looked at the store window. While looking at his friend, Yoshi followed his gaze until he saw a white hair newmen, with five small objects dangling under her hands, browse a bin behind the front shop window. When she looked up, she too froze. However, instead of sharing the same freaked out expressions of the men outside, she instead stared at them with a similar dull expression Yoshi remember from their last encounter. After a minute long stare down, she then turned very slowly around and walked away, causing Reinhardt pat Yoshi’s face around and desperately say,
“Yoshi, we’re going in.”
“What?” cried Yoshi, spitting a bit after the newmen’s fingers grazed his teeth.
“You heard me,” he replied before dashing away and saying, “Hurry up, we’re going inside.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/b7rWs92CK7k)
As they entered, several little metal objects whizzed above their heads. From the second floor to the first, custom objects danced and spiraled down on little silver poles as they reached the first floor, where once there, would then be plucked off the ends and given to a waiting child by the cash register. Beyond the simple resister stood the many cream colored isles that lined the first floor. Covered in many boxes, in those boxes displayed many images where when once touched, would produce a demo object lasting five seconds before vanishing into photonic dust. Or so Yoshi believe as he watched a child poke the picture of a Booma. Snapping back into reality, the Booma vanishing in the child’s hands, Yoshi looked below and around for his daughters where eventually he found them smacking each other around with oversized foam keychain rings. As they fought, using them as fencing tools, Yoshi shouted, “Girls, put the rings down.” Hearing their father’ voice, they suddenly stopped to look at him.
“Okay,” they said in unison, putting down the rings and running towards his side. Once there, Chipper scanned the area and asked,
“So can we explore the place or something already?”
Yoshi squatted down and looked her in the eyes. With a smile and poke of her nose, he said, “Yes, but we’re all sticking together. Understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, we understand,” blushed Chipper. “Let’s just go already.”
“Alright, so what do you two want to do first? Browse the isle or create your very own thingy-mah-booper?”
“I want to make my own thing,” jumped Arethusa with lifted arms.
“I think we should browse the aisles first,” calmly said Chipper.
“Alright, how about we do this then? We place an order first, and while we wait, we browser the isles. How does that sound?”
Chipper began to stretch and look at her fingernails. “Try not to take too long, Frosty,” she said. “I got things to do.”
“I’ll take as long as I please, Chips.”
Before Arethusa ran off, Yoshi handed her some meseta for the fees. Money in hand, she then skipped towards a line made by the escalator, at a booth which sat next to it labeled Start Your Adventure Here. Lucky for Chipper, by the time Arethusa had her turn, she already had an idea in mind and spent only a few seconds coloring and specifying it. Ticket now in hand, Arethusa skipped and hopped back to her father with a big grin on her face.
“All done,” she said, arming Chipper in the ribs after she had made a face at her.
“Finally,” said Chipper in an exaggerated fashion, smiling and rubbing her side. “So what did you make?”
“You’ll see it eventually,” slyly replied Arethusa.
“Alright then let get this show on the road. Lead the way, pops.”
One by one they filtered through the aisles. While the three explored the store, Reinhardt followed Rosalin around as she tried to go about her business uninterrupted. Though at first she tried to ignore the red head newmen, eventually he cracked her shell and got her talking. Round and round the second floor, they chatted. At some point in their conversations, he occasionally felt he started to get on her nerves and expected her to hit him. However, surprisingly enough to him, the worst she ever did to him was pat him on the cheek and continue walking. Passing to and fro, the duo and trio would occasionally swap isles and floors and watch the machines overhead work their magic. Every so often, Chipper would randomly stumble and recover her balance. From animals, to objects, to figures, to idols, to logos, they went from floor one to floor two four times before Chipper settled with one area.
Within the emblem section, Chipper paced back and forth, thoroughly raking for a particular object within the isle. After five minutes of filtering, she suddenly stopped and looked upwards. Eyes sparkled in the light as she summoned a mini escalator on the third row and rose up until she stopped at the second shelve to the right. Once there, she press a small picture of an emblem, examined the demo, instantly pushed a red lit button and plucked a printed ticket from a gray plastic device glued to the right side of the box.
When they reached the cash register, Yoshi showed the cashier the tickets and watched as the person pulled an object from a nearby pole, asking him, “Does this look okay to you?” Handing it to Yoshi, he then ducked down and showed it to his daughter where he asked her, “So what do you think? Does it meet your expectations?”
Arethusa stared at it with one eye and a hand on her chin. “Hmm,” she hummed. After a few second of eyeballing, she nodded and replied, “Yeah, it looks good to me.” Hearing this, Yoshi lifted back up and paid for the other object in question. In the next few seconds, the trio strolled out of the store to boast about their new gained trinkets.
“So what did you get, Chipper?” asked Yoshi towards chipper, a hand on each of the girl’s shoulders.
Lifting up in the air was a triangle shaped logo made up of several small bars, all of them which were magically held together. “It’s called the cathedral emblem,” Chipper replied, giving the object a dreamy stare. “I got it because someone from the church led me here.”
“That’s pretty cool. And you Arethusa?” Yoshi then asked, looking towards his left.
“I got an Aginis holding a machine gun,” proudly said the dark skin girl. “See, see? That the Aginis and that’s the gun. Behold its majestic beauty as it caws at you.”
“I don’t think Aginis actually caws at people, Frosty,” chuckled Chipper.
“I was originally going to make an Aginis hold a Gulf holding a machine gun but that felt a bit excessive.”
“Well in any case, I hope you’re happy with it,” said Yoshi, patting his daughter’s shoulder. “Where should we go next, since we’re waiting on Reinhardt?”
“Yes, Yoshi. Where will you go next?”
Coming out from the restroom, Kazamir glared at his human friend as he approached him. Though a little frightened at first, something caught Yoshi attention, causing him to beckon Kazamir to move quickly. Unsure what Yoshi was trying to do, the dewmen sped towards the trio until they came into whispering distance, where once there, heard Yoshi harshly say under his breath,
“You should hide.”
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” Kazamir asked.
“No, trust me… and don’t look to your left.”
Without thinking, Kazamir looked over his shoulder and quickly looked back. Wide eye in fear, invisible hands gripping his face, he grabbed Yoshi and quickly pulled him into the store. From behind the bin against the front window, the two of them watched as Kerri walked past store and them.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” scolded Kazamir, still keeping an eye on Kerri’s rear.
“How was I supposed to know she would be here?” whispered Yoshi. “You’re the reconnaissance expert. Besides, why don’t you go talk to her?”
“I’m not going to talk to her. Are you crazy?”
Yoshi punched the dewmen in the shoulder. “Go talk to her, you moron.”
“No,” Kazamir punched back.
Just then, a shadow crept up from behind. Standing there for a moment, it then asked, “What are you two doing.”
“Not now, Reinhardt,” Kazamir waved away. “This is serious.”
“Right, well, I just came to say that I’m going to stick around for a while longer. So you two can go on without me.”
Yoshi looked behind himself asked peeked at the newmen. “You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Alright,” said Yoshi, getting upright again. “Well if you need me, Kaz. I’ll be out there.” Yoshi pointed two fingers at the dewmen and then added, “See you around.” But before he walked through the door, Yoshi stopped and asked, “Oh, did Leanna receive the Lecithin?”
“She did. The aftermath was… interesting… to say the least. How did you find it?”
“I found a rumor about it while digging around for something.”
After that Yoshi walked out the door and guided the girls waiting outside elsewhere. As they melted into the crowd, Kazamir watched with narrow eyes.
“I see,” he replied in a grave tone of voice.


[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]“Oh no, a knife. You must feel like a real big boy now. Ha ha ha,” laughed a man with shaggy teal hair over his eyes. “Come on, hero. Make my day.”
Under a single flickering ceiling light stood two men, one on each side of a damaged kitchen island. Both of them cut up and bruised, every time one of them moved, the other followed. When the shaggy man kicked aside a fallen pan, the other man moved away, as if it were toxic to his skin. When the injured man kicked back broken glass, the shaggy man took it with stride. He didn’t seem to mind getting any more cuts than he already had. He didn’t care about the blood that already stained most of his scarred gray shirt and blue jeans. Yet despite it all, he did care about his mostly untouched head, which hid a cut above his right eye and covered a bruise on his left cheek.
While the shaggy man appeared to be in decent condition, the other man wasn’t. Backed into a corner, three fingers bent backwards, more blood spilling from him than the other, half of his shirt missing and a pulsing black eye; in his hand held his last resort and his last stand. In the next second the man screamed and charge at the shaggy man who waited for this moment the entire time. Fluid in his movements, a stone pillar rose up from the ground and into the stomach of the injured man. Knocking the air out of him, the shaggy one then caught the knife in midflight, laughed and stabbed it into the attacker’s neck three times before allowing the pillar of earth to disintegrated and fall. Immediately afterwards, a door opened up. More lights came on.
“For fucks sakes, Yao, could you make any more damn noise?” screeched a nerdy looking newman woman of green hair.
“How much did you say this man was worth again?” the shaggy man ignored her.
Coming inside, a blood stained katana in hand; she took the time to look around the place and kicked at the dying body below. Locking eyes with the shaggy man, she started,
“What happened to the oh so great and mighty Yaotl Xol? You’re looking like a piece of shit right now.”
The man chuckled in response and spread his arms wide. “Hey,” he replied with a smile. “I look pretty damn great for a man who just recently took on five guys on his own.”
“Please,” waved away the woman. “You act like that’s some sort of accomplishment.”
He pointed two fingers at her. The man’s smile grew even larger as he said, “Look, bitch. Next time you put on makeup, don’t smear it all over your face. I’m a guy and even I know not to do that.”
“You’re just mad that I came out looking hell of a lot better than you ever will.”
“Oh,” said Yaotl, both hands over his heart. With a faked sadden expression, he finished, “My bleeding heart.” Afterwards he turned around, knelt down, opened up a small refrigerator and casually tossed a white and cream can towards the woman, asking, “I take it that you killed the misses, Leeann?”
The newmen opened up her can and replied, “Could have putten up more of a fight, but yeah.”
“A toast then,” said the man, raising his can.
“With shitty beer?”
“You know it. Not my fault the guy was such a light weight. Isn’t that right you sad piece of shit?” he babied the body.
Watching the human, the woman leaned on the counter and laughed. “What a world,” she smiled.
Afterwards, the man mimicked her actions and responded, “Hey, it could be worse. We could be usin’ their bed too.”
“Nohoho,” laughed the woman. “You wouldn’t want to use that bed.”
As the woman awkwardly laughed it off, the man walked around until he stood next to her. “Come on, I’m sure it’s still in usable condition. Could maybe still last us a few more nights, if we used our imaginations,” the man finished, tapping his head.
The woman rolled her eyes and glanced around again. “Didn’t he have some sort of rare pistol or something?”
The man shrugged and closed his eyes. “Yeah, but I threw it out the window.” Afterwards he opened them back up and continued, “But hey look, it’s one of those new T-57s.”
“What about it?” asked the newmen with disinterest.
“Wanna steal it?”
“Why would we want to steal it? We already have the Lecithin.”
“Oh you know. Comfy seats, enough storage to hold a fuck ton of beer, built in tv, underside storage for our weapons and loot. You know, Leanna, the good things.”
“I’ll think about it,” smile Leanna as the man wrapped an arm around her and said,
“Come here.”
After that a moment of silence, sipping away one after the other, they watched the small white ship of blue glow soar across the twilight sky. Once gone and a can dry, Leanna leaned against Yaotl and disintegrated her can, asking,
“So, where are the glasses I bought you?”
“About that…” trailed Yaotl’s voice.
Yaotl didn’t look at he said it. Seeing this the newman pinched her nose and gave a deep sigh. “Do you know how hard it is for us to purchase something like that? It’s not easy you know.”
The man shrugged and said, “Hey, they just broke. What do you want me to do about it?”
“I want you to-”
“Nah, I’m just messing with you,” interrupted Yaotl. After that, a hand reached into a pocket, took out a navy blue plastic case and laid it on the counter. Once there, they then opened the case up and placed the square spectacles within over teal shaggy hair where once there, caused the man to look towards his right and give the woman a giant smile.
“I fucking hate you. I hope you know that, you asshole,” punched Leanna.
“Yeah, yeah,” Yaotl replied, hugging Leanna tighter than before. “I hate you too, with all my damn heart.”
“So does that mean you’ll pay for the fuel again?” asked the newmen, circling a finger on the man chest.
“Woman, I just filled the dang thing. What have you been doing with it? Racing with your other nerd friends again?”
“Yao, that was two weeks ago. I’m talking about now.”
“You know what, fine. I’ll pay for the tank refill again. But on the condition that you take me with you next time.”


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Another successful job. I’m telling ya, Phineas. We keep this up, we’ll have enough meseta to waste for a life time. Generations even. Give me some of that would ya?” asked a well shaven man in a suit. As requested, a man of slicked back teal hair slid a bag across a regal brown table while they sat down on equally eloquent wooden chairs. “Ah, that’s the stuff. I’m telling ya Phineas, with this money, my little girl is going to be a star. A star, I tell ya. She’ll be going to the best schools, go to the best teachers, she’s going to make me so proud.”
As the man talked, Phineas took out a black brief case and started to count the contents within it. As soon as the man finished, Phineas paused, shifted his eyes towards him and said in an indifferent tone of voice, “Glad, you have your priorities straight at least.”
“What’da ya mean by that, huh? You know me. I’m, Jarow the mastermind. I always got a plan,” said the man, pounding his chest.
“Are you using your wife and kid to their fullest potential?”
“Well yeah,” said Jarow with a wave of his hand. “Of course. Why?”
“Spouses, children, they’re nothing more than investments. Tools used to help people further themselves in life and are kept together by this nonsense called love so they can take care of you in old age. If you’re not using them to their fullest potential, why bother keep them at all?”
“Phineas, listen to yourself,” said the man, leaning forward. “What would your ma and pop say hearing you say all that kablesh you’re spouting?”
Phineas leaned backwards, placed an object on the table and frowned. “Good ol’ ma died a long time ago; burning building. And pops? Never had one.”
“Everyone has a pa, Phin.”
“Nope, never had one, never will. But if I did, he’s probably still moping over the loss of those dear to him. And me, well, I have the displeasure to look just like him. Not a single trait from my mother.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the man replied, leaning backwards in deep thought. “Well you’re going to do your Ma right, yeah? Start a family, be a good Pa?”
“Nope, don’t want to waste my time taking care of some unforsaken little runt. Wouldn’t do me any good anyways, he’d just be a failure. I mean seriously, what man can get the job done as efficiently and quickly as I can?” Phineas slammed a hand on the table. “That’s right, nobody,” he shouted with an evil grin.
“Sheesh,” the man giggled. “And then I wonder why women turn up dead when they get involved with you.”
“Relationships are expendable, Jarow. We both know this. I get what I need and I move on, simple as that. They should know better by now.”
“Yeah, women. You whisper sweet nothings into their ears and they think you’re going to settle down with them for the rest of their life. And don’t get me started with the ones you throw money at, hahaha! But seriously, no son?”
“I told you already,” said Phineas as he placed a pistol on the table. “I have all the tools I need. I don’t need another one.”
Just then a door slammed open and a well-built man to hurry inside. Closing the doo behind him, the man looked and cried, “Phineas, I just got word from the shop. They said they couldn’t fix the Lecithin. They didn’t have the parts.”
Without anything touching it, the pistol on the table fired a round that barely missed the man’s head.
“I’m sorry, there was something in my ear,” said Phineas, slowly turning in his chair. “What was that again?”
“They’re still working on it, sir.”
“Working on what?” Phineas asked with a lifted brow.
“The Lecithin will be repaired soon.”
“How soon?”
“In a week.”
“I’ll be picking it up by then. You may go now.”
After that the man bowed his head and said, “Yes, sir,” before shutting the door and running.
“Man, Phineas, we got the money. Why don’t you get yourself a better ship?”
“A better ship means nothing when you can still outperform everyone in the one you already have. You can get yourself another ship but I don’t need one.”
“Speaking of your ship, what kind of password is Leanna anyways?”
“Don’t know. If I had a dad, maybe he could have told me, because it certainly isn’t my mother’s name.”


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Carol, mission completed; all hostiles have been eliminated and Jarow Migul has successfully been detained,” said Yoshi with a finger against his ear.
“Damn, Yoshi. You’re relentless,” a man in a grey uniform said behind him.
“Yeah, who knew ARKs would turn him into a war machine?” said a similarly dressed man while taking off his helmet. “No armor, no helmet, just a gun and the shirt on his back.”
Yoshi smiled weakly and lifted his hands. “Guys relax,” he responded. “It wasn’t that impressive.”
“I wish ARKs would get involved with civilian matters more often,” a woman added. “Think of how much easier our lives would have been if they did?”
“Technically speaking, you don’t,” Yoshi frowned. “Also, i’m not supposed to do these kinds of things. I shouldn’t even be here right now.”
As he finished a door opened up allowing a group of mercenaries to walk inside. Grey in helmet, slacks and jacket, the only thing the stood out among all of them were the yellow and green patches they wore on their right shoulders and leading the group, a blond haired woman, who when reaching Yoshi, took off her helmet, smiled and said in a friendly manner,
“Regardless, I’m glad you agreed to come here, Yosh. Your friend too,” she said, nodding her head towards Sia, who stood beside Yoshi. “It’s nice to see that there was at least one of you who remembered your roots.”
“Yeah, well I didn’t think you would take your father’s place in leading the mercenary group either, but here we are. You know you didn’t have too.”
“These are my people, Yoshi. I belong here. I’m sure my father would have wanted you here as well.”
Yoshi turned around and looked away. On the verge of tears, he didn’t want to show the daughter of his former leader the sadden expression he had on his face. So in an effort to hide it, he walked towards the next room and opened its door. Like the room he stood in, the room also seemed to be red in theme, with a white stripe running along the floor. Lights turned on, he then realize how much the darkness had covered everything inside, revealing a ship on a raised platform, facing towards a damaged and sealed garage door.
“You sure there’s no one in this room as well?” Yoshi asked as his eyes swept the area.
“Readings says no, but you can look inside if you want. In the meantime…” said Carol before turning around. “Shows over boys and girls, bag the bodies and let’s go home. Be sure to thank Yoshi for keeping all your asses bullet free when you’re all done. Come on, let’s move it.”
On that, everyone in the room gave a cheer and did as instructed. While they did, the ones assigned to Yoshi chattered with the others about how he had shown no expression while killing the opposition off and how he killed most of them in two stage shots, slit throats and broken necks. Hearing this, Yoshi shivered in discomfort and hugged himself. He didn’t like being talked about as if he were some kind of super soldier. To him, he was just another man blessed with better equipment.
Looking into the other room, Yoshi summoned a thermos out of thin air and started to unscrew the cap and as he did, Sia walked up from behind and said in a joking manner,
“I hope you plan to share some of that coffee.”
Yoshi turned around with bright eyes and smiled. “Lucky for you, I always keep an extra cup on me.” After that, he snapped his fingers and made a plain white mug appear out of thin air. Once given a freshly filled mug, Sia took a sip and said,
“They sure seem to taken a liking to you. Know any of them?”
Yoshi took a glance at the people behind him and looked back at Sia. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head. “All of them are new to me. They also failed to notice that you did most of the work.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Bitol,” Sia sang.
Yoshi took a sip of his own and smiled back. “Hey, I’m just stating the truth.” After that he looked down at himself and then at his sleeves. “How do you think we’ll explain the damages when we get home?”
“We’ll just say that we forgot our line shields down on Lillipa or something.”
Yoshi placed down his cup and thermos. Hand now freed, he then took out a monomate, flipped off the cap and placed a cloth over it. After flipping it over, he reached over and said, “Guess you forgot what it’s like not use a line shield?”
Taking Sia’s arm, he then dabbed at her exposed arm, causing her to panic and response, “Yoshi, you don’t have to.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll just take a second.”
“It’s alright. It’s just a few scratches, that’s all.”
“You even got hurt on your shoulder?”
“You can stop now.”
“Hey,” Yoshi replied, pointing the rag at her. “Better safe than sorry,”
Hearing that, Sia snatched the cloth out of Yoshi’s hand and patted at his face.
“Sia- oh come on, it’s just a bruise,” grinned Yoshi.
“Nope,” Sia grinned back.
“Sia.”
“Don’t want to hear it.”
“I-.”
“No no, I don’t want to hear it from the guy who took a bullet to the chest.”
“I had a plate to stop it.”
“Better safe than sorry,” she mocked.
“You two seem pretty friendly with each other. I’m almost jealous,” Carol remarked, support her chin with the top of her wrist. “So, how long have you two known each other?”
“Well…” Sia began before Yoshi jumped to cover her mouth and reply, blushing fiercely, “For a good while now.” Sia dropped her arms and frowned at Yoshi. Carol in the meantime giggled and replied,
“Is that so?”
“Oh, speaking of which,” continued Yoshi, trying to change the subject. “Do you know what’s inside the other room?”
Carol waved a finger. “Oh no,” she replied. “You’re not getting out of this one.”
“It’s a Lecithin. I haven’t seen one in years.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Carol stomped.
“It was made before the time the T-57 came out, Terenanova if you didn’t know, and was first manufactured ten years before the T-57’s creation.”
“Yoshi!”
“Man,” Yoshi smiled. “They really knew how to keep it in good condition.”

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Good Old Bait and Switch + Filler:
[spoiler-box]Ah, "A Lush Load"... I always liked that song! I considered using it in my own story but never found a place for it.

Yoshi stole Yvonna's sense of satisfaction by giving her the leader title free of charge without a fuss. I guess that's one way to deflate a Newman's ego!

Wait, what the heck? That Gulf came outta nowhere! ...Or maybe that was the point.

I enjoyed the filler (the one with Yoshi trying to pick up that Newearl at the mall), it was a fun little read. :D Note: If a girl you don't even know turns you down and runs away, don't chase her and grab her. That might give the wrong impression. xD

I think your writing has improved, at least from the beginning up to this chapter. I don't want to jump ahead so I can't say how much better it gets after this. I'll just have to wait and find out![/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]It's funny what happens to a person when he does something for months without rest, eh?
It seems like that's always the case, someone starts off pretty terrible at their fanfic, and they slowly get better, to the point where what they're writing now looks nothing like what they started with. I see that all the time.[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

This is Why I Didn't Want to Be the Leading Man:
[spoiler-box]Nice introductory description there, I liked it!

I'm going to guess you like the PSZ soundtrack, seeing how you've used a lot of the songs from it in various chapters. :p It's a good soundtrack, though at the time I played PSZ I don't think I paid much attention to it.

Stamato was a good source of comic relief this chapter. Also, he's a very CAST-like CAST! Maybe over time he'll grow to become more human-like, as Aki did?

OMG, not the mining mission! xD That one was always kinda annoying to me. I notice you often try to rationalize the game's events, which is what you did here.

One thing you could have done was say there's a Gwanahda up ahead but not mention the fact that it's a Nero. That way, when it shows up later the characters would be like, "Oh no, it's a Nero?! This is much worse than we expected!" (or maybe the Gwanahda doesn't show up later? I guess I'll find out in the next chapter!)

Did you know from the start that Yoshiblue's name wasn't really Yoshiblue? Or was that just a retcon to explain why your story's main character has such a silly name? (for a person, I mean, it's fairly silly)[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]PSZ has a pretty nice soundtrack and so do the other games. I would use more PSU/PSP/PSP2i music but i'm too lazy to dig up stuff from it. Stamato is a character I enjoy writing with. Due to his newborn like nature, it allows me to make him stand out from the rest of the characters in the story, as he has a lot of scenario I can take advantage of. Sadly, a lot of these scenarios were either scrapped or thrown on the backburner. Lastly, like everyone else, Yoshi was given an actual name in the beginning. However, before I started writing the story, Yoshi's name was more air based and revolved more around freedom, flying and Zan. Eventually, it was changed to fit a more earth based like theme. In truth, I sometimes struggle between making him a free spirit or a more down to earth person. The reason it's brought up now rather than before is mainly because his family history has now become a topic of interest. Since in the past, the only thing that really mattered were the events that occurred around him. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Tests and Dragons:
[spoiler-box]Uh oh, boss fight~! I remember Chrome Dragon really freaked me out the first time I saw it, because A) I had no idea it existed, B) I happened to be playing the city mission by myself that time, and C) it appeared behind me so I didn't see it until I turned the camera angle. Then I saw this giant freakish monster coming straight for me and I'm like, "OHHHH MYYYYY GAWWWWDDD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!?!"

Even though it was just a test, that Chrome Dragon didn't seem like much of a challenge for our heroes. And is there even more than one Chrome Dragon? Or is it supposed to be the only one of its kind?

When Yoshi said, "Can't start the day without my coffee," I was wondering if that applies to the author as well. :p It's interesting because personally I don't drink coffee so it never occurs to me to have my characters drink coffee in my stories. lol[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Tests and Dragons:
[spoiler-box]Uh oh, boss fight~! I remember Chrome Dragon really freaked me out the first time I saw it, because A) I had no idea it existed, B) I happened to be playing the city mission by myself that time, and C) it appeared behind me so I didn't see it until I turned the camera angle. Then I saw this giant freakish monster coming straight for me and I'm like, "OHHHH MYYYYY GAWWWWDDD WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!?!"

Even though it was just a test, that Chrome Dragon didn't seem like much of a challenge for our heroes. And is there even more than one Chrome Dragon? Or is it supposed to be the only one of its kind?

When Yoshi said, "Can't start the day without my coffee," I was wondering if that applies to the author as well. :p It's interesting because personally I don't drink coffee so it never occurs to me to have my characters drink coffee in my stories. lol[/spoiler-box]

[SPOILER-BOX]I like my coffee, i'll drink any kind of roast or blend, but I can live without it as well. Which is different from Yoshi, as he not only treats it as his elixir of life, but also makes it one of his defining character traits, something he tries to share with Marean. Also, I believe Chrome gets the Luther treatment. There's the original, and then suddenly clones.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Chipper: Part VI -[SPOILER-BOX]
“Is it me or does the parking lot feel oddly empty?” Yoshi asked under his breath.

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/emqFR5nykBo)
Walking out of a lively and musical mall and into an enclosed parking lot complex, the teal hair human glanced around and observed the echoing environment surrounding him, partially looking for clues to find his car, partially listening to his gut feeling. Within the gray tile floors and lighter stone walls, several mosaic pillars lined up in rows, filling gaps between cars and lanes with a single white band covering each one. In turn, each of those bands was also painted over by a single colored band in between. Starting from green, teal, blue, and then purple, they would act as a convenient visual cues for Yoshi to remember. However, to him, something seemed off. As he listened for any signs of changes and abnormalities, he only found silence whispering back to him. Though every parking space had been filled, not a single shuttled moved, only a flickering light by a green floor one in the far off distance. With only the sounds of several vessels lifting off many floors above him, he found it odd that the vehicles on this floor were not doing the same and because of that, looked around in suspicion. Until his sudden pause caused Arethusa and Chipper to crash into him.
“Aw, I dropped my ice cream,” whined Chipper, looking down at a small pile of green slush on the floor. Pouting a little, mumbling in anger, Arethusa still enjoying her ice cream as she watched, Chipper tugged at her shirt and concluded, “Well, at least it didn’t get on my shirt.”
Both brown and blue eyes looked downwards to check their identical looking shirts. Mainly black, brown and lime green in color scheme, on them beheld the promotional art for the movie Go Booma and the Curse of the Pal Rappy, showing off Go Booma himself and the rest of the cast in a somewhat dramatic fashion. Though similar in appearance, both brand new and clean, Arethusa was the only one to leave her POW sticker on. A glittering sticker, gold in color, with Go Booma punching outward with a ring containing the shirt’s size letter.
“So,” began Chipper, peering over her left shoulder, “When are you going to take off that sticker?”
Eyes narrowed in return. Arethusa began to buff her sticker and raised her chin up in the air, replying, “I’m not going to take it off. You’re just jealous that I still have mine.”
“Oh yeah,” Chipper sarcastically replied. “Because when I need to punch someone in the face, I’m going to let Go Booma do it for me. Take the sticker off.”
Just as Yoshi turned and stepped on her fallen ice cream. After a few missed swipes, Arethusa hid behind her father and shouted, “The sticker isn’t coming off.”
“Alright, calm down you two,” Yoshi chuckled, petting Arethusa’s head and warmly smiling at the two, where his eyes shifted towards Chippers and locked onto hers. Staring into her wide blue eyes, he stretched out his arm and asked, “Chipper, did you want my ice cream? Don’t worry. I haven’t bitten into it yet.”
“But didn’t you want ice cream too, pops?” asked Chipper. Though she eagerly accepted the snack, she stared at her father with a gaze of slight regret and sorrow.
Seeing this, Yoshi quickly furrowed his brows, beamed down at her and said, reassuring her, “Don’t worry about it. I can just buy myself another one. Go ahead, enjoy.”
Chipper took a slow bite and looked down. “Thank you,” she said in a small voice, on the verge of tears. Though this looked strange to both Arethusa and Yoshi, rarely has anyone sacrificed something they had for her, and since it was an act by her father, the feelings were multiplied inside. Misunderstanding the situation, Yoshi immediately knelt down and attempted to comfort her.
“Well, well, well, look what we have here?” a gruff voice interrupted.
Out from behind the cars and exits, a group of human strangers, some with black scarved covered faces, some with smug expressions, walked outward and surround Yoshi and the girls, And leading the pack, a man in a fancy black pin suit. Stepping through the ring at a casual pace, he was the only one who stood face to face with Yoshiblue. “How unfortunate is it to catch you with your little girls but hey, you pissed us off and now you got to pay the price.”
“Yeah,” roared a few of the surrounding men. “Kill the ARKs trash.”
“Let us tear him to pieces.”
“Let’s take the girls after we’re done with him.”
“Yeah, we’ll show them what happens to those who join ARKs.”
The man held out his arms and twisted around to calm the men. “Now, now, business is business” he began. “But we wouldn’t want them to think of us as uncivilized people, now would we? Even if they became traitor to our race, we’re all the same after all, right? Just one diga brother standing in front his many other diga brothers.” As the man took a few steps closer, his hand in a pocket, the girls hugged closer to their father and Yoshi readied his casting arm. “That mission was supposed to be confidential, ARKs.” he continued, his footsteps growing heavier. “I don’t know how you got assigned to that mission, but because of you, a lot of my people died. Because of your interference, what was supposed to be a flawless mission, turned into a total disaster.”
“We lost good men because of you,” someone yelled in the background. “Kill him already.”
Yoshi didn’t respond. Instead, he chose silence, making sure his daughters were safe from any harm. As they stood there, several specks and particles of earth and sand attempted to erode at their skin. However, for some reason, the earth could never touch them. For some reason, it only glided around then, like water. Suddenly, tried of the stalemate, a handful of goons charged at Yoshi. Yelling and cursing their heads off, they charged and swung their weapons with nothing but deadly intentions and unrestrained desires in their heads, but before they could make any form of injury of any kind, a furious and scared Yoshi instinctively shot his arms out and unleashed his powers.
Arms stiffened and froze, legs halted and stayed place. In the next few minutes, everyone gawked as his would be attackers screamed their heads off and watched themselves slowly solidify into stone. Cries of fear and regret that halted once it reached their necks, where once their vocal cords were taken away, everything went dead silent and the crowd collectively backed away.
“He’s a Medusa,” sobbed one of the men, covering his eyes with one arm.
Unlike the others, he wasn’t fazed by what Yoshi did and said in a cool and calm manner, “So he is. Relax, you’re forgetting who it is I am.” In an attempt to rally his men, the leader spread his arms out again and leered at Yoshi, who broke the statues with a snap of his fingers. “Big mistake turning my boys into stone,” he said in a dark voice, where he then took out a single mech gun and pointed at the teal hair man. “An even bigger mistake using your trump card from the get-go. Try to neutralize our powers all you want, I break people like you for a living.”
“Sir,” a girl then shouted.
“What is it now? Can’t you see that i’m about to off this man?”
“I’m getting some strange readings in the area. I don’t think he came alone.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/fTMXH2fRZuI)
Just then, a sniper rifle went off, several people toppled over and a body within the crowd flew backwards. Startled and dazed, everyone looked around and fired weapons in all directions. Taking advantage of the situation, Yoshi went on the offensive and started to fight back. Starting with the closest goon on his left, Yoshi shot a spike of sabarta and kicked it deeper into his chest. Narrowly avoiding a sniper shoot in front of him, he hit a just as surprised human with a flaming hi kick and followed up with a zonde kick. And though Arethusa was about to join the fray, gunslash readied, just as prepared to kill a man as Yoshi was, Yoshi instead caught her hand and shook his head no, telling her not to she take Chipper to safety. As he then went back to fighting, he made sure they got away safely. Using a blade of zan to sever the arm of one man and his free arm to grab another closer to head butt him. After that the leader dropped kicked him in the back and start to kick him around on the floor. A sniper shot hit his arm and knocked him down. Just as Yoshi was about to cut off the head of their leader, a dropped sword in hand, Dimitri from out of the blue shouted,
“Don’t kill him. We still need him,” causing Yoshi stop in place and kick the diga man to the floor.
As their leader fell down, Yoshi kicking him in the shin, several newmens decloaked and entered into melee combat, expecting a good fight. As Yoshi watched the fight, still ducking a few blows himself, he noticed that each hair color has a different specialty. In combat, purple newmens broke and ripped apart their bodies. In the back, blue newmens singed their foes alive. Up front and along side him, white hair ones fought with extended blades from both their weapon and their bodies. Out in the back black newmens sniped any who tried to gain the upper hand. All of them eager to go into battle, the fight only lasted less than three minutes before all their foes were all killed. Occasionally a purple one would throw a routing human back in the fray, but with the fight over, and every single foe mutilated corpses on the floor, every single newmen lined up and allowed Dimitri to walk inside. As he did, Yoshi daughters walked in from behind and returned to their father’s side before him.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/8arzcq8R39k)
“I warned you, Bitol,” pointed the newmen. “You were going to be watched by more than just my people.” While he walked through the crowd, Yoshi noticed a serious look still about him face and the face a human girl following behind. The same one Yoshi met on the fallen ship. Stopping in front of him, Dimitri’s voice caught Yoshi attention as he then continued, “It appears that you received my letter however.”
“I did,” Yoshi replied, nodding in response. “Not sure how I feel about receiving threat letters.”
“Well you didn’t honestly expect me to hold on to all of them, did you?” smiled the white hair newmen. “Never the less, I must say, it’s not often I see a diga warrior kill his own kind so willingly. If I had known sooner, I’d had brought you along with me a long time ago.”
Unamused by the whole situation, Yoshi only glared, hoping to find answers and truths. Wondering what the girl was there for, he lifted an arm and pointed behind him the man. “I take it she’s the reason, you found me?”
“Yes and no,” pleasantly responded Dimitri, walking backwards and placing both hands on the girl’s shoulders. “While it’s true that she led the others to you, we tracked you through your mag, which you conveniently left inside your car.” Afterwards the girl bowed her head in shame and said, “I’m sorry,” expecting Yoshi to harm her in return. To her surprise however, Yoshi only stared and hummed in acknowledgement. “And before you ask, no, I did not assign you on that mission,” Dimitri continued, walking back around in front of the girl. “Someone else did, and I had to play clean up because of it. That said, you do your race a proud service and because of that, you are free to leave.”
“Does the girl have to be cuffed?” Yoshi asked with a serious tone of voice.
“They will be removed on our return. Until then, we will do what we must to keep our appearances. After all, this and your actions certainly haven’t gone unnoticed. And i’m sure others will start to question if I should keep you on a tighter leash because of them.”
“Sir,” a newmen reported. “He’s not the real one.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/hExMaB5eWlk)
Without saying a word, Dimitri nodded and waved the man. Seeing this, the newmen turned and nodded as well. In the next second, a hungry newmen made a spike of sabarta to crash into the diga leader’s skull. Unsatisfied with how deep it had gone, it was then rammed further inside by the pounding fist of a purple hair newmen. Once they were done, the leader was then placed into his own black bag and carried away like the rest.
“How unfortunate,” Dimitri remarked, without turning to face Yoshi again. “Well, human, it seems our business here is done. Until then, I hope you have a nice day.”


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Sacrificial]

really enjoying chipper's part so far(at V) atm

[yoshiblue]

- Chipper: Part VII -[SPOILER-BOX]
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be alright now.”

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/xJqRAv5plQI)
In the wake of their sorrow, Yoshi knelt down and hugged the two girls as tightly as he could. While Arethusa stared at her tear stained sister, all sort of thoughts and memories of the past flashed through her head. Reflecting on the newmen attack from before, she wondered how hard it must have hit her sister as she clung to her melted bullet warped ice cream. Understanding her pain, she looked for words of comfort and encouragement, but much to her dismay, none came to her aid.
Huddled in a small circle beside Yoshi’s Joivs II, Arethusa and Chipper cried and hugged one another, grieving over the event that had just unfolded. In the past, Chipper thought they were already used to bloodshed. However, never before had they revolved around fellow humans, where they could only stand idly by and watched people tear other people apart. Where by the time the newmens cleaned up the place and removed the bodies, the two couldn’t even look at the truck that carried them away bodies without feeling nauseous.
Tired of watching them cry, it was Yoshi that took the lead and attempted to comfort them. Starting with, “Listen,” and started rocking with them. “I know how you feel. That fact that people died today, in front of you two, it’s all wrong. It shouldn’t have happened. Chipper, look at me. If I knew how to go about it differently, if I knew how to prevent all of this, I would have. But there comes a time where we’re going to find ourselves placed in a situation that requires us to defend ourselves, and there will be times where we will be forced to do what we have to do to survive.”
Yoshi hugged his head against the two and slightly pushed himself away again. “Chipper, I’m here for you,” he said as he cupped Chipper’s chin. Lifting it until her tear flooded blue eyes looked into his, he warmly smiled and continued, “You’re strong, remember that. So strong that maybe one day, when you two are older, you will do better than I did. Until that day though, I want you two to promise me.” Yoshi glanced at a listening Arethusa and back at Chipper. “I want you two to promise me that you will only kill if the situation is dire. Don’t easily resort to murder like dumb old me, okay? You two are better than that, you got that?”
“Okay,” Arethusa sobbed.
“Do you two promise?”
“I promise,” confirmed Arethusa, who peeked towards a still crying Chipper.
“Chipper,” asked Yoshi, now ruffling Chipper’s hair.
“I…promise,” Chipper choked. Chipper began to cough when Yoshi hugged the two again.
While trying to comfort one another, a newman woman robed in tawny and cream walked in from behind and stopped by the rear end of the vehicle. Keeping a good distance between her and Yoshi, she tapped a wooden cane on the floor to grab their attention.
“Spoken like a true diga father,” an elderly voice started. “Always preparing for the next blood bath.”
Hearing this, Yoshi peeked over his shoulder, stood up and turned around, holding his daughters behind him in hopes of protecting them.
“Ease yourself, human. It is I who told Dimitri to let you go. I am not here for any more bloodshed. Tuhina would not have wanted that.”
“Tuhina?” Yoshi asked under his breath, causing Arethusa to stare at him with widen eyes. Placing a hand on his chin, he quietly pondered for moment and shook his head. Not wanting to think too deeply on it, he looked up and said with a pleasant yet still cautious tone of voice, “How can I help you?”
“Your partner machine, can she remove her gauntlet for me?”
Before gazing at Chipper, who looked up at him hand in hand, Yoshi stared down the newmen with a mixture of simultaneous trust and distrust. After a long while of reading her, he finally knelt down and whispered to his daughter. Briefly exchanging words with one another, Yoshi then placed himself between newmen and Chipper as she reluctantly took removed the gauntlet and showed off her discolored under arm. Dark skin glowing under faint ceiling light, various vines and lines trailed up her arm and throughout her body. Seen when Chipper exposed some of her shoulder, the newmen stood in silence and scanned the arm for a long while until eventually a human male, wearing the cathedral emblem around his neck, in a robe similar in color, approached. Once beside her, he too stopped and stared silently until the newmen woman finally turned to him, closed her eyes and shook her head. Nodding and grunting in response, he stepped aside and allowed her to pass. Once gone, the man pulled out a white card and handed it to Yoshi with hands on each end.
“Here,” said a deep gruff voice. “It seems she has a soft spot for you. If you are in need of any of her services, you can find her here. Though the other newmens may reject to this, I feel you have earned this right. You will do well not to disappoint her.”
Yoshi slowly took the card and continued staring.
Now free of anything else to say, the man walked away and finished, “Light be with you, always.”
He placed the card in a pocket and helped Chipper replace her gauntlet. A doctor, said Yoshi in his head as he helped Chipper into the car. Taking his place on the driver’s side, he then started the car, back out of the parking space and soon found himself being escorted out by several mark vehicles until he had left the city and entered the road heading home. Forgetting that the newmens already knew where Sia lived, Yoshi decided that he should go to his home in belief that he would be helping the entire time.
“Dad?” asked Arethusa during the drive. “How do you deal with killing other people so well?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Yoshi replied, keeping his eyes on the road.
“I want to know too,” ringed in Chipper.
“Dad, we want to know.”
Thinking to himself, eyes darted around looking for a good way to word things. After finding something to say, he exhaled deeply and began, “Once you learn how to dehumanize a person, they become much easier to kill. After a while, you begin to stop seeing people as people and start to see them as mere objects. But don’t worry about though, you’re not going to kill anyone.”
“We’re ARKs, you big dummy,” Arethusa retorted. “Killing things is what we do.”
“Yeah, well maybe I don’t like you being with ARKs. You’re still a child. You shouldn’t have to kill anything.”
“So you would rather us be like those helpless pretty girls that do nothing but tend to their precious nails and hair all day?” whined Arethusa.
“According to the lady, I don’t think we really have a choice anyways,” moaned Chipper.
“Enough,” Yoshi lightly commanded.
“No, not enough,” screamed Arethusa. “You think I’ll-.”
In a show of power, Yoshi broke a few select parts. “I said enough,” he busted out. The car rattled and lost power for a moment. A spark bounced off the dashboard and the girls instantly zipped their mouths. “Let’s…let’s just talk about something else, alright?”
“I just think-,”
“I said I don’t want to hear about it!”
Arethusa flinched. Chipper started crying again, almost causing Arethusa to do the same. Hearing this, Yoshi wrapped his free arm around Chipper and started rocking with her.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/Sg8Gywp4jlM)
In the calmest voice he could possibly muster, Yoshi tried the ease the tension by saying, “Look, I’m not mad at you. In fact, I’m very proud of both of you. I just wish… that we didn’t have to talk about any of this.”
Out of the highway, onto the streets, the Jovis II sunk lower and lower until it reached the street floor and into a parking lot tower by his home. Once finding a spot to land in, he turned off the vehicle and quietly sat there for a moment.
“Look,” said Arethusa, pointing out the window. “They’re here too.”
Surprising to the trio, waiting outside the car was a smiling Sia and a cross-armed Shiomi, both who seem to have been expecting him.
“I’m starting to feel a bit light headed, Frosty. You got anything for that?” Chipper whispered to Arethusa.
“Go ahead and ask Sia or Yaeko if they have anything for her, Arethusa. I’ll sit with her until then.”
“Alright,” replied Arethusa as she hopped out of the car.
After shutting the door behind her, Chipper slumped against Yoshi and said, “Hey pops. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, what is it?” Yoshi asked, looking past his steering wheel grasping right arm.
“If you were to give me a name, what would it be?”
“Huh? Oh?” Yoshi placed his left hand on his chin and glimpsed up at the ceiling. “Well, let’s see. Considering Arethusa’s name origin…I would name you…Cyane.”
“Cyane,” said Chipper softly. Afterwards she grabbed onto his arm and hugged it. “Hey, hey…”
“Hmm?” Yoshi hummed.
“I love you, dad,” she smiled.
Yoshi immediately look down and said, “Hey now, let’s not get too…,” before seeing an arm slump onto the seat and her eyes close. “Chipper?” he said with worry. Afterwards he grabbed her shoulder and patted at her face. “Let get to the apartment first so you can sleep, okay?” Chipper didn’t move. With no reaction coming from her, Yoshi checked her pulse, a sharp sting of fear gripped his heart and a tear streamed down his cheek. Taking out the card, he quickly started the car and drove away, leaving two confused people behind in the garage.

Chipper peacefully passed on that night.

(Optional End Title) (https://youtu.be/9aHQnDTd1y4)
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Filler / Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Loved the way you started this one with the description of the coffee attacking Arethusa's mouth. That's how I felt the one and only time I tried coffee. On a side note, isn't Arethusa a support partner? Since when do they need to drink? And since when do they need caffeine?

Did you give her the name Arethusa so it wouldn't be as confusing during these Marean & Marean scenes? :lol:

Really... hate... Leanna...

So the guy who's in love with Yvonna is a nameless, faceless nobody? That was pretty random, I have to say! I wonder how he knew her in the first place? Clearly he didn't just spot her on the street, since he knew the rumor about her and Yoshi dating.

Your third filler brings up an interesting question. Namely, how big exactly is a campship? I always imagined them to be fairly small, with a pilot's cabin, maybe a couple sleeping cabins and storage compartments, plus the big room with the portal you always see at the start of a mission in-game. I wasn't picturing a lounge filled with couches like you described.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Nah, it was ironically a planned thing. Arethusa is a human clone baby born under the Marean program, a warped version of the Marian Reforms, and Yoshi and Tuhina so happened to be raising their actual daughter. That said, i'm pretty sure most parents wouldn't settle with a name given to their child by a government. Also, all the partner machines that were with Arethusa when Elder and Kazamir showed up were actual clone children as well and were either named Marean or Marian, depending on gender. Telling you what the purpose of the program is for would be spoilers though.

The faceless nobody is just a mook serving under her brother.

A lot of the space used in the campship is still unknown to me. However I would imagine that any extra area would be found under the ships or in the disk up top. In this case, the lounge would be either be found way in the back of the ship or in that disk.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Are They True Replicas?:
[spoiler-box]The title of this chapter was a bit of a spoiler in itself. xD I mean, I knew right away that the Arron clone was a clone. If I hadn't read the title it might have been more of a shock.

I didn't realize that clones were such common things in the PSO2 world. Yoshi certainly wasn't surprised by them! I considered writing them into my story but didn't know enough about them to do it.

Is that true what you said about Techniques preventing the Dragonkin's cycle of rebirth? I had no idea! :o

My favorite scene was the one in the campship. The writing and sense of atmosphere you conveyed were good.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Stukasa:[SPOILER-BOX]Well it wasn't the fact that Yoshi wasn't surprised by the clone. Its just that he's semi use to threats randomly showing up. Doesn't mean he knows how to properly react all the time though. And nah, the dragon cycle technique stuff is just my plot nonsense going to work. As far as I know, the only way you could hurt their rebirth is if you broke the things that housed their souls. Clones in my story also mainly appear when Elder is around or aware of people's presence.[SPOILER-BOX]Clones in PSO2 are still kind of tricky because i'm not sure if both Elder and Double can freely clone people. And if Elder can clone people, he seems to be only be able to do it in the Den. This is because you only get a clone when you are denned during TAs(Time attacks) and is mostly seen when Melphonsia, the girl that travels with Gettenhart, has to fight several copies of herself inside the Den during a story mission. Outside of that, the only other clones story wise are most of the Counsel of the Six, where most of them are clones of heroes, of a by gone age. Double clones people by eating them. Luther has facilities I think. Not sure what Elder has. [/SPOILER-BOX][/SPOILER-BOX]


- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional music) (https://youtu.be/09BYP0a-6oI)
Birds scattered in all directions. Chunks of bark flew throughout the air. A large gust of wind caused burning leaves to flutter and spin. Under the high noon sun and clouds, a large looming tower exploded nearby a large forest tree. Now nothing more than a melted pile of ooze, being made of a metal of low melting point, a lone girl celebrated and stabbed the very thing that destroyed it into the mush ground. As she leaned all her weight onto it and posed, a wild Rappy emerged from a nearby bush and stretched. Noticing her pose and cheers, it felt compelled to waddled next to her and celebrate with her. Looking from the peppy Yoshi to what was in front of her, the Rappy noticed more people approaching and sleepily waved at them.
“Woo, mission completed,” cheered Yoshiblue, also smiling and waving at the newcomers.
“Couldn’t you have just chopped down the tree like a normal person?” complained an approaching white hair newmen in a monotonous tone of voice.
Walking towards Yoshiblue was her best friend, Kreszentia, a newmen of white hair and formal dressing. Although grace and beauty was her motto, with her easily spun a large oversized black and yellow axe which she slung over her shoulder. Beyond the permanent bored expression and yellow tinted winds, her second best friend could be seen, Kazamir. Compared to Kreszentia, he is much smaller. So much so that even Yoshi outgrew him. A human of black hair and matching ranger jacket, unlike Kreszentia he also carried a launcher with him. However, unlike Yoshi’s black and purple launcher, Kazamir’s had a wine red color scheme and didn’t look like a heart.
“So what took you two so long? I must have waited hours for you two to arrive.” said Yoshi, pretending to yawn while examining Kazamir’s weapon.
“First of all,” began Kreszentia. “It has only been ten minutes, so stop your whining. Second of all, Kazman here had problems getting his launcher to work. So I stayed behind to help him.”
“Hey, it’s not my fault I’m not allowed to own any guns,” cried Kazamir. Afterwards he set the launcher down by the Rappy and lifted up a few flaps. “And besides,” he continued. “This thing has so many features. How am I supposed to know how to use all of them?”
“Didn’t you pay attention to class for that?” asked Kreszentia is an almost irritated pitch.
Kazamir rested his head on his weapon. “Dad wouldn’t let me take the Ranger courses.”
“And here you are training as a Ranger. Lovely.”
“So what is it and where did you get that thing anyways?” pointed Yoshi with eyebrows raised.
“It’s a Saint Kilda. Your dad got it for me. He said that if I was going to use a launcher I may as well start with something flexible and easy to use.” After that Kazamir looked towards his rested gun and began scratching at his head. “But I got to say,” he continued. “This thing has me stumped. So, what did your dad get you, Yoshi?”
“Oh me?” ask Yoshi, pointing a finger at herself. “He gave me a Love Passion,” she replied, waving her hands around it in a show off like manner.
“A bit dangerous to give your daughter such a weapon don’t you think,” remarked Kreszantia. “Surely he must more intelligent than that.”
Yoshi held both palms out towards her two friends and replied, “Okay, okay, this is how it happened.” In the best imitation she could do of her dad, she created a fake heroic smile and said, “Sweetie, since it is your birthday, your mother and I have been doing some talking. What is it dad?” Yoshi then asked with large eyes and clasped hands.
Kazamir sat down next to the Rappy and whispered to it, “Oh boy, here we go.” Lightly arming the bird in the side, the Rappy looked inbetween the two with much enthusiasm.
“Now I know you have been asking for a launcher for some time now, so, since it is your birthday, I decided to get you this.” After that Yoshi whipped out an imaginary package and pretended to open it. “Wow dad, a launcher? For me?” she exclaimed, both hands on her cheeks. “Is this really mine?” Yoshi recovered her heroic face and continued, “Well, your mother was totally against it but I got you something anyways.”
“Your dad got you a launcher even though your mother said no. Are you serious?” asked Kreszentia with a cocked brow.
“You’re just mad that my dad is way cooler than yours.”
Kreszentia stabbed her axe into the ground and wrapped her hands over the pommel. “I’ll have you know that my father will buy me anything I ask for.”
“Way cooler than yours,” Yoshi repeated.
“I could get a launcher too.”
“Way cooler!”
“Careful Yoshi,” interrupted Kazamir, now passing a small thermos cup to the Rappy. “I don’t want to see what she looks like when she snaps.”
Kreszentia took a deep breath. “Don’t worry, Kaz,” she coldly exhaled. “Her words hardly mean much when all she does is fly onto her butt all day.”
“I do not,” screamed Yoshi. “I’m totally capable of using this launcher. See, watch me in action and be amazed.”
Immediately, Yoshi got on her feet and fired a random shot. Due to poor footing and the strength of the blast, she launched backwards and landed on her rear. Thanks to the slippery floor, she then slid across the floor until her back hit the metal tower behind her. Now next to the Rappy, the yellow bird pattered her shoulder, picked up the up and continued drinking.
“Nailed it,” Yoshi winced.
Kreszentia held her chin high and replied, “So I am told.”
Yoshi got onto her feet and raised the love passion again. “Oh yeah,” she shouted. “If you’re so good, let’s see you try it then.”
Without hesitation, Kreszentia took the launcher and nodded. Dropping into a combat stance, she aimed the launcher towards an area with the emptiest space and braced herself for the knock back. But before she pulled the trigger, she noticed a few particles of dirt shift around in an odd manner. As the specks moved about, they gather around her hand and finally stopped. Shrugging it off as a magnetic launcher trait, she once again aimed at her target and fired.
The launcher lifted upwards. A purple glow could be seen. Due to the power of the launcher, the newmen girl flew through the air and gripped hard onto the launcher. After a quick high pitch shriek, which made Kazamir burst into a fit of laughter, a man in a long coat suddenly appeared and caught the newmen girl in mid flight with one arm.
“Dad?” cried Yoshi.

(*optional theme of Yoshiblue's father*) (https://youtu.be/FQXtSjiHCRg)
Yoshi started patting the dirt of her rear. Yoshi’s father gently placed Kreszentia back on her feet and kicked up the fallen launcher like he would a hover board.
“Don’t ask why I did that. Truth be told, I suck at air boarding. Anyways, are you alright?” he asked, picking a leaf out of the newmen’s hair.
Kreszentia bowed and backed away. “I am quite alright. Thank you, Mr. Xol.”
Afterwards, her father then looked towards Yoshi and crossed his arms. “So, what’s going on?”
“Heh, well you see,” Yoshi blushed.
“Uh huh.”
“Kreszentia made fun of me, so I made her shoot the launcher so she could feel my pain.”
“So the launcher is too much for you to handle.”
Yoshi’s eyes widened. “No, no, I didn’t mean that,” she panicked.
“Kreszentia’s mother is going to rip my head off is she gets hurt in anyway. You know that right?”
“My mother always underestimates my abilities. I will be okay,” Kreszentia butted in.
Yoshi’s father examined the love passion and looked towards the newmen. “So what made you shoot this thing anyways? I thought you followed the braver ways?”
Kreszantia looked towards the floor and weakly said, “I did not own a launcher of my own.”
Yoshi’s father looked to the sky and chuckled. “Can’t say I blame you,” he smiled. “Your father was always more of a rifle man. Lucky for you, I anticipated something like this would happen.” The man snapped his fingers and summoned a white launcher covered in blue neon lines. “Might be it bit powerful for you but it should match the white color scheme you got going on. It’s a Blanc Grenade, take it.”
Kreszentia began to tear up. “Thank you,” she whimpered.
“Oh boy,” said the man quickly. After that he quickly spread his arms out and said, “Alright, for the record, this never happened.”
“Why, what going on?” asked Kazamir, looking around in confusion. The Rappy did so as well.
“Last time Kreszentia showed any emotion,” said Yoshi with a lopsided hand and head. “Her mother kneed dad in the ribs and broke a pot on him. Took mom and her father to hold her back she wouldn’t break anything else in the house. Needless to say, mom got pretty pissed after that and that’s why we don’t do family dinners anymore.”
Throughout the story Kazamir cringed and looked at the Rappy sitting next to him. As the Rappy listened, it tapped its wings together like a fist landing on an open hand.
“Right,” said Kazamir slowly, looking back at Yoshi.
“Yeah, can confirm the tower no longer functions,” said Yoshi’s father in the background. “Oh, there’s more? Right, I’ll let them know right away. Oh? Right. I’ll be there shortly, thank you. Uh huh, yes. Thank you.”
“What’s up, dad?” asked Yoshi.
“Alright, break time is over,” he clapped. “You three just got a new list of things to do. You all know where to find it. Also, we need to have a talk after this,” her father pointed.
“Think he found out?” whispered Kazamir as Yoshi’s father walked away.
Yoshi grabbed Kazamir by the shoulder and drew him near. “Hey, someone had to catch that criminal,” she whispered back. “Lillipan or not, I’m pretty sure they can deal with a few broken shopping stalls.”
“And you thought doing our Naberius training missions would keep him from finding out,” said Kreszentia, wiping a tear off her cheek and examining the launcher’s settings. “We never speak of this again, you hear me?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kazamir waved off. “Just don’t make fun of me and the launcher and we’ll be fine.”
Kreszentia took out a small handgun like device and started embedding her name into it. “You forget who the one who really mocked you was.”
Yoshi raised her hand in the air. “Hey don’t look at me,” she replied. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“You can’t rely on luck all the time, Yoshi. One of these days, it’s going to smack you in a face.”
“Let me guess, you’re going to say that I’ll know who my true friends are by then.”
Kazamir rubbed his leg and softly added, “Well, we did all fight that scary Trasmizer together. So I’d say we’re pretty good friends. Though for a force Yoshi, you sure don’t heal enough.”
“Stop getting hit then. I’m a force, not a doctor. Anyways, Kreszentia, what’s the next objective?”
Kreszentia didn’t hear her. Her attention had been snagged by something else inside the forest.
“Hey, newearl girl,” Yoshi yelled

[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Interesting Time to Have A Reunion / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Yoshi doesn't like ice cubes? I *love* ice cubes! Ice cubes are the greatest! Who doesn't love a cold drink on a hot day? WEIRDOS, that's who.

Yoshi is SO laid back. I mean, his daughter shows up after who knows how long and he's just like, "Oh hey, it's you." (not literally, but that's the gist of it)

Probably a bad idea letting Marean borrow the credit card...

Ohhhh, Tuhina is a Darker? Things are starting to make slightly more sense now. Though how that would happen in the first place is a mystery to me. (Don't spoil it if it's a spoiler~)

How did Yoshi not know his own daughter's name? Father of the Year award right there! :lol:

Hey! We used the same song ("Cathedral" from Road to Perdition). I love Thomas Newman's stuff, as you might have guessed since I've used several of his songs in my stories. Also, he has a very Phantasy Star-appropriate name. Thomas NEWMAN. :grin:[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Stukasa:[SPOILER-BOX]Originally it was because he had too much iron until I learned that having more iron than usual was actually a bad thing. So there's that. As for Arethusa's name, in order it was created by Tuhina during their stay in seabed, then told to Marean after she got back, then told to Yoshi by Tuhina on Lillipa and then repeated to Yoshi a few hours later by Arethusa herself. And yeah, Thomas Newmen's name was pretty amusing for a PS story.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Another Mind Witch -[SPOILER-BOX]
The next morning Yoshi found himself sitting alone in the dark on a beige couch. Empty mug in hand, white, not even a logo etched on it, it managed a glow in the near lightless darkness that made up the room he sat in. With silence as his company, he looked towards the floor the entire time and quietly stared, never blinking, never uttering a sound. He still hasn’t gone over the events of yesterday. The day Cyane silently passed away.
As soon as he entered the hospital recommended to him by the priest, he was immediately redirected by staff expecting him. Stuck in a room away from his daughter and with the newmen woman from before, it was then that he was told everything. About the purpose of the Marian Project and the ideas that revolved around it. About the sixteen illegitimate children they have created and how they could only confirm that fourteen of them are now deceased. In this time frame, he also learned the current status of the Medusa linage and their near extinction. What Tuhina’s, a woman he didn’t know, involvement in the project was and how it affect the now. Eventually, after hours of stalling, she broke the news to him and caused an outrage. By the end of it all, the only way they could get him to leave was until they promised to place her next to her mother.
Now back at Sia’s home, it took Sia’s very presence to derail him from his loophole of despair and hopelessness. Turning on the light as soon as she entered, she stared at the sleepless man as he pondered into empty space.
“You people,” she groaned, placing a hand over her face. “First Arethusa stares at the mirror all evening and now I find that you’ve been sitting on my couch all night.”
When she uncovered her face, she noticed that Yoshi hadn’t blinked or budged at all.
“It’s been six hour, Bitol, six. Get some rest. It might do you some good.”
Hearing this, Yoshi’s shoulders dropped and tears began to build up in his eyes.

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/Kt4l9HOMVjE)
“Oh boy,” she sighed. Closing the door behind her, she walked over towards the human and took a seat beside him. Unsure on how to comfort him, she glanced around the room with hands clasped over her lap. “Quit being such a big baby,” she began. “I thought people died around you all the time.” After that she frowned and leaned backwards after realizing something. “Oh yeah,” she said to herself. “You only cared for a few of those bast-e-eh-um boneheads. Right then,” she continued, slapping her legs and leaning forward. “Since I’m such a nice person, and because I can’t stand seeing you like this, I’m going to help you out. So… let’s start with Chipper. Tell me about her. What was she like?” she asked, trying to give a sniffling Yoshi the most sincere smile she possibly could.
Yoshi wiped his face and peered over his arm before saying anything. After taking some time to think and a deep breath, he started, “Light in tone, eyes like sparkling sapphires; she was aggressive and assertive, more so than Arethusa. She was willing to get things done, even if it meant breaking the rules.”
“Oh?” Sia hummed. “Sounds a bit like someone I know.”
Yoshi closed his eyes and placed his mug on the glass table in front of him. “How I didn’t notice the signs. I don’t know. I’m such a failure.” he replied, covering his face with his hands. “I wish I more like her. Maybe if I was like her I could have done something. Maybe I wouldn’t have been so stupid and would have noticed. I could have saved her.”
“Okay, stop,” Sia demanded. “What’s done is done. I know how you feel but you’re asking for the impossible. Even if you could have done something about her condition, it was already too late. It was in its final stages.”
“Maybe if I read-”
“Books wouldn’t have cut it, Bitol. Life happens and it sucks, I know. I dealt with it before. You can be the most talented person in the world, but we all have to face the facts, that situations beyond our control will occur and there is nothing we can do about it.”
Yoshi started to point at himself. “I could have saved her,” he said in anger. “I know I could have.”
Sia gripped Yoshi by the shoulders and violently shook him twice. “Listen Bitol,” she almost yelled. “You did all you could. You’ve already given her everything she ever wanted; a name, an identity and a father. When she passed on, she passed on with a smile, Bitol. You gave her a family, a warm and loving environment. You did all you could have done for her.”
Suddenly Yoshi shot up. He started to breathe heavily and balled his hands in rage. “I got to find her,” he growled.
“Find who,” asked a surprised Sia.
“Tuhina,” Yoshi responded. “I don’t know who she is, but I got to find her, I’m make her pay for what she’s done.”
“Don’t know-Bitol, she used to be your fiancé.”
“What?” Yoshi asked in shock.
“Yeah, that’s right. You can’t seriously tell me that you’ve already forgotten about her.”
“How can I get married to someone I’ve never even seen or talk to before?”
After that, Sia started pointing at the man and replied, “Bitol, you better not be fucking lying to me.”
“I’m not,” Yoshi said in an extremely serious tone of voice.
“Damn it,” Sia cried out, slamming the arm rest of the couch in the process. Realizing her action, she immediately recomposed herself and said with embarrassment, “Okay, okay, Bitol, sit down.” After saying that, she grabbed Yoshi by the wristed and gently pulled him down next to her. “For now, let’s forget about Tuhina. Before I go to make sure I didn’t leave the stove on, I want you to go and talk to your daughter, alright? She needs you right now.”
“I eh-sure,” said Yoshi with confusion written on his face.
“You’re going to talk with her?”
“Yes, I’ll go talk to her.”
“Good. We’ll continue this conversation later, okay? Now I-I got to go,” Sia said before getting up to leave, but before she could go anywhere, Yoshi now grabbed her arm and held her back.
“Sia, wait,” he said quickly.
“I have to go.”
“I just wanted to say, thank you.”
“Thank you?” asked a blushing newmen.
“Oh great and mighty Sia,” Yoshi replied.
“I am going to hit you if you keep it up. I didn’t mean thank you like that,” spat Sia by accident. Realizing what she said she then yanked her arm away from Yoshi and sped away into another room as fast as she could. Once she left the living and entering the kitchen, she then stormed towards the stove and slammed her fists upon it.
“Fuck you, Neo,” she cried in a hushed voice. “Why did you have to go and do this? Oh, now I’m using dumb lies like him.” On the verge of tears as well, her reflection on the clock caused her to glace up and recover. In an attempt to regain her lofty demeanor, she glided her hands through her hair and said to herself, “Okay, relax. Deep breathes.” She breath in and out and while she did, a screen popped up out of thin air. Slightly larger than a soda can, Sia filtered through a list of contacts until stopping at a picture of a green hair girl. After that a call was started and soon picked up.
“Neo,” Sia said with frustration in her voice.
“Sis, do you know what time it is right now?” a groggy voice asked.
“You better not go anywhere, because- because I-”
“Yeah, yeah,” Neona interrupted. “You’re not going to like the news when you get here though. I’ll see you in a few hours, okay? Buh-bye.”
Just like that, a faint beep played and the screen vanished into blue dust. As if already knowing what was on her sister’s mind, Neo simply waved and sleepily ended the call. Though a little confused at what had happened, Sia nodded and mentally prepared for what was to come. A few hours later, she would then find herself standing in front of her sister’s home ringing a door bell, a normal doorbell to a normal door in a normal hallway. Much to her surprise, Neo answered the door right away.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/db79v-2qLCI)
“Hey sis,” Neona said in an indifferent tone of voice. “Come on in.” Afterwards, Neona swung her arm through the air and turned sideways, allowing her sister entry inside a jungle like zone.
A cold wind blew out of the room. Various smells invaded the hall. Filled with all sort of strange and unknown animals sounds, cool breeze and the sway of so much plant life, she felt like an alien isolated on an undiscovered planet. No more did the stain glass windows from before line the walls. Now more were the wall that used to make up her sister’s home. Instead, they became thick tall trees covered by ridiculously large and broad tree leaves. So large that they barely allow sunlight to pass on though and cover large clearings of earth and their dirt trails. One such trail being the ideal path to the chapel hall, now turned into a road leading towards a small shack on a distant hill side. Between the vanishing door and the shake, several flower beds and various brush life filled in the landscape and brought it to life. On the rocks, red bulbous flora painted their moss. Yellow, purple and blue flowers danced with the grass. In a sense, the jungle hardly seemed like a normal jungle at all. Or at least, it wasn’t the kind of jungles Sia was used to seeing.
“Welcome to Sulitarum,” said Neona as she led the way down a path. “It’s a jungle on a planet whose name eludes me. Or maybe that’s really the name of the planet, who knows? Mind the birds by the way. Sometimes they like to throw fruits and nuts at you from time to time, normally around noon.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Sia, cautiously looking around the area. “So, what do you intend to tell me?”
“Well first of all, I want to say that it isn’t me who’s doing it. Remember when I said someone else was involved?” asked Neona, tugging on her sister so she would take the left branch of her walkway.
“Yeah,” said Sia as she was redirected to a picnic bench.
“Well who ever that person is stepped up their movement. There’s been an increase of memory manipulation and I fear the damage may be seeping into the other ones. One moment you’re you, the next you’re a janitor he met some few months ago. Because of that, I now have to keep an entire backup of his mind, which was surprisingly easier to achieve than I originally thought.”
Sia rested her elbows on a wooden table and stared at her sister. “You can do that?” she asked with a hint of skepticism.
“Oh yeah, totally,” said Neona, throwing a leg over the bench on the other side. “Only issue is that I will be experiencing random moments of his past against my will. It’s a very interesting experience really. Doesn’t help me understand anything better though than I do now. Though, which by the way, actually brings me to another thing I wanted to talk to you about.”
“And what would that be?”
“Brace yourself because this is going to be one heck of a ride,” Neona smiled.
In an instant, the world went black. All noise and light muffled and muted in union. After a few seconds of silence, the cries of a child filled the room, forcing Sia to plug her ears and shout,
“Why am I listening to a crying baby and why can’t I block it out?”
After that a voice boom in from out of nowhere, saying in a motherly tone, “There, there, grandmother’s got you. Sh sh shh, it’s okay child.”
Suddenly everything muted again and the jungle world bled back into existence.
“Man, you do not know how exhausting that is,” said a blurry and panting Neona. After a moment of silence, she continued, “Anyways, do you recognize the voice?”
“That was Leanna,” said Sia in a mix of nearly bound frustration and newfound curiosity.
Regaining some energy, Neona propped herself back up and glanced at her sister. “After seeing that, that’s when I learned that grandma’s involvement wasn’t by coincidence. Bitol was born on another ship and then brought to an Arks friendly environment, away from the crime and dark tainted one he was born in.”
“What does this have to do with Tuhina, or anything?”
“Naturally, I grew curious and paid her a visit. And then I got this.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/SPEIs2EUoMA)
Once again the world became dark. Only instead of staying an endless void, it instead became a hospital room with a sleeping woman sitting by herself on what looked like an older medical bed. An odd budget kind of bed that seemed very out of place from the kinds they used today. Where in Sia’s time, the beds no longer used ivs and separate heartbeat machines. With today’s beds, the machine came built in and a constant glow on the mattress would not only check up on the occupant every second, but also heal any open wounds, clean them and even nourish them with enhanced photon technology. But this woman didn’t have that kind of bed install, and in the next moment a newmen woman of green hair, dressed in a doctor’s attire, strolled inside. As the corridor light touched the woman’s face, it woke her up and caused her to glare at the doctor.
“Hi there,” whisper a slightly younger looking Leanna, wiggling a few fingers at the woman.
“The hell do you want?” the woman rudely asked. “Can’t you see I’m trying to sleep here?”
“Yes, sorry about that,” replied Leanna, locking the door behind her. “I just wanted to see how you were doing and congratulate you on your newborn child.”
“Alright, you said it. Now go.”
“Sadly, there’s just one more thing I need to tell you,” Leanna said, as she strolled around the woman’s bed and injected a strange fluid into her iv. Once done, she then leaned closer to the woman and grinned a grim smile. “I really wanted to strangle you to death but sadly for me, this is the safer option. There’s no room for whores in my family portrait.”
“What did you do?” shouted the woman in fear. “Help,” she cried out.
“Don’t bother calling anyone. I already disabled it,” Leanna sang.
“Help!”
Without looking back, Leanna then placed on a wig, applied some makeup and unlocked the door. Once she had left and the door closed shut, all color melted away and allowed the jungle to return in its place once more. As the world restored itself, Neona once again laid on top of the table, exhausted and a little pale this time.
“Would you stop doing that?” asked a dazed Sia.
“It’s a new technique I learned recently. I don’t know how I did but I can. It’s…very one sided. I can’t actually be in the vision with you,” she panted.
“What do you mean, you don’t know how? How do you learn something new and just don’t know?”
“I think who ever may be messing with Yoshi’s mind; I think he, she or whoever it is knows I exist. Why they would teach me something rather than eliminate me, I don’t know though. Whatever the reason may be, I just wanted to tell you not to worry about your mind. It’s safe for the time being. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do.”
“And Tuhina?”
“Nothing I can do. Every time I put a memory back, it vanishes that same instant. Every time I fix something, it goes back to the deform state I found it in, and it’s not like I can just track the person. That’s like asking me to find my soul mate. It’s not easy to achieve or all that simple, but I’m working on it.”
[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Searching For The Hidden Truths -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/wLQCrTgPBLk)
“Every time I walk in here now, I see you sitting there reading that book. Every time. I think it’s time to get up and do something for a change,” preached Sia, leaning against an open doorway.
“Doing anything else won’t help me learn anything,” Yoshi plainly replied, eyes glued to a paperback book in his hands.
For the past few days, Yoshi has been sitting in Sia’s living room reading several books on a variety of topics. The current book of the week being Entry Level Readings: Biology. Having just finished reading a book on genetics, he naively turned to this book in hopes of finding something that could help work out Arethusa’s potential problem, if she had a problem. Being just one of the many found lying on top of a glass and wood coffee table, his dedication to learning has caused him to talk to very few people. He now spends less time with others and more time by himself, learning anything he could, much to Sia’s dismay. Thus, in an effort to get him away from his quest for knowledge, Sia sighed and decided she should take a seat so she could work things out with him.
“Yoshi,” she said in a gentle voice as she moved aside a cushion. “Have you considered taking Arethusa to a museum or a park? You know, to take her mind off of everything?”
“I’ve been considering it,” Yoshi dully replied, still locked onto his book.
“Would you put down the book and listen? She doesn’t need a hero right now, Bitol. She needs a father. She needs you.”
“What good is a father who can’t defend his own family?”
Sia leaned forward in hopes that her gaze would catch his attention. “A good father would seek help. You know… a professional.”
Yoshi snapped the book shut and removed his glasses. “Sia,” he said before pausing. “This is Arethusa we’re talking about. You know I can’t just take her to a doctor, same with you as well. I may know of one but I certainly don’t trust him with you or I certainly don’t trust him with her.”
“What do you mean? I can protect myself you know.”
“Be as that may, I also promised you as well.” Yoshi turned and looked Sia dead in the eyes. “I intend to keep that promise,” he finished.
Out of nowhere, Sia slapped at Yoshi chest and screamed, “Stop that. Would you stop acting this way?” Yoshi blankly stared in response, taking three blows without flinching. “You’re not a demigod or a miracle worker, Bitol. You’re just a person. Stop wasting your time on things you can’t change and focus on the more important things in life. Or…or I’m going to do something really mean.”
“I am focusing,” Yoshi growled, lifting from his seat. “If you need me, I’ll be studying elsewhere. It’s hard to read anything with someone constantly laughing in the background all the time.”
“Laughing?” Sia whispered as the human walked away.
But before he could get very far, an alarm ringed in the air prompting Yoshi to tap at his ear. “Yoshi here,” he said in a serious tone of voice.
“Yoshi,” said a distant Yvonna. “Are you busy? You’re needed for a mission. Don’t worry about the ship. Just meet up at the gateway for a trip to Lillipa.”
“Anything I need to know, commander?”
There was a short pause before Yvonna answered. Starting slowly, as if unsure how to respond, she replied, “The Lillipans have requested for ARKS to defend one of their villages. However, they didn’t want just anyone. They requested you and you alone.”
“Right, I’ll be there momentarily. Mag man, unlatch yourself from the B-01 and meet me at the gateway lobby, Yoshiblue out.” After that, Yoshi lowered his arm and twisted until he could look at the black hair newearal behind him. “Well, duty calls. I’m going to talk to Arethusa before I go, alright? I’ll see you later.”
Just when he began to walk away, he suddenly paused and lifted a finger. “Oh,” he said with unenthusiasm, taking a step backwards. With a snap of his fingers summoned in the air a katana. With sheath in hand, he calmly laid it onto the table and smiled at Sia, saying, “Here, I got this for you.” Not bother to see her reactions, he immediately twisted back around and left the room. Sia only glanced at the katana and waited until he left. Once gone and the maroon door sealed shut, she then slapped it away and cried,
“Katana, katana, katana- it’s always katanas with him. Why does he always have to give me one? I have enough of my own as it is. Maybe I want something else for a change. Has that ever crossed his damn mind, huh? Can you not give me anything else?”
Taking moment to look at it, Sia rose to pick it up while Yoshi roamed about upstairs by Arethusa’s room. Once there, Yoshi entered inside to see Arethusa dangle her keychain in front of her eyes. Upon seeing this, Yoshi closed his own and thought to himself for a moment. This must have been how Sia felt seeing him on the couch earlier, he thought to himself. What to do. What to do. Father, fatherly; what would a father say at a time like this? Taking a deep breath, he walked inside and sat next to the wondering blue hair girl. “Am I really just going to wing it?” his mind asked.
Doing his best not to hesistate, he hugged his daughter and warmly began, “Arethusa, I’m going out on a mission, okay? I’ll be back soon.” Arethusa, didn’t budge. She only kept staring at her trinket. “Until then, I want you to enjoy yourself and maybe spend some time with Sia. If you get hungry, try bugging her, maybe I’ll get her off her rear and make something for you, okay?” he chuckled, rubbing his daughter’s hair. Uttering a halfhearted giggle, Arethusa leaned against her father without saying a word. “If there’s any problem, don’t be afraid to call me, Sia, Shiomi or Ijiraku. We’re all here for you. Also, I want you to know that I love you. I hope you know that.”
“I love you too dad,” Arethusa weakly responded.
Giving her head one more rub, Yoshi got up and walked towards the door. Just as door open and he was about to leave, Yoshi paused and looked over his shoulder. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t throw any wild parties while I’m gone,” he joked.
“Dad,” Arethusa glared, at a laughing Yoshi shutting the door behind him. Once that door closed, Yoshi took a few moments to tap at his head in frustration.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/Mowxn3woS50)
It took a half an hour for Yoshi to get from Sia’s ship to the gateway lobby. As usual the moment he arrived he found it brimming with all sorts of adventurers, all of them looking forward to their next journey. Though some kept to themselves within the corners of the grey meeting grounds, others ran around to get from place to place and some even shouted their heads off looking for likeminded individuals. Seeing this though, Yoshi rubbed his forehead and looked down. What a hassle, he thought to himself. Upon looking back up, he noticed Yvonna and Stamato sitting by the exit corridor waiting for him. Because they haven’t seen him yet, both of them looking outside at the camp ships at the moment, Yoshi didn’t feel like waiting and began his approach. As he did, he couldn’t help but notice their usual black armor. Seeing this made Yoshi feel a bit self-conscious of his not as uniform mission attire. Luckily for him, once he grabbed hold of their attention, they made no mention of it and friendly greeting him back instead. After exchanging a few hellos, the trio traveled down the long hall and boarded the first camp ship scheduled for Lillipa. Since this was mostly an unplanned trip, Yvonna decided to request a free mission this time around while Yoshi went on his mission. That way they could all go back together, knowing all of them were safe and sound.
In-between the trip to the desert planet, Yoshi tried his best to keep his mind occupied. To keep him mind off his studies. Seeing as a voice inside side his head would laugh every now and then, the last thing he wanted to do was freak out and have a breakdown out of nowhere. Though as hard as he tried to keep his mind busy, eventually his mind came looping back around, around how his daughter could suffer the same things. From there other fears would take hold of him. Sia’s health and how her life could be in danger without him. How Ijiraku could be hunted down for using an illegally stolen body. How Shiomi could be killed for being diga born. With all these thoughts swarming in his head, he couldn’t help but staring blankly into space. Due to his concern over the safety of everyone, his sudden heavy breathing and widen eyes caught Yvonna’s attention. At first she wanted to poke him, but something told her not to.
“Yoshi, are you okay? If you want to opt out, I’m sure we can reason with the Lillipans and get you a replacement.”
Unaware of his surroundings, he finally snapped back into reality once Yvonna said something. Now fully aware of himself, Yoshi blushed and attempted to regain his composure by quickly replying, with a palm held in the air, “I’m alright. I’m just worried about the settlement is all.” After that, Yoshi looked to Yvonna and shrugged. “Not sure what to expect, heh,” he chuckled.
“We’ll if they’re only asking for only one person, it can’t be that bad, right?” she smiled.
“Yeah,” nodded Yoshi. “Good point.”
Yoshi looked away and out the campship’s wide window into space. Yvonna could see the frown written on his face through the reflection. When she looked at Stamato for guidance, he only stared in silence. Now concerned for Yoshi health, Yvonna convinced a pilot to take a ship with them to the ground instead of using the usual normal warp gate. By the time they have entered orbit, the trio boarded one of the camp ships few vessels, exited out of the open gates towards the front of the camp ship and slowly dissented towards the planet, chattering the whole way there. During this time, Yvonna tried to work out information out of him with Stamato’s aid. They didn’t get anything. Yoshi kept changing the subject. Upon reaching the desert landscape by a water tower, Yoshi noticed three Lillipans walking in the shadow of the vessel as its ramp lowered into the sand.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/GTRVuIV8XH4)
“We’re going to be in the area for a while. If you need us, just give us a call,” yelled Yvonna as Yoshi walked down the ramp.
Yoshi in turn turned around and waved at them. “Right,” he replied. “I’ll see you around commander; you too, Stats.”
“I look forward to your report, Enigma,” the jet black CAST responded, his head slightly tilted to show that he was serious.
“Yours as well,” Yoshi smiled.
Brown boots entering heated sandy floors, the two watched as the much cooler metal ramp acceded off the ground and back up into the sky. Leaving Yoshi in the middle of a sunny sand dune with the Lillipans, he turned away from the zigzagging blue and yellow space that made up the environment and turned towards the much more stable structures that stood behind him. After the ship had finally disappeared from view, the Lillipan greeted the human with a bow and merrily escorted him into their colorful village, fill with plenty of music and life. From right to left, several striped tents littered the area. Some of them organized in a row, others placed as if space usage was an afterthought. Some of them sheltered supplies. Others sheltered shops. The majority of them acted as housing for the somewhat nomadic creatures. Going to and fro between several tents, Yoshi finally arrived at a much larger one. It stood tall and used up most space in the very back of the settlement. Taking a few steps back, almost tripping over a passing carrier, it appeared similar to that of a general’s tent. The kinds used in the distant past. As Yoshi looked around at the amazing sight, the two critters opened up the flaps and beckoned him inside.
[“Hello,”] said a familiar voice. [“Take a seat.”]
Flaps closing as soon as Yoshi entered, he looked around at the surrounding purple walls before returning the gesture. Looking towards his host, inside sat Lilliman and his Vargr companion behind a colored map table. [Mind the others,”] he continued, lowering his scarf so that Yoshi could see his smile. [“It’s not often one of your kind speaks our language. They still try to communicate through gestures.”]
“Hopefully, my Lillipan hasn’t gotten too rusty,” commented Yoshi as he took a seat across from the furry critter.
It appeared to be a stuffed chair full of cushion and sand. Very unlike the photon chairs used back on the ship or anything he has ever sat on. It had just enough sand to support the weight but not enough so that if felt hard as a rock. Covered in a thick woven material, Yoshi almost spent the whole time wondering how the sand stayed inside until he noticed the look on his friend’s face.
Black eyes locked with brown ones, Lilliman said, [“Try as you may, I see that look in your eyes. Dark times must have fallen unto you, haven’t they?”]
Yoshi shifted in his red patterned beanbag like seat and worked up an uneasy smile. “In a manner of speaking,” he replied, looking slightly away.
[“That makes two of us. The enemy moves fast and our weapons grow thin. My kind likes to think we’re untaintable and now because of our foolish actions, I have several skirmishes to look after.”]
After that, Lilliman glanced at Yoshi’s mag, then at Yoshi with lowered brows and nodded. Somehow catching his drift, Yoshi shut off his mag and nodded back. Though as soon as Yoshi looked back at the creature, he noticed Lilliman remove the gun of his Vargr and lay it on top of the map table. With a ray of sun shining on it, Yoshi could already tell it wasn’t in good shape. Besides the cuts and scrapes etched within its white grey surface, a large gash could be seen just behind the barrel.
[“I need to ask you a big favor, one that requires a bit of stealing.”]
“How can I help?”
[“Simply put, we are in need of line shields. The Vargrs have provided us with the knowledge for basic shielding but we need more supplies and more information.”]
“And that’s where I come in.”
[“There is a trail not too far from here that leads into the underground walkways. You are to infiltrate the area and gather what you can there. It will be dangerous and leave you vulnerable as well. Think you’re up to the task?”]
“I take it you are in need of weapons as well?”
[“It would be nice but-,”]
Several rifles and launchers were thrown onto the table.
[“You’re not concerned over the punishment of giving us arms?”] asked Lilliman, cautiously scanning over the scattered weapons.
Yoshi crossed his arms in response and grinned at the creature. “Walking in the grey areas of life is what the Diga do. Don’t worry. I’ll get your supplies. Besides, once you take those things apart, I seriously doubt they could tell it was one of their guns anyways. Take them.”
Hearing this, Lilliman instantly jumped out of his chair and smile a very wide smile. Jumping in place out of sheer joy, he gleefully said to the man, [“Thank you, Yoshi. I knew I could trust in you. Thank you very much.”] Afterwards Lilliman led Yoshi out of the tent and into a crowd of curious Lillipans waiting outside. [“Get those weapons stripped and find a way to mount them on our Vargrs,”] he barked to a Lillipan left of him. [“Men, not only have we found weapons, but we also found our smuggler!”]

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/o4-ESKRP2Tg)
All the Lillipans in the crowd began to cheer and swing any loose clothing they had in the air.
[“Come,’] he continued, [“We march to the Gates of Death.”]
Afterwards he mounted his following mechanical wolf creature, and gripped his weapon’s hilt. Once he did, Lilliman looked to Yoshi and pointed behind the human. [“Leave your mag and line shield here. I’m sure your people will be tracking any movement outside the settlement. We need to make sure they think you’re still here. In the meantime, take the cloak and Vargr from that her. If you look like one of us, they may not think you have left at all.”
“Right,” replied Yoshi, accepting a bleached orange clock from a rather excited Lillipan.
Drawing his dagger, several Lillipans mounted their Vargrs as Lilliman pointed his blade the air and shouted, [“Onwards warriors. We shall cut through the desert like my blade to the wind.”]
And with that they were off. Eleven clocked beings rushing across the high noon desert at speeds never experience before, to the average Lillipan at least. From the village, they jumped past the sand-less crevasses, around rocky vistas and through hollowed tunnels. Deeper in the desert, they roamed over metal walkways and under broken structures until they finally reached a kicked in doorway. A blasted doorway shaded by the rock that held it up with signs of dried blood and explosive residue all over it. For the gate way of death, it’s dark hole didn’t seem to instill fear into any of the critters as they stood close behind the man who peered inside.
Looking behind him, Yoshi asked, [“ehh... So why is it called the Gateway of Death?”]
[It used to be used as a fort for the enemy. The blood is not either of ours of course but it’s blood all the same.”]
Yoshi struggled to remember the Lilipan language as he formed his question. [“Right, ehhh... anything...uhh ... I should... look out for?”]
[“For the most part, it’s still intact. All you need to worry about are the traps that lay inside.”]
[“Got’cha.”]
[“Be careful, Yoshi. There have been reports of darker activity in the area. They’re spares in these parts but they’re here.”] After that, Lilliman waved his hand and demandingly said, [“The powder.”]
On command, a Lillipan rode on by and handed Yoshi a small sack fill with a strange material.
[“Rub it on yourself. It won’t provide the same amount protection and will dry your skin but it will act as your line shield for now. This Vargr will stay here for you and patrol the area. Should you need its aid, use the whistle in the bag.”]
[“Thanks,”] said Yoshi, absentmindedly applying the powder on.

(Optional End Title) (https://youtu.be/toU2xai5qTA)
[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Filler:
[spoiler-box]Sorry, didn't mean to take so long reading the next chapter! I try to read at least 1-2 per week but I've been a little busy lately.

I swear, that Clyez City theme touches my nostalgia nerve every time I hear it. :lol:

You've spent a lot of time describing spacecraft and weaponry in your story (this filler especially). Did you have a pre-existing interest in military vehicles before writing your fanfic or did you do research specifically for it? I don't know much about that sort of thing so I can't get into the technical aspects like you do (at least not without reading up on it first).[/spoiler-box]

A Kink in the Wind / Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Nice music choices! They did a great job of setting the tone in this chapter, especially the first one. I liked the imagery you used when they landed on Amduscia.

Poor Yoshi, getting left behind. :p He's already got piloting experience so I guess it wouldn't be a stretch for him to become a pilot. It would be an interesting twist if he did!

How common knowledge is this Diga thing? I got the impression it was more of a secret, but after Yoshi's talk with James I'm not sure.

Uh oh, Newmans from Melchior? Time for more face-punching action? xD

1st filler: Not needing to use doors would be pretty handy, I have to admit.

Yoshi still doesn't have a premium account, I see. That explains the lack of decoration in his room (like mine ;_; ).

Yoshi may not know where his daughter is but he should have some clues, right? She was with Marean last time so he can always ask her about it.

2nd filler: Dang, marital problems. And what did I *just* say about Arethusa? Looks like she's still with Marean after all.

Some of these characters have... odd relationships, I must say. Which isn't a bad thing, just interesting.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]I don't think it really shows in my writing to be honest, but I'm good friends with a few warfare enthusiasts. Personally i'm more interested in ancient society through the medieval ages but I do get to talk and learn about things in the modern era. Now that I think back on it, I don't think anyone ever talks about WWI. I wonder why?

ARKs tries it best to limit how much information on Diga is released to the public eye, where it's mostly contained on certain ships and any news coming from them is filtered out. James knows about them because of personal experience and thanks to a certain someone that changed his mind about them. Why that is will be mentioned/hinted later in the story. For the most part, people will think they either saw someone with a new weapon type or will never see it coming at all. The people who can do the more bizarre aren't doing so well in these times.

Because he fears the unknown, it causes Yoshi to act rash and lie about not knowing where Arethusa is.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- The Hidden Truths He Never Searched For -[SPOILER-BOX]

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/orwtxZ4hvy8)
What started out as a network of caves and tunnels, all lined the whole way with metal plate flooring and metallic support beams, soon became a spacious and well lit underground complex similar to the underworks Yoshi tended to visit every so often. Coming from dimly lit pathways and onto a suspended superstructure, Yoshi sheltered his highly dilated eyes the moment he glanced at his surroundings. Since the place seemed much more constructed than the tunnels he just went though, Yoshi concluded that the dimly lit roads he just roamed through were incomplete and were originally made to expand upon the preexisting complex. Thinking more upon it, concern began to takes hold when thoughts of how easily he could have found a dead end came to mind. Such thoughts then made him wondered about air and temperature as well. The tunnels even proved to be damper and much cooler than the open space he stands on now.
Feeling a bit cluster phobic, Yoshi took in a good amount of extra fresh air and shook his head to scare away the doomed fill ghosts in his thoughts. With his eyes now conditioned to the dry environment, he once again took a look around the place and examined what lies ahead. For the most part, everything seemed pretty quiet. No spikes jutting in and out of the floor. Seemingly nothing mechanically ran above or below him. Most of the walkways, though faded and weathered down, still seemed to be in pretty good condition. The lamps shined a brilliant glow, only vanishing in the corners and best of all, not a single foe in sight. This mission should be a breeze if this keeps up, Yoshi said in his head.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into his face. Sand flew into his mouth. Almost reaching into the back of his throat, he began to spit on the floor in an effort to get it out, coughing a few times in the process.
“Oh yeah,” Yoshi said in a low raspy voice. “I don’t have a line shield.”
Finishing what he said, still spitting out the remains of what got into his mouth; he looked to the floor and noticed something rather peculiar and minuscule. The sand on the floor subtly bounced in place. Some of the sand piles even fell apart little by little. Seeing this Yoshi couched down and placed a hand on the floor, then an ear. It was faint but it was there. Something was making the entire place vibrate. It wasn’t uniform either. Not in the same manner as an earthquake or tremor. It was sporadic. Sometimes the ground would stop shaking. Sometimes it would bounce once. Other times it would shake violently.
“Guess I’m not alone,” whispered the human, supporting himself with one knee.
Cautious, keeping an eye out for any lurking fiends, Yoshi reached behind for his gunslash and dropped low to the floor. Thanks to its use of energy, it proved to be one of the more subtle weapons in his arsenal. Due to the lack of a line shield, he knew stealth and silence would play a larger role than usual. Unfortunately for Yoshi, stealth has never been his forte and despite knowing this, Yoshi chose his choices carefully. Lugging a cumbersome stick around would be too awkward and flinging spells would easily give away his position. Roaming around alone, coupled with the fact that he is a vulnerable force without a line shield, made him realize how large of a mistake this could have been for him.
Gunslash drawn, knees close to the ground, Yoshi quickly crept forward as he moved up the passageway. Little by little, he made his way to the first corner. Peeking around, he scanned the area before moving onward. So far so good, he said in his mind. Not a thing in sight so far. No loose panels. Not even a trap. Going around another corner, he dashed past a large cold metal wall and into a large open room. As soon as he entered, he checked his left. Nothing in sight. Just darkness. He twisted right, boom something right in front of him. Yoshi fell backwards. A Lillipan suddenly popped into view, causing Yoshi to point his gunslash at the furry creature with widen eyes. Both of them equally caught off guard, the two of them did their best to refrain from doing something stupid. Yoshi hesitated to pull the trigger while the Lillipan resisted his urge to scream.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/ZivFeoiyUEY)
[“What are you doing here?”] hissed a glaring Yoshi.
[“A talking human?!”] squeaked the Lillipan.
The Lillipan covered his mouth. Seeing as the Lillipan meant no harm to him, Yoshi lowered his gun and examined the critter. From the looks of things, his robes remained intact and there were no signs of bleeding or injury. These things made Yoshi feel a bit safe in the place. While the Lillipan caught its breath, a few more followed behind, both of them unarmed. Just like the one next to Yoshi.
[“Dangerous it is to be alone?”] Yoshi continued.
[“Not very good at speaking is he,”] one of the Lillipan’s remarked.
The other one snickered and covered his mouth. The two started to make various jokes about the human, and as they did, the first one ignored them and replied, [“We’re posted here to guard the place. Everything was peaceful until those two strange things showed up.”]
[“Things?”] Yoshi asked with a raised brow.
[“Something big and purple,”] said the second Lillipan.
[“And another one like you,”] added the third. [Only big and muscular. Strange because he uses solid blocks of rock to do battle.”]
After that the Lillipans started making their way towards the opposite side of the room. Wordlessly they then all clung to the wall and peeked around the arch-less doorway.
[“Out there on the lower levels,”] the third one continued.
[“Any enemies?”] Yoshi followed after.
[“All gone. Kind of spooky really.”]
[“Right, heading out,”] said Yoshi, moving ahead of the group.
[“Good luck,”] one of them shouted.
Once Yoshi had left the room, the three robed creatures vanished behind the wall, leaving him to trek on all by his self. Solid blocks of rock and a purple being, thought Yoshi. If it’s HUnar, that would explain all the jittering sand. As Yoshi ventured forward, the vibrations began to increase. The closer he got to the lower level, the more the metal bridges moved. Eventually, audible sounds began to make their way into his ears. Sounds of crushing metals and loud shouting echoed throughout the place. It didn’t take long for him to hear the increasing volume of sounds coming from the battle below. By the time he reached the bottom floor, the first thing he did was make his way up a nearby tower, so he could get a better look of the place. Head bobbing around on the inside, brown eyes peeked through the gaps in the rails and jittered around.
From there they could faintly make out two humanoid figures battling it out in the distance. One of them seemed to be using black and red attacks and used them quite often. From time to time, a curved purple object would even be swung around at the other person.
“Yep, that’s HUnar alright,” said the teal hair man under his breath.
After that Yoshi began to squint so he could get a better look at the other person.
“But who is that other guy?”
His glasses seemed to be malfunctioning. They wouldn’t zoom in like he wanted them too. Instead they grew fuzzy and lost focus, sometimes even zooming further out rather than in.
Being one of the rare few times his glasses refused to corporate, Yoshi felt very tempted to rip the frames off his face and toss them aside. Hand close to his forehead, he hesitated as soon as he begun to feel the sentimental value he had with them. Calming down, he lowered his hands and squinted again. From doing so, he could notice that the person would never throw any chunks of earth at HUnar. He only used them for close range attacks, engulfing his arms in blocks and kicking up pillars from the ground. While watching the two fight it out, he also noticed that at a certain distance, they would fall apart and either disappear or scatter into a large cloud.
“Hmm…” hummed Yoshi, a hand rubbing his chin.
A hand lifted up and tapped at the air. Brows narrowed. Nothing came up, just a breeze. Arm dropping like a noodle, Yoshi slouched forward trying to figure out what he did wrong. Then it hit him.
He snapped his fingers. “Oh right,” he said with unenthusiasm. “Left it at the settlement. Limited mode it is then,” he groan.
Yoshi tapped at his arm until a little holo-screen like device lit up. “This is what I get for not memorizing the things Yaeko tells me.” On start up, it requested that he work with his settings. After messing around with it a little, a little touch screen popped up on top of it.
“Notes, where are my notes?” he asked, dashing through various folders.



Access Denied. Authorization needed.


“What?” Yoshi almost shouted. “My ass I need authorization to access my own files.” Yoshi start to frantically poke at the screen now. “Surely I keep my notes in an easy to reach place,” he whined. Nope, nothing. Everywhere Yoshi checked, a wall would be met blocking his way. After a few minutes of searching, Yoshi finally turned off the useless object and let off a heavy sigh. “You know what? Forget the notes,” he complained, pretending to chuck his desires away. “I didn’t need them anyways.”
With a hastily made plan in mind, Yoshi crouched low to the floor and crawled down the tower ramp. Trying his best to remain unknown, he made his way around the area, almost stumbling a few time whenever the other two would clash. Suddenly, as he got closer to the battle, a chunk of flying earth crashed into the railing of the walkway and broke a chunk of it apart. At first Yoshi fell backwards. He didn’t want to get hit by the swinging metal flipping towards for face. But as he looked at it, an idea popped into his head. It made him stare at it with awe. A small window into the battlefield, he said in his head.
Thanks to this window of opportunity, he was able to get a better look at the other man. From behind the broken rail, he could see a seemingly shirtless man in sandals wearing a robe like cloth against his waist. From the looks of things, he seemed like a giant, nearly matching HUnar in height as the two clashed arms. Only instead of those weapons being two giant swords, only one proved to be one as the other seemed to be a solid block of earth wrapped around the man’s actual arm.

(*optional music (https://youtu.be/geznHSuJjqY)/alternate music*) (https://youtu.be/O1J12Y9uAgE)
The two stepped away from each other. HUnar approached. The man stomped up a random pillar to keep them apart. With a pillar came up, HUnar dodge to the side and punched away. Only instead of meeting the man’s weapon, he met another pillar, shattering it into pieces. With the distance closed, HUnar kicked forward. Yoshi closed an eye expecting massive damage but when he peeked back at them, he noticed that the leg got grabbed by the other man. As the man tried to swing HUnar around, believing he had the upper hand, HUnar quickly laughed and clapped his hand together, creating a shockwave that spilt the two apart. It forced his opponent to back off and into spin to regain balance. With newfound ground gained, HUnar then unlatched the sword from his back threw it out, slowly walking towards the man. Now in the air, the sword flew near his opponent. Getting closer and closer, an earth pillar would parry the sword to send it flying. However, in the end, it proved to be a clever trick to make him focus on two fronts at once. For once the man had parried the weapon, he would soon find himself blocking the mighty fist of a laughing HUnar. Surprisingly to Yoshi, the man did not seem angered at all. In fact, he smiled once he caught the fist.
It blew Yoshi’s mind away. How these two can fight so intensely and still enjoy themselves. Even as the man focused on both the sword and HUnar’s attacks, he would either laugh or smile a big grin on his face, looking forward to the next attack. Shaking his head for focus, Yoshi noticed that the man now stepped up his tactics as well. As soon as the sword came around again, saw tooth arms would grab it out of the air and chuck it back at the purple humanoid. On the first attempt, HUnar merely laughed and dodged it. On the second attempt, HUnar uttered a sound of amazement and grabbed the sword by the hilt, placing it back on his backside.
“Good, good,” he said with extreme excitement. “You’re not as good as your mother but you’re doing an excellent job none the less.”
“What can I say?” the deep voice man smiled. “I trained under the best.”
“So I’m told,” HUnar replied. “Unfortunately for us, I have a schedule to keep. This fight must end now.”
The man flung is arms out wide and cried, “What? Things just started to get interesting.” Afterwards he pointed at the purple figured and smiled again. “Oh I get it,” he continued, shaking his finger up and down. “You’re just afraid that this fight will last forever.”
HUnar chuckled. “I honestly doubt you truly have the stamina for such a fight.”
“You're starting to bore me. Let us skip the pointless dialogue and just get back to fighting already.”
HUnar got down into a combat stance and started to power up. In the next second a dark aura surrounded the figure. “As you wish,” HUnar replied before regaining a normal stance and crossing his arms. “What is it now?” he asked.
Without turning his head, the man pointed at the peeping Yoshi and replied, “This was going to be a one on one fight, was it not?”
HUnar looked over his left shoulder and grunted. Looking back at the man, HUnar lifted up a hand and swirled it around. Out of nowhere a spiral of darkness took hold of Yoshi and teleported him in-between the two, causing Yoshi to immediately draw his gunslash in retaliation. HUnar busted out laughing at the sight of it.
“You know, it’s interesting how as soon as a giant pincer bug pops out of the ground, he runs away like a traumatized child. But whenever he’s pitted against me, he has the gall to point something my way,” he said, pointing at himself. “You’re getting there but you’re still not ready yet.”
“We can take him together,” said Yoshi firmly, gunslash leveled for combat.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/wgTfCxljwVM)
At first the man started to laugh out loud. Then HUnar decided to join him.
“Me fight with you? You do not honestly believe you are some kind of good guy here, do you?” asked the muscular man.
HUnar started laughing again. “Good, bad, the newer generation might believe in such trivial things, but when you’ve been around for as long as I’ve had, all that truly matters is how much fun you can have before the timer runs out. And as much as I would like to play, Medusa, I’m afraid this is my cue to leave. I’ll let you two catch up on old times.”
“Madusa, huh? Heh, you don’t seem the type.” HUnar now fading away into darkness. Yoshi lowered his weapon and faced the man behind him. “Now I see why he did not kill you right away. What a pity. You ruin what could have been the greatest fight I have ever had. Tell me, child of Medusa, what value do you hold in him?”
“I don’t know,” Yoshi reluctantly replied. “And why don’t I look the type.”
“Rude and unfit for battle, can’t even ask for my name. What a shame. I could tell you but it may implode your tiny mind,” the man chuckled. “I am Argos, second son of Stheno. Tamer of the Queen of the Seven Pirates and second in command of the Silver Snake Rebellion. What have you accomplished?”
“Yoshiblue, ARKs.”
“A title of a dead man if I have ever heard one. Lucky for you, I hold no grudge over those weaklings who call themselves ARKs, yourself included. I mean look at you,” he laughed, both arms stretched forward. “I could probably beat you with both arms tied behind my back. Surely he has better opponents to pick from?”
“As far as I know… the Medusa bloodline in nearing extinction.”
Argos started to walk away. With his back now facing Yoshi, he responded, “Ah, so that explains it then.” Afterwards, he stared down one of the many rails in the area and continued, “Well, if you will excuse me, I will be taking my leave as well. Before I go however; a word of caution. Avoid the world titled Amducia at all costs. Only Death himself awaits you there. Grow strong child of Medusa. I’d hate to kill you so early.”
Yoshi didn’t have any words to say against that. The only thing he did do was watch the man named Argo leap into the water and disappear from sight. Such a thing didn’t bother him too much however. He saw how he fought. He was very limited to close range. Very unlike to Yoshi, who could use his power at any distance, or so he felt at least. With his company now gone, it gave him plenty of time to get what he wanted and back outside. From there he would attach the extra luggage he couldn’t carry onto the Vargr and ride off back into the village.
He underestimated how much they expect his return.
[/spoiler-box]

[Sacrificial]

[SPOILER-BOX]I don't think it really shows in my writing to be honest, but I'm good friends with a few warfare enthusiasts. Personally i'm more interested in ancient society through the medieval ages but I do get to talk and learn about things in the modern era. Now that I think back on it, I don't think anyone ever talks about WWI. I wonder why?
[/SPOILER-BOX]
[SPOILER-BOX]It is because ww1 as very little to start fanboy wars with other groups. Basically both mainoarties involved used the same terrible tactics and types of guns. Tanks were just "invented". planes were just bi or triplanes(not very cool to fanboy about) and rifles and machine guns were also still being developed,and experiented with. All of information about it is pretty cool if you are interested, but it won't start a discussion like ww2,golf era or modern were each faction really is distinguished from each other. [/SPOILER-BOX]

- Searching For The Hidden Truths -spoiler for stuka, dont read.
[SPOILER-BOX]wow, cant believe she(2nd pm girl) really died. Really must have hit him hard being it so sudden. It seems like 1st pm daughter girl.(im really bad with names sorry) takes it way better than yoshi. Did she know it would happen so soon? I recal thry had a private chat.

Interesting yoshi speaks lilipan. Did he learn it when he was a caveman at the start of your story?


[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]It is because ww1 as very little to start fanboy wars with other groups. Basically both mainoarties involved used the same terrible tactics and types of guns. Tanks were just "invented". planes were just bi or triplanes(not very cool to fanboy about) and rifles and machine guns were also still being developed,and experiented with. All of information about it is pretty cool if you are interested, but it won't start a discussion like ww2,golf era or modern were each faction really is distinguished from each other. [/SPOILER-BOX]

- Searching For The Hidden Truths -spoiler for stuka, dont read.
[SPOILER-BOX]wow, cant believe she(2nd pm girl) really died. Really must have hit him hard being it so sudden. It seems like 1st pm daughter girl.(im really bad with names sorry) takes it way better than yoshi. Did she know it would happen so soon? I recal thry had a private chat.

Interesting yoshi speaks lilipan. Did he learn it when he was a caveman at the start of your story?


[/SPOILER-BOX]
@Sacrificial [spoilers][SPOILER-BOX]I see. Well now I know.

Kinda. The 2nd one is taking it better because she thinks about Chipper's death differently than how she thinks of her dad. Because of the more suicide buddy line of work Arethusa and Chipper were thrown into, they always gone about their days knowing that the other could vanish at any moment, mainly to the Darkers than anything else. So if it were Yoshi who died, she would have taken it completely differently due to the fact that she believes he'll always be around. So in a sense, think of it like long term mental preparation.

Other than that, she didn't even know of the disease before hand. So when Chipper tried to bring it up, Arethusa kept on going around it and mainly focused on the now rather than what was. And since they're family, that's when they got into this loop of going back and forth, where they try to focus on the topic they want to talk about, rather than what the other wants to talk about.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler: Who's The One For You To Count On? -[SPOILER-BOX]
“Stamato here.”
“Go ahead, Stamato.”
“Requesting a transfer of the building’s layout and schematics.”
“Permission granted. I will be sending the blueprints momentarily.”
What a strange request made under what seemed to be a perfect day under just as prefect weather. It would be hard to imagine why Stamato would ask for such a thing at all. Not with the smiling bright sun in the clouds and a few birds tweeting in the air. All of them basking in the warmth of the star’s rays the moment they landed in nearby leafy grass. A product so great, one would never would have guessed that the birds were actually holograms. They moved, chirped and felt like the real thing; squishy eyes, hard beak and even soft feathers.
Like any other day, the city brimmed with life. Cars, both in land and sky, combed through the oversized alley ways like usual and the people that walked in it talked and passed by as they would every other afternoon. This is the city of smiles. Peaceful and clean, a far different sight from the smoldering circular water dome floating out in the middle of the lake area. Barred from all incoming traffic, office workers and window shoppers could only look outside their windows to see an army of red to orange barriers keeping the people from roaming onto connecting reflective bridges and glass parking towers. Even the employees were not allowed to enter. They could only stand outside and watch the stacks of gray smoke float out of their beloved animal center and into the air. Though big as it may have been, the trails were not large enough to block out the sun. An object which soon became a solar eclipse the moment something else blocked it out.
A circular object, blue and water like in appearance. The moment it popped up, most people halted in their tracks and stared in awe. It was not something they saw every day, and they especially did not see what came after it often either. Once the portal reached its maximum size, a navy blue circle creating a thin ring of light around it, crystal spikes jutted out and gave way to a single ARKs vessel flying out at extreme speeds. Out of the gate and fully reformed, the blue waters lit up orange. Clouds ripped apart the moment the ship touched plowed through them. With nothing else in the sky to stop it, the portal dissipated and allowed the sun to give its rays of pure light to everyone once more. Light that touched the surface of the once darkened ship and make the words B-01 glow with a brilliant shine.
“I apologize for the delay. We are still receiving information on the situation,” said a man on a communication channel to the people inside the vessel. “However, it is reported that the situation is rather dire and is in need of a team equipped for such a mission. That team being you. Since Yoshi has been assigned as the pilot of the team, we have relocated Marisa to temporarily fill in the empty position. Yoshi has already taken the liberty to gather Marisa’s gear prior to the mission.”
From within the dim cockpit of the B-01, Sia glanced at Yoshi with mixed feelings. Yoshi, who shared these feelings, kept forward as his cheeks blushed and his smile wavered among the purple windows.
“What? Why?” she mouthed.
Yoshi’s eyes darted back and forth. He refused to look at her in the eyes. “Oh you know,” he quickly whispered. “Just wanted to make sure you were geared for any mission.”
Sia narrowed her eyes and added, “And how do you know if this suit will even fit?”
Yoshi smiled weakly in response. “How about we talk about this later?”
Sia lifted from her chair and glanced at Arethusa who also looked away, silently whistling towards the roof of the ship. Seeing this, Sia twisted back towards Yoshi, who held a cube up in the air, and gave him a light punch on the shoulder.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “We’re going to talk about this later, and I better look good in this.”
A gloved hand took the box out of the human’s tanned bear hand. The newmen woman walked through the sliding door and into a room filled with sitting people. To her immediate right sat Stamato, a CAST jet black in color, wearing parts and armor very similar to his usual attire. To her left the squad leader, Yvonna, a female newmen of short black hair and fair skin. Like Stamato, she also wore black armor. Unlike Stamato, her armor looked very similar to armies of the past. Covered up in grey and black camouflage cloth, padded armor and team logos here and there, she held a helmet, similar to that of a biker helmet, in her right hand as she accessed a tiny holo-panel with her left. Finally, next to Yvonna sat Arron, a human male, also black in hair and fair in skin. Covered up completely in knight’s attire, he wore a brown leather long coat over it and placed his gauntlets on top of it. How it ever protected the man in a hazardous environment, or how it even passed the required tests, eluded the Newmen as she took her place next to the robot.
“Greetings, I do not believe we have formally introduced ourselves,” suddenly said the CAST. “I am Stamato.” A metallic hand lifted up for a hand shake. “Normally Enigma and I would bang the fists on each other’s shoulders. However, I feel this would be more appropriate.”
Sia stared at the floating hand with dull eyes and then at the CAST.
“I believe the expression would be, any friend of Yoshi’s is a friend of mine,” he added.
Eyebrows dropping a little, Sia smiled and fist bumped the armored up pauldron worn by the CAST.
“Marisa Kinjal,” said Sia in a lofty tone of voice. “Did enigma come up with that nickname himself?”
“Nah,” butted in Arron, smiling with both his hands supporting his head. “Stats gave that moron the nickname. By the way, name’s-”
“Was I talking to you? No? Good, let’s keep it that way.” rudely said Sia with a menacing glare. A glare that made Stamato leaned back a little and Arron open his eyes in surprise. Meanwhile Yvonna looked up from her tiny holo-screen and at the other newmen with an unamused expression. After a moment of silence Sia looked back at Stamato and smiled, “Nice to meet you.”
“Right,” said a now unhappy Yvonna. “Rio, what’s our objective?”
“I will be your navigator for this mission. The objective will take place within Laguz’s Central Zoo Park, where a series of random and unexpected fires have both broken out and swarm the entire facility. Your mission is to dive straight into the heart of the dolphin exhibit, make your way into the lower levels of the park and rescue as many people and animals as you can. Other teams are on the way as we speak. There are three hundred animals and two hundred and thirty seven civilians reported in that zoo. That includes the president and his family.”
“Acknowledged, we’ll rescue him and as many civilians as we can.”
“Be advised that the city limiters are still online. Because of this, we have supplied the B-01 with special jets, guns and equipment designed to work around the limiter. You will find said equipment under the seats. No need to fret however. They will conform to your current build and attire. When finding any life in there, you are to mark them with a device on your right arm and teleport them out of there. Good luck, Zelatus Squad. Make sure to become the envy of every other team out there, Rio out.”
Yvonna nodded and kept her hand on her ear. “Yoshi, was that jump really necessary?” she asked, looking directly at the door.
“What?” cried Yoshi from another channel. “This was an emergency situation and I didn’t want to wait for the door to slowly open up for us. Besides, the jump was clean right? Nothing bad really happened.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that.” Yvonna peep at Sia, who sat back, arms crossed, with a smirk written on her face. “And tell your girlfriend to stop smiling at me,” she added.
“Oh ha ha,” Yoshi sarcastically replied. In a more unhappy tone of voice, he continued, “You wound me.”
Yvonna glanced back to see Sia’s grin grow even wider.
“Question. Was that necessary, commander?” asked a confused Stamato.
Yvonna ignored him.
“Right, well to save time, we’ll spit up into four and cover a quarter of the building. Stamato, if you would be so kind as to highlight our areas of the map.”
“Right away, commander,” said Stamato.
“Commander, we’ve reached the zoo. Should I open the ramp door now?”
Yvonna looked towards the door and replied, “Hold our position here for now. I’ll let you know when we’ve equipped our gear.”
“Right, holding position.”
“It appears you have made Enigma rather displeased, commander,” Stamato pushed before reaching under the seat for his equipment.
“Let’s focus on the mission, Stats,” shrugged off the newmen.
Arron chuckled and also reached under the bench. Though it bothered the CAST on the inside, little did he know that Yoshi was not actually saddened in the slightest. From within the other room, Yoshi turned back and wink at Arethusa. Winking at one another, the two gave each other a thumbs up and went back to their panels, going about their business replacing the guns with the new gear and keeping their ship in one place.
At his panel, Yoshi removed one of its many plates and took a look at the equipment’s specs. “Think I should give the equipment an extra boost?” he asked, switching his attention to a hovering screen.
“I don’t think that would be a very safe thing to do,” Arethusa replied, taking off a panel to check out the innards of the gun. “This isn’t like anything I’ve seen before- check it out.”
Yoshi rose from his chair and walked over to Arethusa’s side. With the little girl standing on her chair, the two of them bumped heads as they peeking into the gun’s inner workings. One by one, they both placed a hand on their chins and rubbed away.
“Hmm,” hummed Yoshi. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Best to leave it alone for now.”
As Yoshi returned to his chair, Arethusa hopped onto her butt and said in a peppy voice, “Other than that, the gun is all set and ready to go. Let’s do this.”
“Yeah,” sighed Yoshi, staring at a picture of the him standing behind two small girls on the edge of his glasses. “Let’s show those flames whose boss.”
Taking the time to look at the picture, he quickly removed it and focused on task at hand. While in the middle helping Arethusa recalibrate the cannon, Yvonna suddenly said over the channel,
“Okay Yoshi, lower the ramp.”
On that, Yoshi instantly tapped his ear, responded, “Right away, commander,” and threw an arm over the dashboard. Eager fingers wiggling above the many glowing switches, sticks and buttons, he pressed down on a small red button and tapped at his ear again.
“Thank you for flying Air Yoshi. I hope you had a nice flight and will fly with us again soon. Have a nice day.”
“Try not to do anything crazy while I’m away, okay?”
“You better stay out of trouble, Yoshi.”
Yoshi couldn’t see the look the two had made at each other in the other room. It wasn’t often someone spoke over Yvonna. Despite Yvonna’s demanding leer, Sia didn’t care and followed Stamato as he dropped out the ship. When she did, the circular dome like structure opened up in a spiral formation and revealed its large pool underneath.
By the time the dome came to a stop, Yoshi took the ship away and the four ARKs operatives sky dived through the air with nothing but the jets on their backs and the wind on their faces. Though most of them tried to slow themselves down as much as possible, Stamato’s lack of fear allowed him to blaze right ahead of them and zip line straight into the water.
Wind pressed hard against his flatter surfaces. Jets on his body readjusted his trajectory. A bird whizzed past him, then the metal lid in the distance. Finally a splash, Stamato had touched down in the glowing red facility. Using the jets to guide him around, mainly to brake his fall, he did his best to avoid hitting any of the decorative landscape implanted inside. Just as the dolphins recovered from the sudden intrusion and gathered around the metallic being, three other bodies dropped inside and scared most of them away.
“This is Yvonna,” she said over the radio. “We’re in.”
“Be sure to keep an eye on your maps. Stamato has color coded both your areas and your markers. Marisa, follow Stamato out through the first maintenance tube. Yvonna and Arron, head towards the exit on the right of the tank. Good luck, everyone.”
“There are a lot of dots in the area. Mind filtering them out for me?” asked Arron, somewhere out on the other side of the exhibit.
“Your map has been updated. If you any need guidance, do not hesitate to ask.”
“Will do, Rio.”
The moment Stamato swam away, Sia followed, drifting towards their entry point. Over a fake mountain and a hill, two dolphins glided alongside them, spiraling around as they entered the much more solid and enclosed tubes. Due to the lack of light in these tubes, normally lit by the bright lighting outside, Stamato activated his mag’s flashlight, prompting Sia to do the same. Gray, that’s all they saw, with an occasional bump in the tube showing where they were held together.
“Strange that I don’t hear any crying,” said Arron in the darkness.
“The building must be made to block out sound. Only a little bit odd,” Yvonna replied. “I can’t even hear the flames in the other room.” Sia and Stamato could hear their heads exit the water while they spoke. “Arron, go right from here. I’ll go left.”
“You sure you won’t get a little lonely by yourself?” joked the man.
Yvonna gave him a sarcastic laugh and replied, “No.”
While the two of them continued to chat with one another, Stamato and Sia managed to find an oval like cutout on their right. Allowing Sia to go first, Stamato watched the dolphins now spin around his legs making all sorts of noises at them.
“This squad is a bit too unprofessional for my tastes,” whispered Sia to Stamato, a hand outreached.
“If they were any more professional in conversation, would it make much of a difference when dealing with the civilians?”
“We wouldn’t let our emotions affect us so easily.”
“So I am told,” Stamato responded with a hint of disbelief in his voice. “Though some would say they were more like me, I wish I was more like you; a being who could be better motivated through the power of emotions.”
The sounds of a worried man could be heard on the radio now. “Hey commander, a little help here? These dolphins won’t let me get out of the water.”
“They probably know where to take you, should you seek action,” butted in the CAST. “It may be wise to follow them.”
Sia exiting the water on their end, they could hear the struggles of both the water mammals and Yvonna as they fought over Arron. Likewise on their end, Sia too had to struggle to get the rather large robot out.
“Commander,” calmly said Stamato, blankly staring at a fighting Sia. “Permission to follow the dolphins.”
“Follow them and figure out what the big fuss is, Stats.”
“Confirmed, will follow the dolphins. Marisa,” Stamato continued, now slowly sinking into the water. “Good luck.”
In a split second, the CASTs face flashed to Yoshi’s and back. Due to the helpless expression he gave Sia as the water bubbled up made her step back a few inches and back herself into a nearby wall. After feeling a sudden sting sensation, she placed hand over her chest and took a few breaths to calm down. Why is this happening now, she thought to herself. Yoshi, you better be okay out there. She turned her head and stared into the darkness of employee corridor, proven by the employees only signs that hung on every wall. With knowledge of where she was, she looked to her map and tried to gather an idea of where she should head to first. Though before she moved on, she fearfully placed a hand on her ear and asked in a concerned tone of voice,
“Yoshi?”
“Yeah?” the man replied before saying, “Aim it a little more to your left.”
“How’s it looking out there?”
“My left or your left?” shouted Arethusa in the background.
“Your left. Anyways, surprisingly enough we got the entrance to settle down. About fifty people were allowed to leave and some of the animals that were cut off by the fire were rescued. Another team should be in the area managing the flames inside along with the fire department. If you want hard numbers though, try asking Rio.”
“I’ll keep it in mind. Try not to bump into the other pilots, alright?”
Yoshi uttered a frustrated chuckle and replied, “Tell them not bump into me. They seem to be too busy blasting their cannons to watch where they’re flying.”
“I’ll try to take care of it,” interrupted Rio. “In the meantime, keep up the good work.”
Out of nowhere, a strange sound could be heard over their channel. “Yvonna here, transporting three people.”
“Acknowledged, all three have been successfully rescued. Marisa, you seemed to have stopped moving. Is there a problem?”
Sia shook her head and drew her pistol. “No,” she replied, making her way down the maintenance corridor. “Just making sure the area is safe before I proceed.”
A bang could be heard against the outside of the building. “Woah,” shouted Yoshi as he pounded away at a nearby wall. “Watch out for backdrafts by the way. They can be pretty powerful. I think that’s what the jets are for.”
“That is correct. Use the jets for emergency maneuvers. Watch where you jump however; you would not want to hurt yourself in the process.”
Crying could be heard over the com now. “Good thing our team wears helmets,” said Yvonna. “Transporting a family of five”
The strange sound went off again.
“Acknowledged, transport complete.”
After that, silence. Following where her head went, the mag intensified the light and tried its best to light up as much of the area as possible, and not far from where she walked stood a door. The moment she saw it, she instinctively pressed her back against the wall and waited by the door. As if expecting some kind of break in or breach. Before she could reach for the handle, her mag zoom over by its metal surface and pressed its face against it. After a second of sitting there, a symbol art showing a green checkmark was then displayed, allowing Sia to enter the room. Now inside, the first thing the newmen did was turn on the lights in the room. Flickering one by one, Sia could see several fish tanks stacked from floor to ceiling and wall to wall.
“Marisa here, I have a question.”
“Go ahead, Marisa.”
“How do I transport entire tanks of fish?”
“Just-,”
A large explosion could be heard and felt through the facility.
“Yoshi, what happened out there?” yelled Rio.
“I don’t know how, but the entrance just went off in a huge explosion. Not many people got hurt it seems. The hole it made seems large enough for me to fly in too. Should I check it out?”
“Do not fly into that hole. Just keep pressuring those flames. Marisa, mark all the tanks and let me know when you’re finished. They’ll be teleported to a building out in the city.”
Sia slowly scanned the place and responded, “Right.”
Doing as suggested, she lifted up her right arm and studied it. Besides the fact that she wore a slightly modified Chic Jaeger, on it beheld three buttons; mark, emergency mark and scan. Curious as to what the scan button did, Sia decided to press that one first. Beep. A white wave swept the room and allowed Sia to see any living creature three rooms from where she stood.
“Neat,” she whispered, now pressing the mark button.

[/spoiler-box]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/vTEnXnLqE0I)
“Kris! Kaz! Check it out, check it out. Lookie what I got,” cried an over enthusiastic tan teal hair girl running towards her friend. Two oddly colored objects in hand.
Of the two, the human boy, Kazamir, turned towards the excited girl first. Sun on his face, his teeth shimmered in the sunlight. Unsure as to what the girl wanted to show him however, he used a curious yet silly smile to show his interest. Something that contrasted largely with the much more emotionless expression the newmen girl next to him displayed.
“Yoshi,” waved the boy in a welcoming manner. “How’s it going? What did you want to show us?”
The newmen girl next to him lifted a strand of her silver hair and moved it away from her face. “Please tell me it’s not another one of your silly challenges,” moaned their friend, Kreszentia. “I can only give you a good beating so many times.”
“Something better,” exclaimed Yoshi, lifting two objects into the air. “Rescue guns,” said she in a gravelly voice. “Pew pew.”
Mesmerized by the pulsating orange lines of them, Kazamir ducked forward and took a closer look. “Hey, those are pretty cool,” he said poking them.
“Right, so nothing important then.”
Before Kreszentia could spin in the other direction, Yoshiblue placed the white and indigo guns on her hips and scoffed, “Well, who stuck a katana up your ass today?”
“She’s worried about the Bring Your Parent to the Academy day,” said Kazamir, weakly smiling as the newmen girl punch him in the shoulder. “She said her mother already agreed to come before she could even ask anyone.”
“What’s wrong with your mom coming to visit? Not like she’s going to show everyone your baby pictures or anything.”
“Your dad,” responded Kreszentia, turning back around, arms knotted.
“Yeah, I was told she doesn’t play well with your dad,” added Kazamir who rubbed the back his head.
“All he did was bring out a dumb smile, gosh,” cried Yoshi. “She needs to get over it already. Speaking of which, who are you bringing Kaz?”
“My mom,” replied Kazamir with an even larger smile. “She said she’d buy me a shotgun too. However…”
Kazamir tap his lip with a finger and stared at Yoshi.
Yoshi leaned forward. “What?” she asked brows furrowed.
“I thought you were more of a melee person, Yoshi. What are you doing with a pair of mech guns?”
Suddenly Yoshi’s eyes grew wide and rubbed the back of her head with one of the guns. “Huh? Oh, yeah. My mom and dad said I could be any class I wanted to be. So I’m trying out all the weapons so see what fits.”
“Is that why your dad got you the launcher?”
“Yep,” said Yoshi, looking towards the grey tile floor. “Mom already took it away though. Yell at dad all night about it too, heh. I’ll be getting it back soon though. Dad promised- heh heh.” After that Yoshi pointed her knee at the boy and asked, “Speaking of which, what happened to your launcher?”
“Mom found it and said she would store it with her gear so father wouldn’t scold me.”
“I still have mine,” added Kreszentia, summoning her launcher.
“And where did you happen to get that?” suddenly asked a tall woman walking towards the trio.
“Ah, hello Kreszentia’s mother,” said Kazamir, looking down.
“Hiya,” greeted a less concerned Yoshi.
“Hi,” coolly said Kreszentia’s mother, both her hands wrapped around the hilt of a long sword.
“Hello, mother,” said the newmen girl, looking up at her mother with an unmoved expression. “I was gifted this launcher to see how I would fare as a ranger.”
“And who may I ask gifted you this launcher?”
“Yoshi did,” she said, pointing towards her friend.
In response, Yoshi began to nervously laugh and hid her rescue guns behind her back.
“I see,” said her mother, brow raised. An upside down palm rose into the air and curled its fingers twice. “Give it to me. I wish to examine it.”
“Yes, mother,” responded Kreszentia, lifting the launcher into the air.
Before accepting the launcher from her daughter, the mother stabbed her sheath into the title floor and lightly took it with both hands. Flipping it over once or twice, she lifted several flaps and panels, somehow stripping it apart without using any tools. While Yoshi and Kazamir stared in amazement, Kreszentia focused more on the tiles her mother just destroyed.
“Standard issue for the most part it seems. However, there is one thing that I find very particular about this weapon.”
All three of the children gulped in unison.
“This thing is modified, adjusted with increased power output and counter balance recoil in mind. Obviously whoever touched this thing does not know the limits of a child as opposed to a grown adult using these kinds of settings.” Kreszentia’s mother shot Yoshi a sharp glace. “Tell me…Yoshiblue…who gave you this launcher?”
“Well, the funny thing is…my father gave it to me. But-but hold on,” Yoshi squeaked, an open hand in the air. “Hear me out.”
“I heard all I needed to hear, but you may continue.”
“It was only made for me. The only reason I gave it to Kris here was because she was the only one who didn’t get a launcher.”
“I see.”
Everyone’s shoulders dropped in relief.
“Regardless, I will be confiscating this launcher. Is there anything else you have been gifted?”
“No, mother…”
The two stared each other down for a full minute before her mother decided to remove the sword and walk away. After she finally disappeared, Kazamir busted out laughing and tried to hide the tear in his eye.
“Ha ha ha, phew,” he exhaled, looking away towards the sun. “And I thought my father was scary. Makes me wonder if your mother has anything against my mother?”
“She called your mom a yandere once. Not sure why though.”
“Probably because my mom owns an unnecessarily large gun collection at home. I think she may even have a few of the rare ones.”
“Really? Cool,” said Yoshi with glee.
“Speaking of which, here she comes now. Hi mom!”
“Hi sweetie!” she shouted, waving back at her son. As soon as she reached them, she smiled at the girls and gave her son a big hug. “Hello, Yoshi, Kreszentia,” she said afterwards.
“Hiya.”
“Hello.”
Suddenly she started to pinch Kazamir’s check and smiled at him. “Oh, my big baby boy. How much you’ve grown. Oh, I’m so proud of you.”
“Mom, please stop. You’re embarrassing me in front of my friends.” Kazamir pleaded.
“So,” said his mom. “Who’s the lucky girl?”
“What?”
“Who’s going to be my future daughter in law?”
“Mom!” cried Kazamir, now trying to remove his mother’s arms from his head. “They’re just my friends. I’m not going to marry them.”
“That’s what they all say,” she replied. “One moment they’re just friends and the next, you see them walking away…arm in arm… kissing. Oh, my poor baby, there’s no need to cry.”
“I think it’s less of the teasing and more of Kreszentia’s mother paying us a visit,” butted in Yoshi, rubbing her head with the mech gun again.
“Oh, I’m glad you mentioned her. I’ve been looking for her. Was she being little miss grump queen when you saw her?”
The kids didn’t respond. Kreszentia did however, point in the direction she walked away in.
“Oh, don’t mind her,” waved Kazamir’s mother. “All she needs is another good punch to the face by Yoshi’s mom. Give her one of those and she’ll be good as new. Just like old times.”
“Huh?” the three of them hummed in unison.
“But enough about that; if you will excuse me ladies, i’m going to be barrowing Kazipoo here for a bit to go do some shotgun shopping.”
Like magic, Kazamir’s eyes began to sparkle. After jumping in the opposite direction, Kazamir wiggled his arms in the air and shouted, “Really, mom? Do I get to select what kind of ammo I use too?”
“I’ll think about it,” she smiled, escorting her son towards the exit.
Before they walked too far away, Kazamir looked over his shoulders, flailed his arm around and shouted “Bye, Yoshi! Bye, Kris!”
The two girls waved back in response, leaving them to stand and watch as the doors they went through open and slam shut. As they stood there, the sun beaming through the window and on the sides of their faces, Yoshi looked at her newmen friend and back at the door with a clenched fist.
“I’m sorry for punching you yesterday,” she said suddenly with earnest sorrow in her voice.
“You make it sound like I didn’t punch you back,” Kreszentia replied in her usual monotonous voice.
“Still, I’m sorry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it, Yoshi. We’re not like our mothers. At least, I hope not.”
“So, do you want to share my launcher?”
“Sure.”

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Filler (the one from 12/1/14):
[spoiler-box]Tank mode? What is this, Star Fox? :lol:

It's kind of funny how often Yoshi switches jobs in the story. Is there a particular reason behind that? And why did you decide to make him become a pilot? I mean, I know he was a pilot before, but I mean a campship pilot.

Lilliman... come to think of it, it's been a while since we saw the little guy! I miss him. I wonder what he's been up to lately...[/spoiler-box]

Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]It's a bit strange to hear the phrase "Egyptian-themed weapon" in a story like this. I can relate because there were several times I debated with myself whether to use a reference to something from our planet (i.e. Earth) but always decided against it, not knowing how far into the future PSO2 takes place and whether or not they would know what Egypt even is. I guess they *must* if they have an Egyptian-themed weapon, right? :p

Ah, so Tuhina bought Yoshi the hat! The big mystery has finally been revealed...

Sorry, I don't usually point out typos but I couldn't resist this one, it's just too hilarious: "crushed incest carapace." XD

Okay, so, there's a question I've been meaning to ask for some time now. The songs you choose for the chapters don't always last long enough to reach the next part. Often times the song ends way before I'm done reading (or get to the next song). Was your intention that the reader keep replaying the song until they reach the next part or that they listen once and read in silence for a while? Personally I've been hitting the replay button, because I like to listen while I read. I was just curious what you expected most people to do.

So a Newman's abilities are determined by their hair color? I'm guessing that's limited to Melchior... or something.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@Stukasa[SPOILER-BOX]They're all mistakes really.

For Yoshi being a pilot and why, its a matter of me knowing something and forgetting that reader doesn't. In this case, Zealtus is expanding as the story goes on. This in turn allows the team to diversify their roles. So due to the additional members, they are now allowed to use the other prototype ships. Kerri and James stay in the B-02 for the usual support you find in the game. Meanwhile Yoshi is thrown into the bomber converted to a tank B-01 class and Elm is placed into the scout variant B-03. Elm doesn't get mention during this time because I wasn't sure if I wanted the B-03 to stay as a scout ship or if I knew what they would be doing with these ships at the time. So long story short, because I knew and didn't know my stuff, I forgot to let the reader know what I did know. Also, Yoshi flies those ships you find underneath the floor in the campship. Those two ships underneath the glass.

The typo is something I've known about for a good while now. The only reason I didn't change it was because I wanted things like these to remind me why proof reading is important. Whether I ever improved or not is still a mystery to me. Yes, I do face palm whenever reading it again.

The Egyptian theme was a case of knowing what it looks like but not knowing how to describe it. Yeah it has a blue and yellow color scheme and looks like a spear but does it paint the entire picture I want the reader to see? I do agree that it will break immersion in one way or another, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

Music is pretty on and off throughout the story. For the most part, if the story is getting serious or if there's drama going on, then I usually turn to silence to play out the scenes. Otherwise it just me forgetting to gauge how fast the average reader will read everything. So in a sense, the main reason i'm okay with using two minute songs is mostly because that's how fast i'll go through the first segment before having to switch music for the second; the only time the music bugging me being when the first one hasn't ended yet or hasn't reached a good transitioning point.

Finally, yeah, convenient color coded powers are a Melchior only thing. May also give you a better idea behind the origin of their people too.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

Sorry, I'm super behind too.

[spoiler-box]I've gotten pretty OCD about music. In some cases, I write the chapter around the song. In others, I try to lengthen a segment (never shorten, I'm hard pressed to get enough details in as it is) to fit a song. I think it's because I focus more on making each chapter seem neat and interesting, than on a coherent story.

Anyway, while proofreading, you will zoom through it really fast, because you've committed each scene to memory. So it's important, if gauging its length, to come back after a break with an empty mind and read slowly, as if it's your first time. My rule of thumb is, read the words loudly in your mind (or even out loud). If I can't imagine someone talking to me that quickly, then I'm reading it too fast. It's really hard for me to do, but I really want to know if the song is being utilized to its fullest.
Your eyes will also skip past phrases with typos without seeing the problem if you read it too long, so this might help with that. I honestly use this time to, erm, "Tighten the graphics" so to speak. Make sure characters are in character (though Zorael kinda skips around with that), make sure a description makes sense, stuff like that. See if the words you use paint the picture you originally had in mind.

Oh, and something I've been meaning to mention. This one's for stukasa. Despite embedding the video onto the page looking neater, I've found an advantage to the way Yoshi does it. With Yoshi's method, I can middle click and move on with the story, Xing the video when it's no longer needed. With the embedded video, I need to scroll up from where the music is supposed to end, and stop it, before continuing. I figured that was worth bringing to your attention. The embedded video is more aesthetically pleasing, but less functional. [/spoiler-box]

Also, there's a problem with the first song in Chipper: Part VII. The account seems to have expired.

[yoshiblue]

Sorry, I'm super behind too.

[spoiler-box]I've gotten pretty OCD about music. In some cases, I write the chapter around the song. In others, I try to lengthen a segment (never shorten, I'm hard pressed to get enough details in as it is) to fit a song. I think it's because I focus more on making each chapter seem neat and interesting, than on a coherent story.

Anyway, while proofreading, you will zoom through it really fast, because you've committed each scene to memory. So it's important, if gauging its length, to come back after a break with an empty mind and read slowly, as if it's your first time. My rule of thumb is, read the words loudly in your mind (or even out loud). If I can't imagine someone talking to me that quickly, then I'm reading it too fast. It's really hard for me to do, but I really want to know if the song is being utilized to its fullest.
Your eyes will also skip past phrases with typos without seeing the problem if you read it too long, so this might help with that. I honestly use this time to, erm, "Tighten the graphics" so to speak. Make sure characters are in character (though Zorael kinda skips around with that), make sure a description makes sense, stuff like that. See if the words you use paint the picture you originally had in mind.

Oh, and something I've been meaning to mention. This one's for stukasa. Despite embedding the video onto the page looking neater, I've found an advantage to the way Yoshi does it. With Yoshi's method, I can middle click and move on with the story, Xing the video when it's no longer needed. With the embedded video, I need to scroll up from where the music is supposed to end, and stop it, before continuing. I figured that was worth bringing to your attention. The embedded video is more aesthetically pleasing, but less functional. [/spoiler-box]

Also, there's a problem with the first song in Chipper: Part VII. The account seems to have expired.

Most likely due to the fact that the game was new and didn't take kindly to seeing their soundtrack being shared so soon. Surprisingly, I found an alternative (https://youtu.be/xJqRAv5plQI). Not sure how long it will be around though. Also, thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to keep them in mind in the future.

[yoshiblue]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
“You sure you’re comfortable with that?”
“Look, if I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have. Besides, I want to see the look on his face.”
“If you say so. Bonehead is here, right?”
“Yeah, already went on ahead of us.”


__________________________________________________ _______________

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/1PW7cOJV_o0)
Deep inside an abandoned building did three figures crept. Floor boards squeaked and the howl of wolves could be heard in the distance. Some of them even growled nearby, outside of the hallway. In the wake of the full moon, three figures slowly yet swift, hugged up against a faded blue floral wall while passing through powdered moonlit beams. Leading the group, begrudgingly to the girl behind her is Kreszentia. Hand on white katana kilt, wearing tight grey jeans, an orange shirt and a black leather jacket; she didn’t question the sudden change of attire or why her silver hair shimmered in the moonlight in the first place.
A shimmer that made Yoshiblue, the much tanner girl behind the newmen, wince and scowl with every passing. Unlike her friend, she didn’t have the luxury of wearing a cool jacket. Instead she wore a bright pink dress and held onto a staff. A flimsy staff that didn’t look like it would hold well in a melee fight, nor did it cling to her back. Something she normally sees her weapons do. So instinctively she carried it in hand. Sometimes moving it at same pace as her leg, sometimes pointing it around whenever she talked to the boy behind her.
A human boy of black hair much spikier than usual, wearing a dark grey long coat and dark brown pants. Like Yoshi, Kazamir also lack his usual weapon of choice. Instead of holding his usual rifles, he held a six inch silver revolver. One that had his name conveniently etched upon a glimmering barrel. Like the newmen girl, Kreszentia, he didn’t question his attire. He just rolled with it.
“Out of all the people with different attire, why do I have to the one wearing the dress?” groaned a disgusted Yoshi, tugging at her oversized skirt. “Hey, Kris, trade with me.”
“No,” quickly said the newmen without looking.
“Oh, come on. Help me out here.”
“It would never fit you anyways.”
“I’ll show you it wouldn’t fit.”
“Quite, someone might be in there,” Kreszentia silently barked. A leather finger pointed at the door. “Kazamir, breach maneuver b.”
Kazamir moved forward. Back pressed against the wall, face near the crystal doorknob, the boy stared at the newmen and whispered back, “But I don’t have any grenades on me.”
Lighting struck. Thunder roared and tore through the air. Window by window, the beams of moonlight disappeared and were replaced by hard rain. Kreszentia took the other side of the doorway. Yoshi sat behind her.
“That’s maneuver c. B just uses the gun,” she replied.
“Oh, right,” said the human, rubbing the back of his head. “Going in, in three.”
Three fingers lifted into the air. One by one they folded down. Once the last finger disappeared, Kazamir opened the door and stormed inside, pistol at the ready. Kreszenia followed after, backed up by Yoshi whom pointed her staff towards the hallway and until she hugged the other side of the wall.
“All clear,” Kazamir whispered.
“Clear,” Kreszentia confirmed.
The door slammed shut by itself. The three of them quickly looked backwards to see a the door lock itself.
“I didn’t do it,” panicked Yoshi.
“Keep your guard up,” commanded Kreszentia. “Sweep the area.”
The three of them assumed a line formation and swept the maroon themed room. Yoshi checked the decorated gold goblets, polished golden plates, detailed jars and cobweb covered pots. Kazamir kicked at the wooden molding, looked inside a dark wooden cabinet and behind a dusty grandfather clock. Kreszentia checked the bookshelf, the fireplace and the ancient picture frames littered all over the wall. By the time they reached the other door, they reentered into their breaching formation and looked at one another.
“Not a secret switch to be found.”
“Pretty dusty place,” commented Kazamir, looking around the room as he did. “Lots of nice things too.”
“Focus, Kaz.”
“Right, sorry. Opening the door.”
The newmen rolled her eyes. “Just alert it to the world, Kazamir,” she sassed.
Kazamir opened the door and halted mid entry.
“Stairs- wood- looks a little worn here and there,” spat the boy.
“Enter slowly. Yoshi, be ready to use techniques. We’re going to need a source of light.”
“I’m wearing a dress and am assigned the team’s support mage. Great, this is just great.”
“So Kreszentia, your birthday is coming up soon. Did you ask Yoshi’s father yet?”
Yoshi bonked the boy’s head with the bottom end of her staff. “Boy, we’re in ooky spooky haunted mansion land and you’re talking about birthdays right now?”
“Was just trying to pass the time,” the boy shrugged.
“No, I haven’t,” the newmen calmly replied. “Eventually I will though.”
“Have you tried asking your mom how to show emotions instead?”
“No. She will never know what it’s truly like, to have a condition like my own.”
“I don’t know, Kris. With the things ive heard-.”
“Zip it Yoshi, I see water.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/zUu2oUG1OMg)
In the faded fire light, emerald green waters gently caressed the edges of a stone tile platform down below. In an effort to see what waited ahead, the tan girl pointed her staff forward so that the flames flicker in front of the group. Upon doing so, Kazamir froze in place. The melting darkness had revealed a gazing robed figure standing on a boat. Neither of them could see his face but judging by how he hunched, he must have been old or hasn’t stood straight in a long time.
“Ah, more lost souls wandering the villa,” an old man gently said. “Come, come, I shall take you across. If you three are fast enough, you can catch up to the others. Yes.”
The robed figure slowly turned away and circled his paddle in the water. Kazamir looked to the newmen with a face of concern. Kreszentia pointed her chin forward in response. Seeing this, Kazamir continued forward. Step by step, he waddled down the stairs and onto the moist tiled platform. Being the first there, the robed figure guided him into the row boat and the other two second, leaving Yoshi to sit right beside him.
“So, tell me about these other lost souls,” asked Kreszentia, a foot resting on the seat, an elbow on her knee, looking forwards while the row man pushed away.
“Warriors from all over. Each here for a common purpose, to defeat what awaits over on the other end of this underground lake. From there will be another stairway leading to the surface. Where you go next is up to you.”
Yoshi dipped her staff into the water upon seeing something move underneath them.
“Careful,” warned the robed figure. “Only death lies within those waters. You wouldn’t want to be snagged by something.”
Yoshi retracted the staff and waved the water off of it, simply saying, “ew,” in the process.
“What monsters will we be facing?”
“I do not know. I am only the ferryman, faithfully doing my role for the family as I always have.”
“I see,” replied a puzzled newmen.
In the silence, Kazamir looked back and mouth at Yoshi, “trade with me.” Without hesitation, Yoshi and Kazamir crawled around the boat and took each other’s spots.
“A curious decision,” remarked the robed man.
Now becoming the person sitting up front, Yoshi relit the staff and pointed it ahead of the boat. Nothing, she could see nothing; just more darkness, green water, a few stalagmites and a few stalactites here and there. During this time, Kreszentia didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she continued to stare outward with her foot still raised foot. Yoshi kept the staff forward and Kazamir made sure he had enough ammo on him for the coming fights. Every so often he would take a clip out of his pocket, spin it around on the back of his hand, toss it up in the air, and re-pocket it whenever he got bored. After a few minutes of waiting, something finally appeared up ahead, another stone platform. Only instead of it being made up of large think slabs of decorated stone, this one was made up of several pebble like stones glued together to create a walkway. Fill with joy, Yoshi silently bounced around in her seat, pointing outward while staring at her friends. In response her newmen friend looked down with her eyes and Kazamir gave her a thumbs up.
“Finally,” stretched Yoshi, stepping off the boat.
“Thank you for allowing us to cross,” said Kreszentia to the robed man.
“Don’t thank me just yet,” he replied. “There is still one matter you must concern yourselves with?”
The newmen lifted a brow. “Oh?”
“The fee. And a very costly one at that.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/VEzATFtHOjE)
Before any of them could respond, the robed figured grabbed Kazamir by the waist and plunged backwards. In an effort to save her friend, Yoshi grabbed at the boy’s arm but lost her grip. Kreszentia in turn gripped Yoshi by the shoulder to keep her from falling. Kazamir wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Soundlessly, he melted into the water and vanished.
“Kazamir,” Yoshi screamed.
“No,” the newmen shouted.
Yoshi continued to call out for her friend. Kept just away from the water, three pale green arms flailed out of the water and grasped at the tan girl’s dangling arm. Upon seeing this, the newmen pulled her friend away and threw her onto the stairs.
“We leave at once, Yoshi. There is nothing we can do for him.”
The girl wouldn’t move so the newmen kicked her rear to make her.
“Now, Yoshi,” she cried, holding back her tears. “Before I drag you up there.”
And so she did. She pulled the girl in the pink dress up the cold, moist and slightly mossy stone stairway until they walked into they came across a heavy looking wooden door and into an open courtyard. A wide courtyard walled off by windows and doorways, covered with a layer of grass and a tiled off center were a large fountain laid in the center. Surrounding the fountain were four quarter circle plant stands, several bushes along the walls and plenty of trees. Judging by the amount of ivy covering the courtyard’s walls, this place has been around for a long time yet still maintained a proper appearance. The bushes have been recently trimmed.
“If I am not mistaken, it appears that we are in a castle of some sorts,” the newmen said under her breath, wiping an arm over her eyes, a hand still attached to the girl’s collar. “On your feet, Yoshi. We head to the other side, okay?”
“Yeah.”
Yoshi picked herself off the floor and looked up into the rain. In the next instant, a bolt of lightning stuck a nearby tree and lit it on fire. Startled by this event, the two of them hurried across the courtyard and quickly entered the castle. Lucky for them, nothing popped up along the way. Just another bolt of lightning that struck nearby.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/KkYnJKmsKLM)
Once inside, Kreszentia scanned the area.
“The ferryman was right,” she said to Yoshi. “There are other people here. Candles freshly lit yet no water or signs of footsteps to be seen. The red rugs are clean as well. Odd is it not?” Yoshi didn’t answer. Instead she examined one of the may candle stands and the melting wax on top of it. “I also see a second floor, yet I do not see a stairway. Let us continue into the other room.”
Without a word, the two crossed the open room and into the other. Still nothing showed up, but the room was different from the last. Only instead of being as fancy and clean as the one before, this one showed its sign of age. The walls looked worn down walls, covered in flaking paint and chipped stone. Battered candle stands, faded and discolored, neatly lined the floors, but some of them were knocked down. The red rugs are now dark maroon in color and suffered several rips and tears all over it. Above all else, this room lacked a second floor, only barred off doorways.
“Fascinating yet redundant layout,” stated the newmen. “I wonder why they have doors up there?”
Yoshi held Kreszentia back and pointed upwards. “Kris, watch out,” she whispered.
The two of them looked up at the ceiling and noticed something waiting above. A brown cat like creature waited above, which fell down and landed on all fours. Unfazed by the fall, the face of human like woman looked up at them with piercing cat like eyes and smiled. The girls readied their weapons and glared.
“Well, well, look what we have here. More dinner for me. I must say, you two don’t look half as appetizing as the last batch that came in here.”
“It is time you breathe your last then, monster.”
“I’m going to make you pay for what your people did to Kazamir.”
“I’d like to see you try,” the cat woman grinned.
In a blink of an eye, Yoshi drew out the pistol and open fired. Before they knew it, the battle ended as soon as it began, leaving only a bloody corpse on the floor and a heaving Yoshi.
“Where did you get that pistol?” asked her friend.
“It dropped on the floor… as soon as the man grabbed Kaz,” panted Yoshi.
“I hope you managed to salvage more ammo as well.”
“Nope,” laughed Yoshi. “Wasted all seven shots.” After that, Yoshi tossed aside the pistol and continued onwards. “More blood for the blood gods,” she continued.
Kreszentia frowned and studied the discarded pistol. “For the sake of our friendship, I hope you are well in the head.”
“Perfectly fine,” Yoshi replied. “What could possibly go wrong?” she laughed.
Yoshi grabbed the handle of another door and jiggled it, then struggled with it. The door wouldn’t open. They traded places. Kreszentia fought with it. No luck. They both looked at each other and nodded. Just as they were about to blast down the door, the room began to shake. The girls looked around.
“No signs of the roof collapsing,” determined the newmen, looking for signs of falling dust.
“An earthquake?” asked Yoshi.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/F32hNnvGYxE)
The two of them looked down at their feet. The floor collapsed on them. Fearing for their lives, they clung to each other and didn’t realize that they didn’t fall very far. Something caught them midflight. A pillar of some kind, one that collapsed a few seconds later, leaving them on the floor covered in dust and rubble.
“Well, well, so kind of you to drop by,” said a sitting man with a deep voice.
The girls looked up to see a man in fancy attire sitting on a throne while holding a goblet between his fingers. Before they could get up and recover, the man snapped his fingers and made Yoshi disappear.
Kreszentia looked to her left and uttered, “Yoshi.” Afterwards she looked at the man. “That was cheap,” the newmen shouted in rage.
“Yes, well, if it worked on two people at once, this wouldn’t be so much of a problem,” the man replied, tossing aside his cup. “But as it stands, that just leaves you and me now. En garde, young warrior.”
Kreszentia glared at the man. The man smiled at the newmen girl and preformed a confident shrug. Just as the two were about to engage in battle, everything went dark and the room disappeared. The man’s costume dissolved away and revealed its true form, Yoshiblue’s father staring beyond the newmen girl. Now standing in black room covered in a grid, Kreszentia could Kazamir, Kazamir’s mother and Yoshi all sitting on the side with smiles and confused gazes. She also noticed her dad in robes standing behind Yoshi’s father. Finally a newmen woman stormed in and shouted,

(*silence*)
“Of course you had to be involved.”
Kreszentia stared at her dad with a shocked expression.
“Going to back me up on this one?” asked Yoshi’s father.
“Nope,” replied her dad, tightening the hood of his robe.
“She’s your wife though.”
“But it’s not my problem,” her dad countered. “So, buh-bye.”
“Go with your father, Kris. I’ll handle this,” Yoshi warmly continued before walking forward and saying, “Ah, good of you to come. I’ve been meaning to ask for my launcher back.”
“Stay on the- No, I will not give you back the launcher. How ignorant must you be to give a child a modified launcher?”
“Hey, you didn’t complain when you asked me for one.”
“That was for a different reason and I am not a child!”
Meanwhile back with Kazamir and Yoshi, Kreszentia met up with the two and gave them a sheepish smile. Upon meeting with one another, they all entered into a group hug and smiled.
“Kaz, when you switched seats, did you know?” asked the newmen.
“Yeah, I noticed your emotions. You noticed something too, right?”
“It’s very unusual to allow students to take naps in class.”
“Come on,” said Kazamir’s mother, wrapping her arms around all of them. “We should escape the drama while we still can.”
“Yeah,” said Kreszentia’s dad. “Let him deal with her wrath.”
“Oh you’re so mean.”
“How dare you scare my child like that,” screamed Kreszentia’s mother in the background.
“Hey, your husband was in on this too you know.” Both of them looked towards the exit. Just as he said that, the robed man flipped him off and left the room. “Yeah, you thought you got out of it, didn’t you?” yelled Yoshi’s father. After that, he looked at the newmen woman and held back his laughter.
“What’s so funny,” screamed the flushed newmen.
“Sorry, I’m still not use to you expressing so much anger.”

(Optional End Title) (https://youtu.be/VuQSKUTe89g?t=28s)
[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt4l9HOMVjE&feature=youtu.be

Did you get this from me? I know this arranger. The violinist is the daughter of my mother's best friend in highschool. She's been doing some awesome stuff these past few years. She even played in an orchestra performing Final Fantasy pieces, led by Nobuo Uematsu. How awesome that you used her in your chapter.

Also, in Another Mind Witch, the last song has been removed.

[yoshiblue]

Something spurred me to really use dire dire docks for that entry. So for like half a day or more, I went out of my way listening to several renditions of Dire Dire Docks until I could narrow down the choices. In the end this one won. It's very nice.

The song is "Pow Wow". I believe it's the same name as the level in the mobile game. Sadly I can do nothing for the replacement of the removed song. Not unless I want to use a different song entirely. I may be able to find something if I dig deep enough, but not many people post much about the Wakfu side content on the yobtubes.

[jacklance]

Coffin Dreamers ^^

[Zorafim]

Ha, I can't believe it. You look for the best rendition of the song you can find, and you end up with her's. I need to tell her about this.

[stukasa]

Filler (the one from 12/15/14):
[spoiler-box]It still seems somewhat arbitrary to me which chapters you consider filler and which you don't. I guess only you know which chapters move the main plot along, because even some of these so-called fillers introduce new characters and plotlines.

Aww, Dimitri gave Yoshi a friendship bracelet. ^^ That part surprised me, I rather expected a fight to break out instead.

It's nice that father and daughter are spending some quality time together, it's just a little funny because some of that time is spent doing missions (which I assume can be dangerous).[/spoiler-box]

Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]Hey, I finally got to the random Beast reference! I don't remember when but I know you said there'd be one, and I finally got to it after all this time.

So many annoying Newmans in your story. :lol: Dimitri doesn't seem quite as bad as I expected. He's tough, sure, but he hasn't gone out of his way to torment Yoshi. I guess I'll say that at least he has enough sense to keep his priorities straight.

Second filler: lol, the infamous photon chair makes an appearance! How it appears out of nowhere is another story. :p

Wait, so Marean is really named Sia? And Yoshi's daughter Marean is Arethusa. So that means there's not actually anyone in your story named Marean?! My mind is exploding right now!

Wait, Mags can flirt with CASTs? That's, umm... interesting. xD[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[spoiler-box]Going from what I learned in PSO and PSZ, they have feelings but can't express them like CASTs can. Being more or less the precursors to CASTs though, i'd imagine they would still have some similarities. Pain and devotion being some of them.[/spoiler-box]

[Sacrificial]

Filler / Filler:
[spoiler-box]
Wait, so Marean is really named Sia? And Yoshi's daughter Marean is Arethusa. So that means there's not actually anyone in your story named Marean?! My mind is exploding right now![/spoiler-box]
ikr
http://i.imgur.com/4QmbIBq.gif

[stukasa]

Filler (the one from 12/29/14):
[spoiler-box]My gods man, every character in your story has way too many identities! :lol: There's Marean whose real name is Sia but is posing as Marisa, then there's the other Marean whose real name is Arethusa but who is also in disguise, then there's Yoshi Blue a.k.a. Yoshiblue a.k.a. Bitol Xol...

PB&J soda? Blech! xD I wouldn't be surprised if something like that actually exists, though.

Yoshi second-guesses himself a lot, I notice. I suppose it's tough with so many difficult people to deal with.

I kinda wonder if Marean deliberately asked if her butt looked big knowing Yoshi would make an ass of himself (pun intended), giving her an excuse to ask him to pay for the clothes. Is she really that calculating...? Yeah, probably.

I laughed when I saw the "Pro Bass Fishing 2003 Soundtrack" music. Where do you find some of these songs? xD[/spoiler-box]

Another Side Another Story - Yoshiblue: The Omake:
[spoiler-box]I... wait, what? XD You gave me a bit of a spoiler for this before, but having read it, I still don't know what's going on. Is girl Yoshi an imposter, is this another dimension, or what? (Note: If telling me would constitute a spoiler, I can wait and find out myself.) I notice her personality seems a bit different, like she seems more assertive and self-confident than our usual hero. Maybe that was intentional. I just thought I'd point it out.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Filler (the one from 12/29/14):
[spoiler-box]My gods man, every character in your story has way too many identities! :lol: There's Marean whose real name is Sia but is posing as Marisa, then there's the other Marean whose real name is Arethusa but who is also in disguise, then there's Yoshi Blue a.k.a. Yoshiblue a.k.a. Bitol Xol...

PB&J soda? Blech! xD I wouldn't be surprised if something like that actually exists, though.

Yoshi second-guesses himself a lot, I notice. I suppose it's tough with so many difficult people to deal with.

I kinda wonder if Marean deliberately asked if her butt looked big knowing Yoshi would make an ass of himself (pun intended), giving her an excuse to ask him to pay for the clothes. Is she really that calculating...? Yeah, probably.

I laughed when I saw the "Pro Bass Fishing 2003 Soundtrack" music. Where do you find some of these songs? xD[/spoiler-box]

Another Side Another Story - Yoshiblue: The Omake:
[spoiler-box]I... wait, what? XD You gave me a bit of a spoiler for this before, but having read it, I still don't know what's going on. Is girl Yoshi an imposter, is this another dimension, or what? (Note: If telling me would constitute a spoiler, I can wait and find out myself.) I notice her personality seems a bit different, like she seems more assertive and self-confident than our usual hero. Maybe that was intentional. I just thought I'd point it out.[/spoiler-box]

[SPOILER-BOX]The omake came from the simple thought, "What if I made Yoshi a girl instead of a boy?" In the omake, which becomes the Extra series afterwards, the story is about the girl imaging of Yoshi and the adventures she goes through, living a life completely different from her male counter part. For the most part, when I used the term six years hence, I wanted to use this entry as a before and after showing. How Yoshi used to be and how he is now, after all the bloodshed and trauma. Rest assured though, female Yoshi won't be going through the same drama.

This being his first time he gets to do as he pleases (leading the party), coupled with his feelings for the two, he spends more time trying to not mess up and thinking of ways to leave a positive impact after this is all over. Overthinking isn't always a great idea though. When Sia asked him the question, it kills several birds with one stone. Her being on her own for a good while, she's also not above taking advantage of a situation either. In this case, using her pay for repairs on her ship and important matters while using Yoshi's money for luxuries. Off screen she comes to regret this later. Same as when Yoshi bought her the boat load of drinks and his sudden leaving.

Most of the music I use is from stuff I remember playing or seeing. In this case, I only played the demo of big bass fishing but I do remember it. So eventually I went and kept a song on hand in case I wanted to use it in the future. Do have to admit though, having a song you want to use but can't for various reason is pretty bleh. For the longest time I really wanted to use something from the Evolution: Worlds soundtrack, but couldn't because I felt it didn't match up with any mood or scenario I wrote. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Do have to admit though, having a song you want to use but can't for various reason is pretty bleh. For the longest time I really wanted to use something from the Evolution: Worlds soundtrack, but couldn't because I felt it didn't match up with any mood or scenario I wrote.
I know how you feel. I have songs I've wanted to use for two years and still haven't found a place for them! I keep telling myself, "Someday, someday..."

[Zorafim]

I want to get to the point where I write chapters just because, and not for any story reasons. So any time I hear a song and go "That would make a great story song!", I just go and write that story.

[spoiler-box]I've noticed that when people gender flip their characters, they often have different personalities. I get that there's some difference in upbringing between the two genders, as well as some chemical differences that would change behaviors. But I still find vast changes in personality to be jarring.
I'm thinking mostly about Ranma 1/2. In it the protagonist often changes gender. Yet despite being a macho man, he often flirts and acts cutesy with his girl half. That always bugged me.
Of course, I'm not innocent either. I intended for Levia to be mostly gender neutral, yet my only introduction to a male Levia involved him going mad, and her personality is very subdued and feminine. Maybe one day I'll try the gender flipping, and see what happens.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler: Won't Turn From Danger For Now On -[SPOILER-BOX]
Careful brown eyes waved back and forth as they peeked around a marble waterfall, one of two that covered the opposite end of a doorway. From the sun lit hallway behind it, down they peeked over a mysterious stairway. Flicking about left and right, a newman woman thought of a contingency plan before she headed down the stairs. Since the stairway led deeper into the facility, the ability to escape through the surface seemed less of a likely possibly. Thinking on this, it made her stare out of the long curving window behind her one more time. So she could see the bright city and its sparkling lake before plunging deep inside.
“This is Marisa,” the female newmen said while starting her decent, pistol held steady in hand.
“Go ahead, Marisa,” said Rio.
“Does the lower floors of the building contain any windows leading out into the lake?”
“None in your section, not outside of the facility at least,” the man replied. “Right now you are heading into dolphin command center. The central nerve, you could say, that watches and controls the dolphin’s environment spanning across the facility. Beyond that is the research portion of the building and the housing for the dolphins.”
Sia tapped at a small green panel and opened a dim blue and white door. Stepping inside, she looked around and said, “Kind of odd to put housing by a research area.”
“Originally it used to act as a nursing home, back when the dolphins were the only attraction there. However, due to the sudden influx of other animals, they decided to transform it into a research branch. This was after the president denied them the option to build a separate building, so that they could move their research endeavors over there. I advise that you be very careful once you get there, Marisa. The equipment is very expensive. Do what you can to keep the flames away.”
“Right, I’ll do what I can to keep it safe.”
“Also, readings show that there is someone there as well. Since there has been a report of someone blocking off access to the command area, maybe that person could tell you why.”
Sia smirked and examined her pistol. “A chance to bloody my knuckles? This mission just got a lot more interesting.”
None of the lights were on in the room but the consoles were still on. While everything seemed dark and lifeless, the water barely lit by a few rectangles outside, within the darkness glowed several images displaying a different part of the building. From what Sia could gather, each one of them seemed to control a separate section of the zoo. The idea reinforced by the titles over the screens.
“Try not to beat them up too much, Marisa,” Yoshi butted in. “We still need them to be able to speak, heh.”
On this, Sia heard something. With a simple puff from her nose, she smiled and crouched behind the main gate’s controls. Peeking around the white console, her head just above the onyx tile floor, she noticed a gray creature float on by. As if it was patrolling the area. Going from one side of the expansive window and towards the other, it seemed to have not noticed her. Once it had disappeared from view, Sia almost got back onto her feet until she noticed the nose of it going for a second pass.
Why am I even hiding in the first place, she thought in head. She couldn’t understand it. What did she have to hide from a dolphin? What threat could the dolphin be from out there? While she searched her head the answer, she watched and waited. Listening carefully, she thought she could hear the muffle mutterings of a man in the distance. Thought it was not the whimpers that kept her down, it was really the device attached to the mammal. Small and just above they left eye, a tiny light glowing faint red in black waters.
“Rio, any information on the modified dolphins?”
“Not that I’m aware of. There isn’t any information on such a thing even existing. Why?”
“It seems the guy’s jaw will be coming back intact.”
With two palms over his face, Yoshi left gaps in his fingers to make sure he didn’t crash into anything while he sat in his despair. Conflicted as to what he should do, his mind buzzed over the safety of Sia’s identify and how to handle her questionably violent nature. In an attempt to keep everyone safe, he tried forming a plan of his own. A plan soon interrupted by Arethusa’s calls, where a hand waved in the air.
“Psst, hey,” she whispered.
Yoshi rubbed his forehead and spun around, raising both brows. Seeing that his daughter wanted him to come over, he activated auto-pilot and walked over to her side. As he closed in, Arethusa dropped her chair a little and placed the turret on standby mode. That way the gun would remain armed and on top, avoiding any form of suspicion from her fellow pilots. Meeting her father eye to eye, she whispered,
“It may be a good idea to stay in constant communication with her.”
“You’re worried about her identity too?” asked her father, scratching his head.
“Nah,” she waved away. “She can take care of herself, dad. She’s done so for how many years now?”
Yoshi looked towards the ceiling. “eh-uh,” he hummed.
“Anyways, I’m more worried about the other people, if she’s going to get violent.”
“What makes you say that? I don’t see why he would be any kind of threat. Come to think of it, I did hear Arron telling Yvonna to calm down as well.”
Arethusa leaned forward and gave her father a serious frown. “Dad, they’re Melc-whatever you call them Newmens. Just because Sia likes you, don’t mean she’ll show everyone else the same kind of kindness.”
Eyes widened as two hands chopped the air in front of them. “Wait,” Yoshi said quickly. “When you mean like, we’re just talking about like, right? Not like liking?”
Arethusa gave her father a weak smile and pointed behind him. “I’d be more worried about the ship right now dad,” she replied. “Seems mag man still don’t know how to control the ship properly.”
“Oh,” shouted a blushing Yoshi, crashing into the pilot’s chair with much haste. “I can’t believe I forgot to program him for the B-01s.”
As Yoshi saved the ship from going to close to the hull of the building, water splashing all over the windshield, Arethusa silently chuckled and rose in her seat back into its proper firing position.
“Yoshi,” sternly shouted Rio. “Is there something wrong with your ship?”
“No sir,” replied Yoshi. “I just got too carried away on the flame is all- it won’t happen again.”
“It better not.”
“They sure do like their marble floors,” commented Arron. “I found a group of ten. Transporting them now. Yvonna, how are you hanging in there?”
In the darkness, two blue lights pulsated. In three pulses it shifted over towards the left and revealed a brown, barnacle covered rocky surface. In the next second it shifted right, revealing the underside of a white stylized structure.
“Transport complete. Keep up the good work, Zelatus,” said Rio, just before something whizzed under Stamato’s vision.
A dolphin cry could be heard in the water. Hearing this, Stamato switched vision modes and saw two red figures fighting one another above a large green clam like figure. In the middle of the fight, just as the clam was closing, the augmented dolphin rammed its kin into the clam, causing the tail to get caught in a green mouth. After that, the CAST quickly became the center of its attention and charged at him with amazing speed. Quickly calculating the time of impact, Stamato reacted by twisting his torso. Raising his arm at the same time, he deflected the speeding blue mammal and forced it to fly in a different direction. Suddenly more echoes came in. Before Stamato could counter attack, another charged at him. As if he knew of the other’s presence, he deflected it and when he did, a third attacker came rushing in.
“Rio, this is Stamato. The creatures have become rebellious. What is my next course of action?”
“If you must, knock them unconscious, but do not kill them. We still need to save them like everything else.”
“Acknowledged.”
Focusing back onto his surroundings, he noticed the blue creatures swimming in a circle. They intended to limit his movement by altering the flow of the water. Had he relied on just his arms and legs to swim this would have been an issue, but technology was on his side. Using the jets on his back to move out of the way, it caused a dolphin to panic and charge at his chest. Using this as an opportunity to knock it out, he gladly took the blow and gave it a good chop on the head. Knocking unconscious right away, he set a lock on the dolphin and transported it away. Once gone, Stamato looked towards the other two.
“I don’t know how long that one will be unconscious, so I would advise they get it somewhere secure.”
The mammals started to communicate with each other and tried to swim away. Seeing this as another opportunity, Stamato charged after them and grasped at one of their tails. Seeing him on the chase, they started to use all sorts of tricks to escape. They moved up and apart, preformed risky maneuvers, kicked up the dirt and sand. Over time, they began to grow more despite. By the time they resorted to violent tactics, Stamato was ready. He waited this very moment. After clearing an underwater cropping, one of them allowed themselves to act as bait while the other one swam away. Keeping an eye on both of them using the mini map in his vision, he watched as the second one looped around and charged at his side. Just before it made impact, Stamato grabbed onto the dolphin and chop at this one too.
“Got the other one,” he reported, teleporting this one away while looking back out into the abyss. “Sadly it seems the leader managed to get away.”
“Stamato,” ringed in Yoshi. “I just got word on the modified dolphin. Seems what started out as a translation project turned into an augmentation experiment instead.”
“Any motive for an attack?” asked Stamato as he swam back to rescue his clam grabbed ally.
“According to the staff dude, none of them died to this. Best I could say is that they got tired of being used as lab rats. The good news is that we do know that the gray dude is behind the fires. Apparently, it could link up with the building’s computer and control the features the building had to offer, causing overload and all that jazz.”
“Would explain why the staff member went out of his way to cut off the command center.”
“Don’t you think that would something to share with the team, Marisa?” asked a slightly irritated Yvonna.
“Heh, I only know because I was just making sure she didn’t beat up the guy,” Yoshi cut in.
“How good of Yoshi to save his special partner,” sassed Arron.
Rio’s face appeared in Stamato’s vision. “Stamato, we need you to stop that dolphin before it causes any more damage. You hear me?”
“Consider it done, sir.”
“Everyone else is to stay focused on the original mission. Yoshi, how are the fires holding out?”
There was a slight pause before Yoshi gave his answer. “We’re almost done," he responded. "All that’s left are the smaller ones here and there.”
“Good, you are to go inside and assist with the rescue mission.”
“You hear that, Inanna? We get to go down and punch a flame,” said Yoshi with much enthusiasm in his voice.
“Nobody is going to punching any flames, Yoshi,” scolded Marisa, Arethusa cheering in the background.

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Inner Depths:
[spoiler-box]I'm not sure which is weirder, the fact that a 12-hour ambient noise loop of the ship from Alien exists, or the fact you used it as a "song" in your story. And why pick the 12-hour version, since it seems there's also a 1-hour and 6-hour version as well? :lol: Well, it was something different and I appreciate it when writers try something new.

I'm... sensing some tension between Shiomi and Dimitri. There must be some as-of-yet unexplained history between them.

Two tracks? In a chapter that long? Good luck, buddy! xD Yes, you used a lot of songs but it happens sometimes, especially when the pace/tone is constantly changing. On a side note, I considered using that .hack//SIGN song in my own story but never found a place for it.

Yoshi got pretty banged up in this one. I wasn't expecting that, mainly because we (the readers) didn't see it happen. It was more of a sudden shock that way.

Also, the Rappy bartender is one of my favorite minor characters. :D[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/9qQm3kaxfl4)
Dancing upon gray jagged surface over black walls, lines of yellow and white tossed back and forth in the bright sunlight overhead. Between flickering flashes and under chirping birds, the water of a five layer fountain flowed gloriously within an open stone cloister. One made to capture the beauty and essence of a long gone age, so that the minds of the past would aid the students in their learning. Ranging forty five centimeters in length and twenty centimeters in width, the fountain came surrounded by several pillars with futuristic touches, wrapped around by elongated flower beds, all which were symmetrically sheltered by a large towering building. With the sun shining high above the building’s open space, in it revealed four people standing inside, three of them surrounding a one.
Hidden beneath the shadows not too far away, behind an intricate wall east of the cloister, a newmen girl of white hair peeked behind to see three boys harass a forth. Black in hair color, she watched as the boy stood his ground with his back against the water. One by one, one of the three large kids took turns pushing him around. Though dull in expression, her eyes unmoving, the longer she listened, the more she waited, the tighter her fingernails scrapped at the stone surface. She wanted to take action, she wanted to let go, but at the same time, she had a plan and that plan required she be careful. Because of this, grey eyes would dart around for an opening.
“Hey, Kris. What’s going on?” suddenly asked a peppy girl from behind.
In the mists of the newmen’s planning, another girl of tan skin came in seemingly out of nowhere and ducked forward. Finding the newmen’s reaction to be amusing, she boasted a large smile as the watching girl stared at her with tranquil rage.
“Yoshi,” she said while reaching out.
Just as Yoshi opened her eyes, the newmen girl grabbed her by the collar and pulled her forward, into the shadows and out of sight.
“Are you trying to blow my cover?” scolded the newmen as best she could with her monotonous voice. “And would you please not do that again?”
“What?” shrugged Yoshi. “I can see why my mom does that all the time. Scaring people is fun. Too bad Dad is used to it though. I can’t do that to him.”
“Shush,” hushed the newmen. “Look over there and don’t call out to him.”
Yoshi peeked around the opposite side of the pillar. “Oh hey, it Kazamir,” she said in a present tone. “What’s going on?”
From in the distance, Kazamir entered into a more aggressive stance. The boys have gotten even rowdier now and started to move closer. In a single attack, all three of them struck. In one sweep, Kazamir blocked and parried them all. Now one of them held onto his bag and dug into it.
“Normally I would confront them, but I know how much you’ve been itching for a fight. So I waited for you to arrive.”
Yoshi poked her head inward into a gap for a better look. “So, which noses do I get to break?” she gleefully asked, carefully studying her potential opponents.
Kreszentia leaned closer as well and poked at the wall. “Preferably, I would like to defeat all three at once,” she said slowly. “But because I am such a good friend, you can have two of them. You can start with the freckled covered red head in blue and orange first, and then take the blond one in green and yellow after. Red head specializes in twin dagger combat but fails in aerial combat. Get him to jump and you will find a free hit. The blond one specializes in partisans. My bet is that he carries a collapsible pole with him at all times. He prefers to sweep than stab, so feel free to get in close.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. When do we start?”
“Right now,” said the newmen, pushing away in the other direction. “But first, let me open up with some pleasant chitchat. I would rather not look like a brute thirsting for the blood of my foes.”
Stepping out of the shade, both white and teal hair glowed under the sunlight as the two girls gracefully walked towards the fountain. Past the first set of white and grey jagged pattered pillars, around the square bend of the fountain and towards the next, Kreszentia increase in speed as she opened with,

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/aGmYnVW9ylk)
“Look at what we have here, a jester and his vacuous entourage.”
The boy with the bag stopped what he was doing and looked in the newmen’s direction. Walking past his two companions, he puffed out his chest and replied, “Oh look, the three queens are finally united. It would be a shame if something were to happen to a pretty face. Why don’t you two do yourselves a favor and go paint your nails in the bathroom or something?”
“You even getting the chance to touch this face?” asked the monotonous newmen, a finger pressed against her cheek. “You are slow and pathetic. Not even worth the dirt under his boot.”
“Yeah,” butted in Yoshi. “That queen is going to kick your ass.”
Kreszentia looked over her shoulder and sighed. “Please stop talking, Yoshi,” said she before returning her unimpressed attention back onto the boys.
“I’m going to make you eat those word,” claimed the red head holding Kazamir. ”Let’s see how well your friend can fight with his head in the water.”
Kreszentia raised her brow. “Oh?” she sang, a hand on her katana hilt. “I do hope you know how to put up a rather good fight then. Need I remind you that our access to photons is restricted here? If you don’t, my friend behind me is going to rip you apart; and we all know how good she is in a fight regardless.”
Yoshi began to crack her knuckles and laugh. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
Kreszentia lifted her chin and dropped into a stance. “Shall we begin, Patil?”
Intimidated, the blond hair boy threw Kazamir’s bag into the water and backed away. After seeing that their morale had been shaken, the red head decided to back away and play off his retreat by responding, “Yeah, whatever. We’ll break your dolls some other time, boy.” In one swift motion, the newmen ripped the entire katana off of her back, caught the bag by its straps and threw it onto the ground. As soon as the three boys disappeared from sight, entering through the north corridor archway, Kreszentia replaced her katana sheath and kicked up Kazamir’s bag, gently handing it back to him.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/7URk537tPRg)
“For someone trained to literally rip the heart out of someone’s body, you are very good at restraining yourself. Are you hurt?”
Kazamir grasped the back of his head and looked toward the floor. “No, I’m fine. Heh,” he chuckled. “Mom said that if I’m going to fight, I fight only to kill.” Kazamir looked Kreszentia in the eyes. “I don’t really feel like killing anyone, Kris,” he finished.
Meanwhile, Yoshi sat on the side of the fountain and began to kick at the air. “And your dad?” she asked. Her bobbed back and forth, as if she was having the time of her life.
“Dad said that as long as I don’t start the fight, it doesn’t matter how I finish it. That I do what I must.”
Kreszentia crossed her arms again. Looking towards the sky, she watched the clouds pass by and said, “An interesting philosophy, but one that will get you into many undesirable situations.”
On that a hand quickly rose and fell in the air. “Well, then. I guess it’s a good thing I have you then, isn’t it?” smiled Kazamir. As he smiled, his eyes began to widen a little. For just for a moment, the boy thought he saw a smile flicker across the newmen’s face.
“Regardless,” Kreszentia replied, looking back at the fluffy clouds above. “That will have to change soon. Come, we are needed in the hanger.”
“What are we doing?” Kazamir asked as he rummaged through his bag.
“We are to partake in a training mission, involving alternative types of field insertions. Training for those times when a campship is unable to get us in properly.”
“Wait, but it’s the weekend. Who’s guiding us throughout the mission?”
“Yoshi’s father… and mother. She suggested the idea. So naturally, she will be coming too.”
Yoshi grabbed at her hair and squatted. “My mom is coming too?” she exclaimed. “Oh this is bad. This is really, really bad. Oh no, oh no, oh no.”
Seeing Yoshi in distress, Kazamir grabbed the girl by the shoulders and asked, “What is it Yoshi? What’s wrong?”
“She knows, Kaz. She know-ho-hos.”
“Knows what?”
“What am I going to do?”
“Yes,” said a woman out of nowhere. “What are you going to do?”
Before Yoshi could react, the woman wrapped an arm around her daughter’s neck and carelessly dragged her away. As she did, Yoshi kicked and struggled to free herself from the woman’s grip screaming,
“Ah! I’m sorry, mom. It was an accident. Kris, Kaz, help me. She’s taking me away.”
“So she is,” calmly said Kreszentia, showing no signs of remorse or concern. “Let’s go, Kaz. It would be best if we got there early.”
Kazamir threw his bag over his shoulder and gave the newmen a thumbs up. “Lead the way,” he smiled.
Nodding in response, Kreszentia turned around and headed towards the east exit, where she would go through several doors and hallways until they reached the academy’s aerodrome. Entering into the large glass building that is the airport lounge, the two walked past the black armchairs, around large holographic TVs, under a few holographic fences, until they finally reached a lone woman conveniently standing behind a blue and grey counter. As they approached, the woman looked up and smiled. All while moving a strand of black hair out of her face at the same time.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/YvW9KQ5vu8Y)
“Hello, you two. What can I do for you today?” she pleasantly asked.
“We were asked meet up with a pilot, ma’am,” said Kreszentia as politely as she could. “I believe he still flies one of the old Edta one o’ fours.”
“Ah, mister Xol. He should still be in hanger twelve. Do you want me to call him up?”
“Yes please,” said Kazamir, his chin hidden just under the counter.
Pulling up a tiny holoscreen from her counter, she poked away and placed a hand on her right ear. “Hello?” she said, looking out the giant glass wall behind them and out into the airfield. “Two students are here to see you. Yes. No, she doesn’t appear to be here with them at the moment. Your wife did come by earlier, yes. Okay, thank you. See you soon. Good-bye.”
The holo panel vanished. Once the call had ended she looked at the two and smile. “Mr. Xol will be here momentarily. Have a nice day you two.”
“Thank you,” the two said in unison before walking towards the nearest sofa.
A finger pointed at two armchairs sitting at the end of a wall. “So what do you think Yoshi got into trouble for?” asked Kazamir.
Before Kreszentia answered, she waited until the two of them sat down and got comfortable. Looking at her surrounding, she noticed the TVs all play the same thing. A motivational video of high quality; showing off various attractive parts of the school and the smiles of the students. Not too new, but not too old either, as it was recently made by graduating class of this year.
Moving on from the video, she looked outside to see what was going on. Aside from the occasional birds flying by, not much moved about on the airfield. Most of the doors were closed, and the ones that wasn’t had a lone trolley pulling two air ships into the hanger. Much like the hangers in the sides of the fleet’s cruiser, these hangers also had diagonal slits on the roofs; eight of them in rows of four. Every so often, when acting as teacher assistant for Yoshi’s father, she would hear him talk about how safe it was to use them and the how the hanger worked.
The buildings were divided into two floors and had a separate ramp for all eight ships. If the ship was lowered to the first floor, it was a sign that either it was being replaced, being used for the new class or was undergoing repairs. When seen on the second floor, where a large metal catwalk reined the air, this means that the ship was ready for use and could be placed under simulations. In some simulations, the ramp would imitate the movements of a campship for takeoff from time to time. When actual flying is underway, the ramps would lift all the way to the top and the roof doors would open. This way the ships would have a low chance of crashing into the roofs on the way out. It was also done this way to protect them from potential accidents.
“Who knows,” Kreszentia answered. “If Yoshi is known for one thing, it’s being unpredictable.”
“She got in trouble because she’s been abusing her unique talents,” said a teal hair man walking around the corner. “Sure with me, it’s okay because I can keep an eye on her. No big deal,” he shrugged. “But when it comes to her mother, who actually knows more than I do? Well, good luck,” he grinned. “Come on you two. I’ll take you to the ship.”
“Shouldn’t we be waiting for Yoshi?” asked Kazamir, looking and pointing at the front door.
“They’ll be there. Trust me,” Yoshi’s father surely responded.
It didn’t take long for them to reach hanger twelve. After catching a dolly heading out to the back of the facility, they were able to hop on and hop off once they reached their destination. Walking between solid gray slabs of metal, they noticed a white ship covered in faded yellow lines on the bottom floor.
“Alright, kids,” the man waved away with both hands. “Break time’s over, back to repairing the other ships.” All the students looked up and immediately moved away. As the last few jogged out of the ship, Yoshi’s father leaned against the side and knotted his arms. “I brought it in to show them what we used to use before they got replaced. They weren’t allowed to touch the parts though, so I had to fix everything up myself.”
“Is this your ship, Yoshi’s dad?” Kazamir asked, rubbing his fingers over the worn down yellow paint.
“No,” he replied, looking at the ship as if he expect some sort of reaction out of it. “I just have a lot of experience with them and am also in fact a good friend of its designer. Sometimes we get together and see what we can do with the thing. Much to my wife’s dismay, who speaking of which… Honey!” the man shouted, raising both arms in the air.
“Oh no,” she shouted back. “You’re not bailing your daughter out of this one.”
Meeting up with each other, the man placed both hands on the woman’s shoulders and pressed his against hers. “Dear, we can talk about that later. For now, let her have some fun with her friends.”
“Please don’t tell me they’re going to make out,” groaned Kazamir, looking in the direction of a giggling Yoshi.
“So what happened between you and your mother?” asked Kreszentia, without turning her attention away.
“We don’t speak of those times,” Yoshi replied as she placed a folder over Kazamir’s eyes, for laughs.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/RT4bkMKvJcY)
Yoshi father clapped and walked towards the trio. “Alright,” he eagerly said. “Let’s get this show on the road. Everyone into the ship, come on, come on. The chicken nuggets won’t stay hot forever. Mmh?” he hummed, pointing an eye brow at his wife.
In response she walked by and patted his shoulder. “Don’t quit your day job,” she grinned.
“Aw, you’re so mean to me.” Afterwards, Yoshi’s father busted out laughing. “Alright, Mori, you can lift the ramp,” he shouted somewhere towards the roof.
“Kaz, your leader of this mission,” commanded Kreszentia. “Yoshi, you got point.”
“Me?” asked the boy. “Why?”
“Because we all need experience leading incase one of us can’t. It’s also under your mother’s request.”
“Okay?” he replied. “I’ll try not to let you down.”
Yoshi's father closed the ship’s ramp door and walking towards the cockpit. Before he headed inside, he placed a hand on Kazamir’s shoulder and softly said, “You’ll do fine.”


[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Filler (from 1-12-15):
[spoiler-box]Arethusa sure is laid back and cheery considering the shape her father is in! I mean, what the heck, she's even wearing a monocle, top hat, and fake mustache! Who is she, the Monopoly guy? xD

Shiomi told a lot of heavy stuff to such a little kid. Well, maybe not SO little, but pretty young to take in all that.

Yoshi used to rig his friends' guns to backfire just so their group could stick together? That sounds crazy! I'm surprised it didn't end in tragedy. >.>;[/spoiler-box]

Filler (from 1-20-15):
[spoiler-box]I spent the first 4/5 of this story wondering who the main character was, which, I suppose, was probably the point. I also expected the white-haired woman to be Shiomi, but I guess I was wrong about that--unless you outdid yourself with your tendency of giving everyone multiple names. xD

Reinhardt seems like your typical overly-macho hero character, like maybe a superhero from a comic book. The kind who says stuff like, "Fear not, for I shall save you!"

Also, I liked the way you described the terrain/atmospheric stuff at the beginning. ^^[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]I guess I should have mentioned that Arethusa didn't even know her father was injured until after the operation. So when she was brought over to see him, it led her to believe the he wasn't in any real danger. So walking outside, she saw this as an opportunity to find out what happened. The top hat and monocle are also what she got her father to buy her, much to his dismay. She wears it because she doesn't really know what a detective looks like, a case of looking into the right time period but on the wrong person. So she ends up dressing like Moriarty instead of Holmes.

Shiomi is a case of having a lot to tell and not really caring at the same time. Since Arethusa isn't a real threat to her, she doesn't feel the need to guard any info. Lastly, the trio have had quite a few close calls. Like the time Kazamir tried to use Yoshi's pistol against the purple hair newmen (Sia). It was kept on safety for a reason and will be seen again in a later filler. Speaking of which, this was also kind of a weird transition time for using the name. In these few entries, I was debating if I should use Sia's name right away or wait a bit and continue to use the name Marean instead.

Rosalin is her own person, and if you think Reinhardt alone was bad, just imagine how his entire family acts.

I guess I forgot to respond you the last post too, heh. The spaces ship sound is 12 hours because I pretty much used the first thing I found and rolled with it. I also really like the ending bit to B.T.

Edit:
I feel I should also mention that having these kinds of clothes doesn't necessarily mean this is in the same universe as our own. It just stems from the fact that we have regal dress and modern day t-shirts. So at some point, these outfits existed. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]The upcoming PSO2 anime is supposed to take place on earth, or something like that. So, there's that!
Though I have to wonder, is this the same earth that destroyed Palma in the original series? I feel like they didn't think this through.[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

[spoiler-box]The upcoming PSO2 anime is supposed to take place on earth, or something like that. So, there's that!
Though I have to wonder, is this the same earth that destroyed Palma in the original series? I feel like they didn't think this through.[/spoiler-box]
I'm sure you are putting way more thought into it (with regards to PS lore) than the anime creators have.

[Zorafim]

Yeah, it's hard not to do that.

[stukasa]

Extra: RP Sessions
[spoiler-box]What did I just read? xD The characters were enacting some sort of comic play that broke the fourth wall, but beyond that I have no idea.

Also, ROFL @ "Cheetahmen II: The Movie" music. :lol:[/spoiler-box]

Extra:
[spoiler-box]Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure who most of these were. I kept second-guessing myself. ^^; I'm thinking #4 might be Yvonna, #5 could be Yoshi(?), #6 maybe Tuhina, #10 could be Ijiraku, and #14 ummm... Arethusa? With all of these, some things seemed to fit while other parts could be taken one way or another, so I really have no idea![/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

- Filler: Accept the Burning Rangers, They're Strong -[SPOILER-BOX]
Two pairs of glossy eyes popped out of barely lit black waters. A set of flaring blue ones and a set of slick blacks ones, the black ones pupils made just visible by a single square shape light on the edge of a rough surface in front of them. As the set of blues ones continued to get out, the pool of blue tinted water summoned the head of an angular black CAST and a pair of thin arms reaching out so it could lift itself onto cement floor. With only its sleek legs remaining in the water, the head of a dolphin attempted to talk to the robot when it knew it could no longer follow. Sadly, CAST couldn’t understand it words and as a result, turned around to say,
“Thanks for the help. I’ll take it from here.”
On that, the two stared at each other in silence. Hearing these words, the dolphin had nothing more to say to the metal being. After a two second stare down, the dolphin uttered one final cry, sunk into the water and vanished without a trace. Once gone, Stamato scanned around for an exit and hummed. To his well hidden dismay, nothing seemed familiar. According to three different maps he downloaded, he should still be underwater; not in a quarter full box in the middle of nowhere.
“Stamato to Rio. I seem to be in need of your guidance,” the CAST calmly said with a finger near his left eye. As he spoke, his voice echoed in the mostly hollow room. As far as he could see, not a single object occupied it. Just him and the single soft light behind him.
“One moment, Stamato,” a man responded.
Like a statue, Stamato held his pose. Never moving, never blinking. After a moment of silence, Rio came back on to say, “You seem to be located in a recent addition of the building; one much closer to both the power core and the inner depths of the zoo. I assume it was added to tend to the dolphins, should they be unable to make it back to the surface. However, it could also be another means to get to the main power core, or power room if you will. Be careful down there, Stamato. The log says its heavily guarded by animatronics. One press of a button and who knows what you will do the rest of the facility.”
“Acknowledged,” said Stamato, finally moving towards the exit. “I’ll be heading there now to make sure no one is there. Are we allowed to use our normal equipment yet?”
“Negative. They won’t budge on their decision, but we’re still trying.”
“This is Yoshi,” said another man the next second. “I found a large group of civilians huddled in a room. It’s looking bad. Inanna, set this pole over there. I’ll set up the portable screens.”
“Bad doesn’t tell me anything, Yoshi. What’s the situation?” Rio demanded.
“A few of the animals have been tranquilized, but three of them had to be put down. As far as the civilians go, several wounded… eight confirmed dead. I’ll let you know if I find more. On the bright side, I found the president. Evidently, staying down here-”
“We need to get him and his family out of there immediately.”
“You sure we can pull a mass warp with these things?”
As if he knowing what Yoshi spoke about, Rio said in response, “They’ve only failed once during the testing phase. It should be okay. I’ll notify the others that a large group will be arriving very soon.”
As Stamato walked through a seemingly endless walkway, he began to focus less on the smaller pipes above him and more on the floor below. From what he could tell, the passageway first started as a narrow tunnel, then opened up into a large enclosed halfpipe. Visible under many red lights, which lie on each side of the metal floor, he could see a long just as seemingly endless grated panel bouncing around under every foot step. Stopping in his tracks, he dropped down onto one knee for a better look. With his mag there to light up the inside of the panel, he could see a transparent pipe filled with running water which flowed up from where he stood and all the way towards the end of the corridor. Eyes trailing from his feet into the hazy darkness ahead, he stood back up and placed a finger against his head.
“Rio, is the power core water cooled?”
“In the past, it was used as a backup cooling and heating mechanism. It should still be in place to this day. Why?”
“Are the tubes large enough for a dolphin to swim in?”
“Possibly,” Rio replied. “Normally there should be gates blocking any sort of aquatic life from entering. Even if a dolphin could fit into there, there is a small chance it would last very long once inside.”
The sound of an opening door and the cries of several people could be heard over the radio as Arron butted in, “Please, Yoshi barely gets down here and thinks he already go his-Oh. Oh I think I’m going to..,” he gagged before closing off his channel.
The cried of several people could be heard once again as Yoshi replied, “Listen, Arron. Now’s not to the time to act like a little… Look, take this and put it over there. After that I need you to regroup with the guards and go up with them to look for the others.”
Arron’s voice wavered. “Like I’m going to let you tell me what to do,” he rebelled before hurling.
“Inanna, regroup with Marisa. I’m going to say down here and make sure nothing wrong happens.”
“Are you sure?” Arethusa asked in earnest.
“The mass warp only has a manual switch,” Rio added. “Not only will he have to stay there to activate it, but he may also need to be there should it need any more fuel.”
Walking further down the corridor, Stamato noticed that his marker now overlapped with Arron’s. As Yoshi close the channel, so no one would hear the two go back and forth over his commands, the CAST looked around for any sort of doorway and saw none. Once realizing that the walls remained solid all the way through, he looked up at the ceiling to see if any nearby maintenance shafts were installed. Much to his dismay, all he could see was just piping of several sizes. In the next few seconds, a similar but distorted warping sound could be heard not just over the radio, but through the entire building as well. When the warp began to go off, the ground began to vibrate and all the red lights around the CAST flickered on and off. Suddenly everyone could hear Yoshi uttered the word, “Oh,” before a loud explosion went off. The shockwave sent Stamato staggering backwards as he forced a finger on his head.
“Yoshi,” he cried.
Stamato didn’t get an answer. He repeated himself once, then twice. As he did, the sound of crumbling rock could be heard up above him. Almost like the crack of thunder, but slower, and in the next moment, the black robot would find his back turned against the ceiling as it tore itself apart. Out a random hole formed through the pipes, a lone body fell through along with the rest of the building. In the wake of the dust in his face, the CAST noticed a human male stand up from the rubble and carelessly dust himself off. Like nothing ever happened.
“Funny meeting you here, Stats,” the man causally said as he began to walk towards the baffled robot. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say someone wanted me dead.”
Once in arms reach, the CAST picked a piece of cement off from the man’s shoulder and examined it. “I must admit,” he said without taking his gaze off the multicolored object. “I am amazed with how calm you are about all of this.”
“Call it experience,” the man replied in a smug manner. “I’ve been through worse. Can’t say the same for the floor I burrowed through. I hate the sound of twisting metal.”
“Rio, it seems our presence has caused some plans to fast forward. Someone wanted those people dead. Yvonna, Yoshi and I will be heading towards the core. Is that alright?”
“Hurry it up, Stats,” Yvonna responded. “We don’t want another explosion like that to happen again.”
“According to Inanna,” joined a recovering Sia. “The room contained most of the explosion. Still, I would suggest you tread lightly around that area.”
“I think we should all pull out,” suggested Arron. “This place is toast. We already have a large crater on the side of the building. What makes you think anymore won’t happen?”
“We are ARKs, Arron. The guards can leave, but we’re not going anywhere,” said Yvonna.
“Yes, ma’am,” grudgingly said the man.
Without saying a word, a smirking Yoshi waved his arm forward and the two began to walk. Though the two said nothing to each other the whole way, in truth, both of them held a good number of questions from one another. Deep down inside, Stamato wanted to ask Yoshi why humans were so weird and why he was the most strange of all; willingly allowing others a position of leadership when any other human would rarely do the same. According to the history books at least. Meanwhile, Yoshi wanted to ask more about the building. What it housed, what it was made of, and the likely hood of their enemy’s escape. Since he knew next to nothing about the building’s layout, he felt it would be best to ask his friend. Since he has the entire building embedded in his mind. Or so Yoshi believed.
“So, Stats,” Yoshi began. “As far as I understand, the core doesn’t really use the facility’s tank water to cool the core does it?”
Stamato pointed a palm at the human and replied, “Enigma, as much as I would love to explain how its cooling system works, now is not the time.”
“Right, sorry,” said Yoshi in a low voice, facing forward again. “So, what do we do if the door is locked?”
“I have the bypass code. Do not worry.”
Both the CAST and the human pushed into jog.
“Pretty long hallway…” Yoshi commented. “Things to know when we get there?”
“Should the room be flooding or flooded, stand only in the marked areas of the floor. I feel our foe would move best in such an environment.”
The two shifted into a sprint.
“Right, only the marked areas.”
“Brace yourself, Enigma. We are approaching the door.”
Closing in, a circular doorway fitting the entire halfpipe slowly grew larger. From what Yoshi could see in the red light, the door frame was thick with metal and painted in yellow stripes. On the door itself he could see a large yellow sign that said warning. To the right of the door was a large key pad. To the left, a scrolling staff roster. Since Yoshi faced the unknown, he felt very tempted to reach for one of his three pistols. One of them being the gun issued to him by ARKS. The other two he owned for himself. However, since he was with Stamato, in the end he felt like he didn't need either of them.
“I’ll take point,” said Stamato as he punched in the code without hesitation.
Before the teal hair man knew it, the door dropped down like a heavy weight without anything holding it up. Stamato held an arm out In front of Yoshi.
“The door shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered.
“What’s going on?”
“Someone put the core into cool down mode. Brace for impact.”
Yoshi looked behind to see every single light shut off one row after another. In the darkness, he could hear liquid come rushing in though the path they ran through. Eyes widening in fear, he returned his gaze to the room and noticed only the core glowed inside.
“Inside, now,” Yoshi commanded.
“Quickly, to the yellow floor markers,” yelled Stamato.
Making it just in time, all the liquid from outside forced its way inside. Through the door, the two of them could hear the liquid crash into the core and slowly drain down the grates underneath. After falling through the grates in the floor, it then slowly made its way up the room and towards the ceiling. Finally, once the room had completely filled itself with fluid, the dolphin with the device in its head came rushing in.
Not bothering with Stamato, who it spotted first, it instead went for Yoshi instead. In self-defense, Yoshi summoned a block of earth and defended against the first attack. The nose bounced off. Yoshi almost left the floor marker. As the human recovered, the dolphin came around for another attack. This time it landed a hint. It hit Yoshi’s shoulder, forcing him to slam into the floor.
Stamato reach out and shouted, “Yoshi.”
Yoshi tried to get back up. The dolphin came around for the finishing blow. Seeing this as a life or death situation, Stamato decided to act. Shifting into overdrive, he jumped out of the cold spot and into the rest of the room. Just before the mammal could land its blow, the CAST came in just in time to tackle it into another direction, causing it to scrape its belly against the metal floor. Angered by the CASTs intervention, the once black eyes turned red with fury. As though shouting with all its might at the robot, a turret answer the mammal’s called and popped out of the wall. Bullets flew. Stamato picked up his fallen ally and made a run for it.
“Bitol, are you okay?” he asked, a bullet bouncing off his head.
“Don’t worry about me, Stats,” the man replied.
“And the turrets?”
“I’ll worry about the turrets. You worry about knocking out that dolphin.”
After that, Yoshi conjured up a small earth barrier above their heads. As Yoshi blocked the hail of bullets, Stamato dodged the violent blue creature and continued to run. One attack after another, the two kept clashing. Though the CAST managed to land a few hits onto it, it seemed to be unfazed by most of his attacks, and though the battle seemed to last forever, eventually the creature started to lose its patience. It stared the CAST in the eyes and emitted another one of its cries. All the turrets popped out at once and opened fire.
Yoshi winced in pain as he expanded the barrier. Though he knew his friend had them covered, Stamato didn’t know how much longer Yoshi could last. Stamato lifted his hand and stuck his fingers together. With a make shift blade in sight, the two looked at each other. Yoshi’s eyes widened and shook his head. Without saying a word, the robot and mammal clashed once more. Only instead of trying to knock it out this time, Stamato tried to stab his hand inside the head of the creature and pulled whatever part of it brain out of its skull.
“This is Stamato. The threat has been eliminated, and the experimental dolphin has been incapacitated. Appearently, it though it could use the emergancy power supply and it's resistance to temperature to have the upper hand over any soul it went up against.”
“Rio,” Yoshi butted in. “For Stamato’s sake. Put in the report that if the creature was killed, I did it. Not him. The last thing we need is a crisis breaking out over CASTs killing something.”
“Yoshi, that isn’t necessary. I know what I did. Though you prevented me from taking its life, I’m sure they will understand.”
“Whatever the case may be,” Rio sighed. “The deed has been done. We’ve done what we had to do. Zelatus, board the B-01 and get yourselves back to the campship. We’re heading home. Rio out.”

(Optional Ending Title) (https://youtu.be/_Xy7xKWvJck)
“How’s your shoulder?”
“It’s just dislocated,” Yoshi groaned, trying to shift it back into place. “Don’t… worry about… it.”
“Good work out there, Yoshi.”
“E-yeah, you too…”

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Expanding Depths:
[spoiler-box]That was a surprise, but a welcome one. Actually it was a surprise in more ways than one. Firstly, since when did Ijiraku consider herself Yoshi's mother? And since when did she call him Bitol? Something seems a bit... off... since the last time we saw her. Another part of the surprise came from the fact that not only is she back, she's also in a new body. It's like a double whammy! Having written similar situations in my own story, it was interesting to see it from another perspective. As you might expect, I've developed a certain fondness for CASTs and their unique perspective. ^^

When you said she's acquired the ability to communicate telepathically with other CASTs, shouldn't that be wirelessly instead? :p I toyed with the idea of including something similar in my own story but haven't decided whether to do anything with it or not.

I will say this, though. Ijiraku quickly became one of my favorite characters in your story after this chapter. :lol:[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@Stukasa[SPOILER-BOX]Story time in a story thread.

Due to the nature of the civil war, Ijiraku's original body was created with viruses and other implications in mind. During the earlier phases of her design, all the planners had unanimously agreed to make it so that the robot would not function without the original AI. By the time they started to make the AIs, they made it so that when the body detects any changes within itself, it will try to replace or restore the damage; something it was efficient at, but was also something that did not win them the war.

After the civil war, when the bodies of these robots where being salvaged, scrapped, or humiliated; a man who had lost his mother took one of these lifeless husks of metal and worked hard to revive her as an AI. After months of hard labor, he did and for a while it worked. However, when the mother AI was installed, he did not know that the two would go into a seemingly endless struggle to replace one another. In the end the mother AI lost and after what seemed like such a happy ending, ended with the murdering of the man and the self termination of the robot.

Fast forward to today, when Kazamir found the AI, the dewmen happened to have a spare body laying around and was well aware of what they were designed for. But instead of letting it sit around to collect dust, he instead decided to put it to use and gave it a new AI, one which he originally thought was some sort of clingy girlfriend type thing. Why he decided to do this remains a mystery.

In the end, Shiomi's mag is the reason why Yoshi survives to this day. After the two's meeting on Lillipa, Ijiraku was allowed to access the ARKs database and look into her origins and purpose. Horrified by the end result of the original, she would then create a plan that would save both her and Yoshi, as well as ditch the body. Something that Persona unintentionally help speed along when he took her away. This is why when Persona snapped his fingers, she just rolled with it instead of putting up a fight, having already copied herself into the ship. Now that she has a body of her own, and after taking some of the benefits from her original body, she's now free to be her own person and do as she pleases.

The reason she uses telepathy over communication is because unlike the wireless transmission of data, telepathy is not as easy to trace or detect with the only downside being that it requires more power and had/has less range. The reason she also calls Yoshi Bitol now is because back then, she had a sub routine that would safe guard his identity to prevent her from accidentally sending other active units on a man hunt for him.

Some of the other things I failed to mention, due to content cutting, was that the memory of a blade to Yoshi's throat haunts her now. As she came close to killing him once. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

@yoshiblue:
[spoiler-box]Good to know! I like the attention to detail in the backstory. When I was reading that chapter, I just liked how Ijiraku had this "I'm his mother now, deal with it" type of attitude. xD You do a good job writing situations that are presented as borderline absurd, but there's always a reasoning behind it. Like, "Okay, Ijiraku is back and she thinks she's Bitol's mother now, but there's a whole detailed backstory explaining why that's the case, so just roll with it." It all makes sense in context but is still funny to read. :p[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

Finally, caught up. You're inexhaustible, Yoshi. I can't believe how much you can churn out. Once a week, every week, with no break. It's hard just to keep up with everything you write!
It's really tough to figure out where I left off. I guess that's the case any time you're in the middle of something. I get spoiled when I keep up with weekly updates and don't have to dig back very far.

[spoiler-box]Your Castlevania and Burning Rangers chapters were fun. It must be refreshing being able to just take some time and write out something quick like that. I know several other writers that get envious of that.
Then there's your femYoshi chapters, which give you even greater freedom. Some of them don't even make sense, and I'm completely okay with that![/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Got to have that cause and effect.

It helps that I treat my story as a TV show rather than a book. Since with a book, everything is made in a orderly fashion with little interruptions in the story inbetween it all. Meanwhile with a TV show, you got music, credits and chance to throw in a bunch or random stuff inbetween episodes. As for content, I will admit there there are times where I have to force myself to pump something out just to reach a deadline. The goal then is to hide the fact that I didn't feel like writing. ;-)[/SPOILER-BOX]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
— Part One —


(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/lkJN7efSSNQ)
Sitting in a black circular framed, silver cushioned sofa, Yoshi and Kreszentia lounged around in one of the academy’s study rooms waiting for their friend, Kazamir, to arrive. Having often visited this pistachio green room, along with its intricate gold patterned chocolate flooring, the two waited in their usual study room on their usual hang out location. The sofa and table that shared a similar color scheme over by the back corner of the building. Or the place that contrasted greatly with the room itself, which looked regal in nature, and where the furniture in the corner stood out by creating a more modern vibe to it. With various computers here and there and a holographic library to go with it, both the frame of the sofa and the table came in a shiny and reflective black plastic finish. This was something shared with all of these things in the corner. Like the silver cushions of the sofa, a silver line also covered the rim of the table top surface, allowing the two objects stand out from the rest of the environment.
While sitting around in their usual seats, Kreszenta looked over to see Yoshi with her backside slouched over the backrest of the sofa. Being more bored than her mission minded companion, in Yoshi’s hand she held a sandwich and a panel in the other. While taking a crisp bite out of her sandwich, she scrolled through a colorful article and kicked high in the air. Suddenly, she panicked. After losing her balance, her back acting as a pivoting point between her and the sofa, she instantly crashed into the floor. In the distance, the newmen could hear the moist bread of the sandwich slap her friend in the face and the panel she used hit on the floor. Looking towards her direction again, she could barely she Yoshi’s legs dangle from behind the sofa’s large cushions.
Troubled by this sight, Kreszentia took in a breath of the lemon scented air and sighed with her eyes shut. Opening her eyes back up, she went back to overlooking her three unique weapons on the table: A double saber, a pair of daggers, and a pair of glove like knuckles. Out of the three of them, the first two were standard ARKs equipment. A double saber, two photonic blades on large handle, and the daggers, two blades that would be held in a reverse grip, were weapons made with the usual hard gray casing the mercenary company liked to use for most of their novice friendly gear. Likewise, they also emitted the same mint neon blades that would complete their weapon’s characteristic. Glacing upon each of her weapons, in her mind she wondered how fast she would need to replace these weapons before shifting her eyes onto her last weapon set, a gaze that would hold for much longer than the first two. For the pair of knuckles, these were different. They were Brave Knuckles, a nonstandard design. Acting like a sort of exoskeleton for both hands, blue and red-orange in color, they were given to the newmen by Yoshi’s father, who happened to be passing by while checking on Yoshi’s sudden class change.
“Don’t worry about it,” his voice echoed in her head, as she held onto the left set. “They’re probably better with you than me anyways. I never used them, ha ha ha.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/fvLhuWSmY3g)
Holding on to it, the carefree smile of the man resurfaced in her mind. While examining the hand with dull eyes, a tan mischievous face popped out from behind the sofa and broke her concentration.
“No, Yoshi. You are not going to use that debt to make me buy you food,” preemptively said the monotonous newmen, putting the object down.
“Aw, you’re no fun,” complained Yoshi, slapping both her arms over the cushions. “Why not?”
“There are better things to use debts for than simply forcing someone to fetch you some food.”
Yoshi stuck her arms in the air and rolled across the backrest of the sofa. “What’s the point?” she asked. “You’re just going to reject it anyways. Remember when I asked you if I could have that one gunslash?”
“You mean the one you broke?”
“Obviously you’re forgetting why it broke,” Yoshi rebutted, sliding over the sofa and slithering down towards the circle’s inner table.
“Yes, because I kept laying a smack down on you. It is not my fault you never know when enough is enough.”
Yoshi’s eyes rose above the brilliant black surface and glared. “Ah, what are these lies I’m hearing?” she cooed. “If I remember correctly, I was the one kicking your ass. After all, I did break your katana.”
Kreszentia picked up one of her daggers and examined the hilt. “Yes and I got in a lot of trouble because of it. Thank you for that, Yoshi.”
Yoshi rested the back of her head on top of the table and said, “Whatever, Kris, I see those knuckles on the table. I’m sure you can just ask my daaaad for another one.”
“If I did that, I would never learn how to take care of myself, Yoshi. I should smack you for even mentioning that.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who takes pride in being little miss assistant over here.” After saying that, Yoshi’s mischievous smile returned and switched gears. “Do it, Kris. Do it and see what happens.”
The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Though Yoshi itched for a fight, Kreszentia did not. Choosing not to raise her hand against her friend, seeing that she had the upper hand at the moment, the newmen instead drew her attention towards the door and kept it there. An act that made her eyes widen the moment Kazamir walked past a holographic book shelf and over to their corner. As he did, she noticed the he wore a brand new uniform and a new set of mech guns on his backside. Dress in navy blue and gray, he also strolled in with a large holo-panel held in front of his face.
“Hey, Kaz,”
“Greetings, Kaz,” the two of them said together.
Kazamir tipped the blue transparent screen away from his face and smiled. “Hey, Kris. Hey, Yoshi,” he said back, taking a seat next to Kreszentia. “Have we decided who’s leading the mission yet?”
Without thinking, the two of them stared at Yoshi. “Yoshi?” they asked.
“You owe me a soda,” the newmen immediately whispered.
Yoshi jumped onto her feet and waved her hands around in a faux combat stance. “No way,” she cried. “Leading requires too much work and I’d rather just smack things around with my gunslash.”
Kazamir pointed a brow at the newmen girl and frowned. Choosing not to say a word, he lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. Opening his palm so it would be exposed in the lighting above them, a can of soda materialized on top of it causing him to make it drift closer to the girl. Pleasantly taking the soda out of his hand, Kreszentia opened it up and toasted.
“Thank you,” said she before taking her first sip.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/Xban4oETUks)
“Guess that means I’m leading the mission then,” the dewmen replied, lifting up the panel again.
“Hey,” Yoshi screamed. “Why does she get a soda and I don’t?”
“Technically, I just gave her the soda she made me hold on to.”
“You owe me two sodas then.”
Brown eyes darted onto silver ones. “No,” he countered. “That’s not how it works.”
The newmen’s brows scrunched together. “Too bad, I say so.”
“I don’t think you understand how this works. I give you soda, you enjoy soda. I get revenge some other time.”
“Yeah,” butted in Yoshi. “I bet he’s going to steal your panties, Kris.”
Kreszentia chocked on her soda.
“No, Yoshi,” said Kazamir in a scolding tone. “I’m not going to touch anyone’s underwear.”
Becoming slightly annoyed by Yoshi’s remark, Kazamir raised the panel over his face again and continued, “Anyways, since we changed classes, or were forced to at least, I need to make sure we have all our gear in order. Kris, do you-.” Kazamir looked over at the still coughing newmen. “Oh, you’re still working down that soda. Yoshi then, you got your weapons in order?”
Yoshi summoned an Axeon, a pistol mostly made out of wood with two large metal blades attached to each side of it, and tapped her head with it. “Got my weapon right here,” she smiled.
Kazamir raised a brow and smirked. “Okay, but do you have the appropriate weapon of a techer?”
Yoshi crossed her arms and slightly leaned her head backwards. “I might,” she replied with a smug expression on her face.
“Alright, whatever, Kris you have your weapons, cool. Got your units in order?”
Kreszentia pounded at her chest and responded, “Yoshi and I have our units, yes.”
“Awesome. No mags though. Not even the training ones. So yeah, let’s go over the mission then, shall we?” Without waiting for a response, Kazamir laid the panel across the table and tapped at the center. Once his finger touched the screen, a ripple ran across it and turned the surface into elevated terrain.
“Judging by the trees and that lake over there, this is on Naberius, right?” asked Yoshi.
“Yeah,” the dewmen boy nodded. “Our goal is to start from here, run all the way through here, and mine some ore over by the hill side. This way we can prove that we know how to work the machines and stuff.”
“And no Yoshi,” added the white hair newmen. “You can not eat your food in the middle of the mission.”
“Kris, that was totally uncalled for,” said Yoshi as she violently slammed her hands onto the table. “You don’t see me going, no, Kris, you can not brush your hair in the middle of a mission. No Kris, long hair will only get you killed in combat. No Kris, you can not pinch yourself in the middle of a mission just because it feels good. No Kris -”
Kazamir leaned over by Kreszentia and asked with concern, “Is she going to be okay?”
“I would not worry about her. She is just venting because I would not fork over my precious meseta to get her something to eat.”
Kazamir sighed and looked over the blue holographic map. “Kris, there’s no need to be formal all the time.”
A hand knocked on Kazamir’s head.
“No,” she said quickly.
“Look all I’m saying is-,”
Kreszentia knocked on his head again.
“No,” she repeated.
“We’re,”
Knock
“You’re,”
Knock
“Friends,” he finally finished before wincing on her last hit. “And you don’t really pinch yourself do you?”
Kreszentia lifted a finger this time and wiggled in front of the boy’s face. “Definitely not,” she replied. “The only time I would injure myself is when I need to move.”
“Ah right, the Banther encounter,” the dewmen said with a reminiscent tone of voice and a finger in the air.
Feeling that all that was needed to be said had been said, Kazamir rose from his chair and straightened out his uniform. As he did, he leaned over and tapped the screen, allowing it to fade away into a blue mist. Leaving no trace of his being there behind, Kazamir looked towards the door and said, “Alright then, now that we have everything in order, let’s go.” But instead of walking forward, he instead spun and offered the newmen girl a hand.
Kreszentia blankly stared and looked towards Yoshi.
“It would be best if we made our combat strategy now,” said she dully.
Kazamir half chuckled and slouched a little. “Kris, we’ve been through this. Every time we make a plan, it never goes… well according to plan.”
Kreszentia got up and met him face to face. “If we are going to jump off a cliff, we are going to need a cliff to jump off of in the first place.”
“I’m listening.”
“Yoshi, what techniques do you know?”
Yoshi looked up and countered her fingers. “Uh, I know resta, maybe deband, lots of barta ones, some zondes…”
“Do you know shifta?”
Yoshi stood proudly and cheerfully replied, “Nope.”
The newmen rubbed her forehead. “Do you use your wand gear at least?”
“Maybe? Look, brah. I don’t wand. I stab and I shoot. That’s all you need in life really.”
“Yoshi, you are an idiot.”
“Who’s the idiot who became friends with the idiot, huh?”
In an act of stopping an argument, Kazamir wrapped his arms around the two and said, “Hey, hey, you two are valued members of the team and should stop fighting.”
“I will stop fighting when she grows a brain.”
“Big talk coming from the person who lost in the technique, shooting and breast department.”
“Yoshi, I will punch you.”
“Bring it on, Kris. Bring it on.”


[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Battle of the Dead Mothers:
[spoiler-box]Wasn't really sure what to expect from this chapter but I have to give you points for the title. :D Actually, based on the title I thought it might be Ijiraku vs. Tuhina or something like that. Although I'm not sure you'd call Tuhina "dead," maybe just "changed"?

I'm looking forward to seeing Yoshi's reaction to the new Ijiraku. It's sort of a tease to bring her back in this new body and then go two chapters (so far) without a reunion between the two.

I like the mental image of Lilliman riding off into the desert sunset on a Vargr. A deadly cute and cool combo![/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Extra: Valentine's Special:
[spoiler-box]Wait, is this canon? Yoshi's suddenly healed and is totally fine with Ijiraku being his mom? :o Also, why would a CAST need or want to eat cake?

I'm not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that they still cook food the "old-fashioned way" in the future. I kind of expected it to be like in Back to the Future II, where you throw a pill in the oven and 'poof!', magically you've got a five-course meal that feeds seven. On the other hand, it's kind of nice to think that cooking still requires that human touch.

Side note: Everyone taking advantage of Yoshi as usual... I wonder if you feel that way in real life too. xD[/spoiler-box]

Extra: President's Day Special:
[spoiler-box]That perspective was a clever way to write it, I have to say. At first I was like, "What the heck is going on here?" XD

Red? Who's Red? As in, the main character from the original Pokemon game? ...Okay, probably not.

Also, they do NOT have Caturday in the PSO2-verse. Now you're stretching the limits of believability.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Tuhina being dead is all up to what you think of PSO Ep III clones. The body should be the same at the start, but their memories may not be so complete; only being able to use what you allowed to be recorded. Since I created that Vargr trick, I also didn't want it to go to waste. So I had Lilliman become leader of a small band of riders, who would eventually gather enough followers to create a small army.

The special is a sort of jump ahead before going back to the actual story and the methods of cooking are up to the user. So in a sense, Yoshi is old fashion.

To answer your question, I've always charged people before they could touch my goods. I'm not made out of money; haggling is acceptable.

Edit: Both James and now Ijiraku are both parent. That said, they now get into a sort of competitive streak over who's the better parent and who's child loves them more. So behind the scenes, you can expect them to show off pictures to one another and tell of their grand adventures with them. Much to his daughter and her wife's dismay.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
— Part Two —

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/HuwJZnBjYbk)
Underneath bright loving sunlight, lazy river water sparkled along the outer edges of a grassy cul-de-sac, almost as if becoming a road in a clearing in the side of a mountain. Giving moss covered rock and thick forest leaves life, blue and white lines danced and vanished three times in rapid succession. Just in front of the gentle river, a flickering light flashed thrice. On the third flash, three humanoid beings stood on rolling grass just in front of a newly formed telepipe.
Kazamir, Kreszentia, and Yoshiblue have arrived at Naberius; a planet of new beginnings. In a forest filled to the brim with life. At a location that would act as their training grounds for a glorious mission. At least the trio would like to think so.
Hoping to see as much as they could, the three of them walked around the moment they landed. Kreszentia watched a sea of tree leaves blow in the distance. The echoes of the birds sang to Kazamir’s ear. The trail of the water eventually became a waterfall in the distance and Yoshi ate a berry. While being scolded by the silver hair newmen, for eating something that could potentially kill her carefree friend, Kazamir stepped further away from the pipe and squatted by a leafy ledge. From what he could see from beyond the steep mountain ridge, they had three paths to choose from at the moment.
The first path to the left consisted of a welcoming slope leading into the dense forest below. Since their landing area happened to be on a mountain side, it provided a great view of the forest sea and the rocky terrain easily acted as a wall for the dirt path that descended alongside it. This looked like a good path to take in Kazamir’s mind, but he still had to examine his other choices. So he took mental notes of it before moving on. On one hand it looked safe. The worn down road proved that the path had been well traveled. The width of the road, not only made him feel comfortable, but it also made it possible for a twelve man party to safely pass through. The only thing they would need to worry about is what was to their left; keeping an eye out for things such as falling rocks or hungry mountain animals. Rocks he thought to himself. I wonder how many could fall over on this path.
His attention shifted to the middle path, a narrow road much like the ones seen in action or spy films. Where the hero or villain would be seen edging themselves across a thin foothold over great heights. Unlike the path to his left, this one proved to be the more dangerous. Not only was the road much narrower in comparison, which in turn would force them to hug the wall, but it seemed very unstable as well. From what he could see, random mounds of rock jutted upright and worrisome gaps spotted the trail here and there. Not a path he wanted to take, but one he figured should be looked into.
With his eyes still glued to the trail, a half gloved finger sliced at chilly air. In a blink of an eye a small floating map appeared before him and showed him his current location. Out of the sapphire blue pathways and cobalt terrain, three color coded dots marked where he and his friends were currently positioned. On the map and in the bullet shape sapphire zone, a red dot sat further up by three branching paths. That must be me, Kazamir thought in his head. And Yoshi and Kreszentia must be the blue and yellow dots sitting next to each other. Browns eyes turned to gradient purple as they followed up and down the trail ahead. Beyond the narrow death trap revealed a wide open space. Not only would they stay elevated, but the rest of the trail seemed safe as well. Maybe the path wasn’t so bad after all.
Kazamir felt the soothing touch of relief lift his body as he turned his attention to the final path, the path on the right. Unlike the first two, this one was different. It wasn’t natural or encouraging. Instead, this one had a large metal gateway built in to block off the path. Two red lights glowed on each side and a red hexagon held its two doors together. Upon closer examination, the words danger could even be seen scrolling across it. Though faint in the sunlight, he did know it was there.
He checked his map again for more details. Nothing, all he could see was the darkest kind of blue, the type of blue that meant unknown territory. He stood up and seized the map with both hands. Without any knowledge on the path, the danger sign must have meant that Darkers were nearby. On this the dewmen spun around and faced his friends out by the riverside. He could see Kreszentia pull at Yoshi’s cheek while the tanner girl kept a pink berry out of reach. On a sigh, Kazamir slowly glanced at his feet and back up.
“Kreszentia,” he shouted. “Analysis.”
Kreszentia froze up, instantly looked at him and scrambled for a formal posture. “Sir,” she yelled. Speed walking to his side, she scanned the three different paths and twisted on her heels until she faced his direction.
“The middle path would be the wisest decision, as there will be fewer encounters along the road,” said she monotonously.
Nodding for a bit, Kazamir eyed the gate. Kreszentia did the same.
“And the gateway?” he asked.
“Should you choose that option, Yoshi is fully capable of bypassing the lock. She is trained by her mother specifically for occasions such as this.”
Kazamir looked at the emotionless newmen and smirked. “Personally, I feel we should go the left route. It will be much safer and I’m sure the encounters there will be just as plenty. No opinion on whether or not we should choose the third option?”
“ARKs mission is to eliminate the Darkers. This is a training mission. Thus, to choose the third path would mean that we are only better preparing for our occupation.”
“Right,” he said before looking over his shoulder. “Yoshi put the food down. We’re moving out.”
Yoshi, who was sharing the berries with a random Nab Rappy, stood straight up before giving the Rappy the rest of her food. Arms emptied, she jogged for the other two and headed forward alongside them. As they did, Kazamir pushed aside a large broad leaf before hugging the hard earthly wall it grew on.
“Kazamir, we are heading down the middle path.”
“I know,” Kazamir replied, still looking forward. “You advice is valued very greatly.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, Kazamir.”
“Your flattery is just me being nice. I’m surprised Yoshi isn’t complaining though.”
“She’s cheating,” Kreszentia responded, her head facing Yoshi.
“Am not,” Yoshi lied, using her powers to glue herself onto the gray rock wall.
“Watch for the gaps,” directed Kazamir.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/eYRTw45MVQM)
Past the gap, under an overhang, over another gap, around a swollen surface and through a few thorny vines, the three of them finally made it across the ridge back and onto solid ground. In light of their victory, and their relief, the three of them collectively sighed before chuckling like madmen. Shortly afterwards, Yoshi began to parade around while Kazamir and Kreszentia scouted up ahead. Eyes shifted left to right. Kazamir frowned in the corner of his mouth. Like the forest below, this area was just as green but not as forested. Taking the place of these missing trees; a strange step like stairway up the mountain to their right, a tunnel up ahead and a heavy gathering of trees and brush to their left. Neither the dewmen nor the newmen knew where it led, but considering where they just came from, it could simply easily be an accidental fall waiting to happen.
“More paths,” commented the boy.
“May I suggest the tunnel up ahead?” the girl responded, hand guiding their eyes.
Kazamir walked in front of the newmen and grabbed her by the shoulders. The newmen dropped her hand. “Kreszentia,” he said with dropping brows. “Enough with the serious officer talk already. We’re friends, remember?”
Unfazed silver eyes peered into concerned brown ones. “Even so, we are on a mission. As your subordinate—”
“You are not my subordinate, Kris,” Kazamir interrupted. “You’re my friend, my partner… my equal.”
“Treating me as your equal may only tempt me to act out and overthrow you.”
“Kris, stop it. Please.”
Kazamir’s sorrow filled look cause the dull eyed newmen to look away.
“Sorry,” she responded, keeping her gaze on a dirt patch by her boot. “I…” She looked up at Kazamir and furrowed her brows. “Never mind,” she continued. “Don’t worry about.”
“Yeah, Kaz,” added Yoshi, leaning on one of his shoulders. “She’s just being her mom. No big deal, hur hur.”
“I am not— I see. Thank you, Yoshi.”
“No problem,” stretched Yoshi. “Now let’s get this show on the road. I’m getting bored already.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/PBSFeLEeuR4)
“Well, well, if it isn’t the failure Borchard,” suddenly said a girl in a condoning tone of voice.
Having just slid down the mountain slope to their right, refusing to use the stair for some reason, four newmen girls wearing the same blue academy uniform hurdled together and scoffed at Kreszentia. As if they knew her for a good while now. As they did, both the newmen and her tan friend walked forward to meet the four and entered into a sort of standoff.
“Well that explains where the mountain path led,” whispered the dewmen before turning his attention to the girls.
From what Kazamir could gather, all four newmens came from the cruiser Melchior, an almost newmen only ship within the fleet full of people who looked down upon the other races. Though he didn’t have much experience with their kind of people, Kreszentia being the only one he personally knew, he did know that he had to act and fast.
“Try and act as high and mighty as you want,” mocked the girl. “We all know your family is hardly any better than the Durenes, maybe even just as pathetic.”
Yoshi had enough. She stepped forward and punched two fists together. Brown eyes glared at the newmen girls and she roared, “Listen, you stupid bitch. If anyone can make fun of my friends, it’s me. So unless you want to see my fist punch your ugly face in, I expect you to step off. Go on,” she waved. “Scram.”
The four girls acted scared and began to laugh. “Oh, I’m so scared. What ever could you possibly do to us?”
“Step up and find out. I took all four you once already. You won’t be so lucky this time around.”
“Do something, gorilla girl.”
Kazamir lifted his chin in the air. A hand started to adjust the collar of his sleeve. “All of you, enough,” he barked, staring at each of them with a piercing gaze. “Unless each and every one of you desires a report for misconduct, I suggest we all move on.”
Yoshi and Kreszentia stared at the dewmen and then at each other. Without a word, they both walked away, allowing the girls behind them to chant, “Yeah that’s right, run away,” and make all kinds of rude remarks. One by one by the dewmen’s side, the three of them walked forward and past the girls.
“I really want to beat them up but please don’t do it, Kaz,” pleaded Yoshi, trying to keep a serious posture.
The three of them entered into a damp tunnel. Yoshi reached out to one wall, Kreszentia walked by the other, with Kazamir led in-between the two.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/XERUG3qVL_o)
Kazamir adjusted his sleeve again and replied, “Don’t worry— nothing lethal. It was just a sedative.”
Kreszentia could feel a shiver run down her spine. Yoshi’s shoulders shook a little in the comer of her eye. “Regardless, the fact that you’re willing to do it scares me,” the newmen added. “The sleeve thing is new though. Another teaching from your mother I presume?”
“My father actually,” Kazamir grimly replied. “He prefers to keep things quiet and inconspicuous. Unlike my mom, my dad also uses his connections to get me informal field experience.”
Nervous and worried, Kazamir quickly grabbed the two by their shoulders and pulled them towards him.
“But don’t tell anyone about that, okay.”
Yoshi nodded violently.
Kreszentia nodded thoughtfully.
“Come to think of it, I’m surprised the newmen girls didn’t try anything as we walked on by.”
“Yeah,” said Yoshi, placing a hand on her chin. “Now that you mention it, I’m surprised too. Normally they never pass up a free hit.”
The three of them looked behind themselves, expecting to see someone following behind them. Much to their surprise, no one followed them. Even the girls had vanished. Only sunlight and the forest behind it could now be seen. Moving around a bend in the tunnel, the trio walked alongside a shallow river passing by.
“Seems we’re in luck,” smiled Yoshi. “I better this cave really gets flooded with water during the rainy days.
Kreszentia studied the walls around them. “Hopefully it will not branch off into confusing paths,” she replied.



[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Master Spy Time?:
[spoiler-box]The smooth Rappy bartender is back! I always smile when he makes an appearance.

Loved the stealth parts of this chapter, that was a lot of fun to read. I almost hoped Ijiraku would accidentally stumble across Yoshi, but of course he was still in recovery.

And what the heck's up with that cliffhanger ending, huh? xD

Also, with the conversation between those two girls, were you implying that the Braver class had just been released?[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Yeah. The story starts shortly after Elder's revival and at this point is when Braver class is all the craze. Even the people who lack the photon alignment are using it. As for the cliff hanger, you know what he do.

As far as I know, Elder's revival takes place 4/1, 238 A.P. And while that's all well and good, I don't have a hard number for when Azanami shows up. All I know is that EP II takes place 5/1- through 8/1, 238 A.P.

So more or less, 1-5 months have past since the story began. Which in a way, almost doesn't make sense. To me at least.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

She's Surrounded By Boneheads:
[spoiler-box]Hey, you cheated us out of the (long-awaited) Yoshi x Ijiraku reunion scene! Well, not entirely, but it was only mentioned briefly in flashback. I wanted to know how he would react when she reappeared with the new mother persona.

Not sure what Arron was so worked up about. I mean, it's one thing to be annoyed or upset about Yoshi's flirting, but to pull out your katana is something else. That shows killing intent. Did Yoshi really do something worth dying over, or did Arron just overreact in his anger?

Also, it was pretty cold of Arron to belittle Yoshi for getting hurt. Those weren't minor injuries, he was in the hospital, but Arron was mocking him like, "Oh boo hoo, go cry to your mommy." ^^; Oh, and kneeing Yoshi in the groin? Definitely not cool.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Yaeko (Shiomi) taught both of them never to play fair when they trained under her. This + Yoshi's constant run in with all kinds of newmens + her odd parental substitute relationship = An envious Arron with a bit of a teacher complex. So yeah, one big over reaction. He also doesn't like that fact that she met Yoshi first.

Edit: Oh yeah and muhahaha.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
— Part Three —

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/IwaLGCV58w0)
Step by step, the safety of the sunlight left their more than before. In a short amount of time, darkness consumed them, ate them, to the point where not one of them could see the fingers wiggling near their eyes. It didn’t bother them though. They were never scared of the dark, Yoshi even welcoming it; but the lack of safety or any sense of direction eventually began to take its toll. In the long run, a half an hour into their stroll in the caves, invisible eyes darted around, their hearing heightened and their noses picked up the more subtle smells drifting about.
Little by little, water attacked their clothes. Splish-splash. Splish-splosh. With every jump came a hail of water drops, all of them hoping to wet their creator’s socks and pant legs. They failed. The linesheilds they wore stopped them each time. From rock walls through leafy brushes, from slime covered rocks and into murky water, not one of the children’s has gotten dirty or wet. By the time light touched their faces again, they appeared as clean and kept as when they first arrived; spotless with smiles gleaming a magical white.
“Do you think it’s against the rules to use these glasses?” whispered a smirking Kazamir, his head ducking and waving to see what awaited them.
Earlier they cracked jokes about their fellow class members. For some, they made fun of their combat styles. For others, jokes about their mishaps, until they saw something in the distance. Out from within the depths of these mysterious caves, a sort of unnatural light flickered on and off. Seeing this, the children split into a run. Running until the light had become strong enough to force an arm over their eyes; and for all three of them to look for a source in the walls.
Not a holes or tunnel in ceiling to be seen. The light wasn’t natural.
“Don’t worry about it,” hissed Yoshi, swatting at an invisible object in the air and finally answering his question. “It works doesn’t it?”
“For the time being,” responded Kreszentia, who lacked their eyewear.
Kazamir stuck his arms out in front of the girls. He slid across the mud and ducked. “Find cover and await my command,” he ordered lightly.
Doing as they were told, the two girls took to the rocks closest to them and waited. As the two of them took shelter, their dewmen leader hid behind a rock ahead of them and peeked over.
“Lightning,” he whispered harshly.
He waited and listened but received response. Just the sounds of a nearby waterfall and the blinding light bouncing around in a circle.
“Lightning,” he repeated.
Yoshi broke from her cover and rolled oddly towards Kazamir. “What are you doing?” she hissed.
The dewmen put a finger over his lips. “Hush,” he replied. Facing forward and over his rock again, he repeated “Lightning.” Though the light continued to jump around, he never got the response he wanted. “Kris, on me,” Kazamir ordered. “Weapons out, proceed with caution.”
Kazamir unlatched his mech guns and pointed one in the air. Kreszentia creped out of cover, polished twin daggers in hand. Yoshi summoned her magislash, a modified Axeon model, and made sure it was in blade mode before catching up. Kazamir took point. The three of them edged their way forward until they reached the rock that hid their mysterious light source. With their backs to the source of it, Kazamir threw up a fist and silently counted to three. One, Kreszentia’s eyes narrowed. Two, Yoshi put a finger on the trigger. Three, Kazamir twisted his back.
In a split second the trio bolted over and aimed their weapon towards the source. A gesture quickly dropped by the time they realized who and what their foe was. Bouncing around in front of them, a lone panicking mag zoomed about the air and circled the three of them five times. It was glad to see them, excited in fact. Since the first person it saw was Kazamir, it zoomed over by his face and embedded itself into his cheek.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/t_q_K97q2b0)
Kazamir’s head spun round and round as he kept track of the floating oval shaped object afterwards. “Happy little thing, isn’t it?” he smiled. “I wonder how it got here?”
The expressionless Kreszentia lifted up her daggers. “I’ll try to communicate with it using my daggers,” she replied.
Upon saying that, she held the daggers parallel to the mag and clapped the two blades together. Though it seemed like a bunch of nonsense to the dewmen and his tan skinned friend, what they didn’t realize was that she talked in code. Something the mag would respond in a few seconds later. After going back and forth three times, Kreszentia finally lowered her dagger and spun around.
“Our classmate Noreen is lost in these caves,” she said informingly. “She tried to use her mag as a distress signal…” Kreszentia’s voice drifted off as she scanned her surroundings. “But it appears that no one has responded to her call for help. We are the first to arrive.”
“I see,” said Yoshi, a hand rubbing the bottom of her chin.
“What do we know about her?” asked Kazamir. “We may need it to better understand how she will act.”
Kreszentia crossed her arms. “Personally I feel we are too inexperienced to rely on such a method, but… she is a happy go lucky girl who tends to keep to herself most of the time. She likes to wear dresses and is one of the more girly girls in the class. From what I noticed she—”
Kazamir lifted a brow. “A nice person I hope?” he interrupted.
“I believe so, yes,” nodded Kreszentia. “She recently transferred here from another ship. So naturally she does not have friends of any kind.”
“Expecting to win a girlfriend, Kazamir?” joked Yoshi, nudging her friend in the ribs.
Kazamir shook his head and kept a serious gaze on Kreszentia. “Any idea what her weapon of choice is, Kris?” continued the dewmen.
Since Kazamir had ignored her, a bit of sadness overtook Yoshi. Slumping in despair, she roamed towards a water soaked boulder and stared at the waterfall that fell onto it.
“Her mag claims that she regularly practices the ways of the partisan. Her proficiency however has yet to be seen. And Kaz,” she softly added. “There is no shame in admitting it.”
Kazamir placed a leg over a tiny rock and pounded at his chest. “Well friend or no friend,” he cheered. “She’s a fellow operative and thus must be rescued. After all, what army is complete without a spear pointed at the heart of the enemy?”
Yoshi approached Kreszentia’s side and scrunched her face a little. This was the first time he had ever mentioned any sort of army, let alone their army. In response the two girls tilted their heads in confusion. They glanced at one another in hopes that one had an answer but knew they had none to share. Maybe it was because he was the only boy in the group? Maybe he just wanted to feel manly for once?
“Well, what are you two waiting for?” suddenly asked Kazamir from behind. “Let’s go.”
Watching their dewmen friend carelessly slide down a steep slope, Yoshi clasped her hands together and silently imitated a rescued damsel. Not planning to be left behind, Kreszentia slapped Yoshi on the back and jump down after him.
“Is anyone… is anyone out there,” they heard Kazamir shout ahead.
From his tone alone, Kreszentia could tell that Kazamir was nervous. It wasn’t often they played rescue party, nor did they know what to expect.
“Say something if you can hear me,” he shouted.
“Es,” something murmured back.
The newmen adjusted her ears. A girl cried back. It was faint but she heard something.
“Yoshi, Kris. The mag found something. Hurry and follow the light.”
“I’m sliding down as fast as I can you bonehead,” complained Yoshi. Just as she said that, Kreszentia noticed someone zoom past her in a squatting position. Seeing this as a way to increase her speed, the newmen did the same until suddenly, splash. The two dived into a pool of water just deep enough to prevent a painful face plant.
“Don’t worry,” said Yoshi’s head as it shot out of the water, freestyling towards the pool’s edge. “I’m right behind you. No problem.”
“Do you need help?” joked Kreszentia.
“I got arms,” Yoshi shot back. “I can swim.”
“Remember, three strokes and a breath.”
“Kris, please,” Yoshi replied before shouting, “Hey.”
Swimming on by in black waters, Kreszentia gracefully passed up Yoshi while casually doing a back stroke. For a split second, in the dimly lit, Yoshi thought she could see a victorious smirk in the corner of her friend’s mouth.
“Oh yeah? Oh yeah?” she yelled. “I’ll show you.” But before she could increase in speed, her head crashed into the dirt and beached her head. “Well, that happened,” she mumbled.
Up ahead, Kazamir raced towards the voice. Hearing her echoing cries in the cold air, all sorts of disastrous images popped into his head. Hoping that the worst hasn’t happened yet, he did the best he could to vault over everything in his path. A lost arm flashed in his head. Kazamir gritted his teeth. A broken leg became the new focus; he uttered a panic fueled sound, slipping once or twice and falling on his sides every so often. When he finally found the girl, the sudden shock made him over shoot the jump and land on his back.
“Have no fear, I am here,” he cheered in his agony, a pain drawn tear drip onto his forehead.
Though his entrance may have been a disaster, his head in the dirt and his legs sticking into the air, the girl seemed to be overjoyed with his arrival. So much so that she burst into tears and hugged the lower half of his body. A dumbfound look painted his face. This wasn’t what he was expecting.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/fZsg5bxX3xQ)
“Well, that’s not a sight you see every day,” commented Yoshi suddenly.
“Wait, this isn’t what it looks like,” panicked Kazamir, his hands spinning in the air.
“We know,” replied Kreszentia. Something flashed in front of her. “This will make a great photo for the scrapbook though.”
“Aw, come on, Kris. That’s totally unfair.”
Yoshi started to flex. “Your cool, Kaz. You gotta keep your cool. Remember the secret word that attracts all the ladies. Ladieeeees,” she said in an alluring voice, giving him her heroic smile.
Kazamir’s arms turned into noodles. With an unamused expression written on his face, he used his frown to reply, “Really?”
“Oh, oh,” suddenly said the girl hugging Kazamir. Getting up off the floor, she squished her cheeks together and approached Kreszentia. “You’re the newmen with the teacher crush!”
“I am not in love with a teacher,” denied the monotonous newmen.
“It’s okay,” the girl nudged. “You’re secret’s safe with me.”
“See? See?” pointed Yoshi. “I told you people would get the wrong idea. But noooooo…nobody ever listens to Yoshi.”
“You just told me to never walk to close to him.”
“But you two look so cute together. Why wouldn’t you walk close to his side?” asked the girl, her clasp arms hugging her face.
Kreszentia took a few steps back. “The fact that you are okay with this scares me.”
In response, the girl placed a hand over her chest and the other outstretched in the air. “Age should never be the issue,” she sang.
“Okay then,” interrupted Yoshi. “Moving on… hi, I’m Yoshi, Yoshiblue.”
“Hello, Yoshi. I’m Noreen. I just transfer to Ur recently. Please to meet you.”
Yoshi wrapped an arm around the emotionless newmen. “This is my best friend in the whole wide universe, Kreszentia.” Kreszentia bowed. As she did, Yoshi waved an arm over Kazamir and finished, “And that’s our group bonehead, Kazamir.”
“Haha,” laughed Kazamir, slapping Yoshi on the back. “She’s such a joker.”
Yoshi slapped him back. “Hahaha, yeah,” she angrily smiled back.
While the two laugh back and forth, putting each other into strangleholds, Noreen smiled at them with great big eyes.
“Anywho,” began the dewmen. “If you don’t have a party to run with, why don’t you join our group?”
The girl didn’t budge. She continued to stare.
“You know. For glory and honor,” he shouted, swinging an arm back and forth.
Kazamir glanced at Kreszentia for her thoughts.
“You two should let go of each other now,” the newmen coughed.
Yoshi pushed the boy away. As he stumbled forward, he stuck a hand out and offered it towards Noreen.
“So,” he began. “How about we get out of these caves, huh? I think the smell is getting to me.”
Noreen immediately reached out and paused. Just before she touched his hand, her face flushed up and darted away. Embarrassed about touching a boy’s hand, she instead offered a curtsy and replied,
“I would be delighted to join your group. You won’t put me into a choke hold will you?” her voice quivered.
“No,” said Kazamir, walking on by.
“Not yet anyway,” added Yoshi, following after.
Leaving just Kreszentia, the newmen stared at Noreen with cold eyes and said, “So long as you stop with the teacher love, I will not.”
Noreen’s eyes watered up. “I’m sorry,” she cried, bowing in apology. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”
Unfazed by her waterworks, Kreszentia walked away, saying with a hand tossed over her shoulder, “I would not worry. Yoshi has said stupider things before.”
Hearing this, Noreen cried tears of joy and chased after her newly gained friends. During their trip through the caves, Kazamir updated Noreen on their team composition and tactics. However, since they have yet to go into battle, neither of them could determine if they will stay with their current setup or not. Thus, they began to work around their newest hunter to create a strategy for various new encounters. Right when they were going to determine who will draw all the aggro, the four noticed rays of light shooting out of a wall.
“Land ho,” Yoshi bellowed, a gunslash held above her head.
“Awesome,” said Kazamir. “Yoshi, you know what to do.”
Yoshi peeked above her shoulder. “What do I do?” she asked earnestly.
Kazamir threw up two hands. “Blow it up,” he cried.
“With my gunslash?”
“With techniques.”
“Don’t worry, friends,” sang Noreen, drawing an oversized sword out of nowhere. “I’ll break the wall for us.”
With ease she swung it above her head. Before Kazamir could ask what she planned to do, she swung it around four times and let go. It flew in the air, over the river and to the light. Ping, the sword made contact, but instead of blowing it up like Noreen thought it would, it instead got caught in the pile of rock, shimmering as clouds outside passed by.
“You tried,” shrugged Yoshi. “Now it’s my turn to try.”
“You’re not going to—“
Yoshi chucked her gunslash at the wall. Unlike her usual gunslash, this one was a basic model. Why she used a basic model in the first place was beyond anyone’s guess, but as it ricocheted off the wall, it blew up and forced the dirt to fly and crumble.
“Ta da,” sang Yoshi. “I did it.”
“What a waste,” commented Kreszentia.
Three smiling teenagers jogged out of the damp caves. Taking in as much sunlight as they could, the three of them cheered and danced knowing that they have successfully survived and navigated the dark place without a hitch.
Trailing behind the trio, Kreszentia studied the environment with both hands clasped behind her back. Trees littered the area. They must be closer to the ground now, and the gray rock walls surrounding them told her that they were still near water. Staring down at her feet, the grass underneath told her that water has not ran through here in a while. Yet the vibrant green color it gave off meant that the area still received plenty of rain. Done with the ground, she twisted her torso until it faced the mountainside. In the distance, she could still see the rather large trail riding down the side of the mountain. That must have been where they touched down at. From where she stood, she noticed how steep the mountain truly was. In her mind, she guessed that it may have been the result of a rock fall or rock slide. Will there be a potential landslide by their location as well, she wondered. Her attention danced across mountain and directly to her right. From what she could see, there was quite a bit of land between her and the mountain side. Should any form of earth fall, it shouldn’t be fatal.
“Ah, Noreen, you’re a human too?” called Kazamir in the distance.
“Ah, yes,” she replied, shooting into the air with surprise. “I am a one hundred percent bonafide human, yes,” she nodded. “You are a dewmen though, are you not?”
“Well I never wanted to be called a dewmen. So I just call myself a human too.”
“Let’s not get creepy now, Kaz,” butted in Yoshi.
“No, no, it’s just cool to have another human on the team for once.”
“Hey, technically newmens are still humans too you know. Are you saying I’m weak and frail? Huh?”
Just as Yoshi was about to punch Kazamir, a loud roar cause the tree leaves around them to shiver. As everyone froze in place and glanced around, the silver hair newmen grouped up with the three and drew her daggers.
“That sounded like a banther,” she whispered, her grey eyes shifting left to right.
“Oh, are your eyes normally gray?” ask Noreen out of nowhere.
“Shh and no, they’re contacts,” the newmen replied. “Look.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/fhTrmpztRH4)
Emerging from a bush on top a rock wall, a Fang Banther and Fang Banshee looked down on the four with great intensity. Frighten by their menacing glare, Noreen stumbled backwards as the original trio circled into a defensive formation. When the Banshee jumped down onto the grass to face them, another figure emerged from the other side.
“Now is your chance to—.”
“Hi, dad,” waved an enthusiastic Yoshi from below.
“Hello, Mr. Xol.”
“Eh… hi— Now is your chance to show us what you have learned, what you are made of,” said Yoshi’s father. In the next moment, he faced the Fang Banther and entered into a stare down. “This is an Emergency Code: Duel. Don’t let me down.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/tbEksl783_M)
Kazamir pointed his guns at the yellow and grey beast. “Noreen, give us your warcry,” he commanded.
“Raor~” she roared cutely.
Kazamir’s arms dropped. Kreszentia lifted a brow. Yoshi just stared.
“Alright, whatever, show time it is then.”
Kazamir flashed his mech guns into the sun so it would beam into the yellow eyes of the Banshee. Catching her attention, the wild cat instantly pounced at him for a killing blow. Just before a single claw could rip into his shield, the gunner back flipped into the air and out of her reach. While the four battled it out with the Banshee, Yoshi’s father unlatched a gunslash from his back and aimed it at the waiting Banther. Every time he inched closer to the wall’s edge, Yoshi’s father charged the gunslash. Every time the Banther saw the blue light emitted by the weapon, it inched away.
“Kris,” Kazamir called out. “Switch it up. Attack the hind legs.”
“Leave it to me.”
Kresentia shifted her stance and waited for the Banshee to dash by. Once it exposed it rear legs to her, she swiftly dive at it and began to unleash a fury of swipes. Outraged by the sudden attack the banshee roared and swiped around. While Kazamir jump over it, Noreen wasn’t so lucky. As the large paw of the creature circled around, the body of the girl was launched to the side and into a wall.
“Yoshi, Noreen got hit. Where’s our Resta?”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Kaz,” returned a blushing Yoshi, an eye flashing towards her father.
Yoshi dashed to her side. “Battle isn’t over yet, spear girl,” she said, a green hand held over the girl’s waist. “Get up.”
“Thank you,” said Noreen, using the spear to support her weight.
Right when they were about to rejoin the battle, the Banshee roared and sent the dewmen boy flying.
“Ough,” he groaned as he hit the wall next to Noreen.
The dewmen got back up. Without a second thought he opened fired again.
“Finish it, Yoshi”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Yoshi switched her magislash into blade mode. Crouching down first, she launched herself into the air with her massive blade held forward. Stab. The blade successfully sunk into the creature’s flesh. Landing between the eyes and into the skull, the tan skin girl pulled the trigger and unleash a fiery blast similar to that of a Rafoie. As she did, the blast dislodged the blade from the beast’s skull and allowed her to leap away to safety.
“Damn, it’s not dead,” said the dewmen under his breath.

(*optional Music/ Theme of Yoshiblue's Father*) (https://youtu.be/KQAxw6GYJIg)
The Fang Banther jump down, and with it, Yoshi’s father. With the two of them landing in-between the children and the wounded creature, they paced from side to side and watched one another very carefully.
“Don’t do anything,” commanded the father, right as Kazamir lifted his mech guns.
As if communicating for a form of truce, the Fang Banther, out of nowhere, pointed his head to the side and escorted the Banshee away from the battlefield.
“Hurray,” cheered Noreen. “We did it!”
“You sure that was a wise thing to do,” asked a voice in the father’s ear.
“Don’t worry,” replied a woman soon after. “Should the Banther try anything, I’m ready to take the shot.”
“Must you parents be so over protective,” said the first voice. “Keep babysitting your children and they’ll never learn to fend for themselves.”
“Care to repeat that?” asked the woman. “I couldn’t hear you over the loading of a second bullet in the magazine.”
“Is that a threat?”
“There’s a very small chance I might miss. You know how that goes.”
“Right.”
“The code is completed. Do you think they should call it here?” asked the father.
“They passed a test that wasn’t meant for their class in the first place. We’ll mark it down, but they’ll have to redo this one again.”
Yoshi’s father spun around and looked at the children. “I think that’s pretty fair, don’t you think?” he smiled.
“It would give us time to reform our plans,” said Kreszentia.
“Yeah,” added Yoshi. “Being a techer just isn’t me.”
“Alright,” said Kazamir, looking at everyone. “The mission is completed. Let’s go home.”
“Yeah!” everyone cheered.

(End Title/ Theme of Noreen) (https://youtu.be/4PmRttvQ4-A)


[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

[spoiler-box]
The expressionless Kreszentia lifted up her daggers. “I’ll try to communicate with it using my daggers,” she replied.

pfft
Expressionless characters are great. You can get a bunch of humor out of them.

Seems like you had fun this chapter. That introduction was really expressive. Watch those typos though~[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Yeah, it was pretty fun to write. Its kind of scary how easy it is for the extra to slip into darker moments though. There are a lot of things I want to write but don't because either it doesn't fit the vibes of the story or revolves too much around the other characters. The parents have a lot of drama going on behind the scenes, such as Yoshi's parents being the only couple who are happily married.

Also, Kuwagata~

[Zorafim]

Drama and comedy are two sides of the same coin. Just play the relationship troubles off for laughs, if it bothers you. Or even if it doesn't, because it's funny.

[stukasa]

Chess:
[spoiler-box]I've been looking forward to this chapter for the past six months. Why, you might ask? Because this was the last chapter you'd posted when I started reading your story! At the time I was thinking, "I wonder how long it'll take me to catch up to this point?" Now I know. It'll probably be a few more months before I get completely caught up, though...

Yoshi accepted Ijiraku as his "mother" far too easily, don't you think? And the fact you never gave them a proper reunion only makes it weirder. It's maddening, I tell you! Maddening!!! Don't get me wrong, though, I love the weird dynamic between them. Doesn't make it any less maddening, though. :lol:

Wait... Yvonna x Arron? Since when???

I always find it a bit uncomfortable when the Yoshi x Sia topic comes up. If she weren't married I'd say go for it, but I'm not one for advocating adultery. I'd like to think Yoshi is enough of a gentleman to think the same, but then again, he also has a worrying tendency to go with the flow sometimes...[/spoiler-box]

[Sacrificial]

[SPOILER-BOX]liking these gender benders xD[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Coffin Droppers:
[spoiler-box]Mmm, delicious PSU music. :3 I always get nostalgic hearing that music, probably because I played PSU more than any other Phantasy Star game.

I kinda have to agree with Shiomi here, dropping Yoshi through the atmosphere in a dirt coffin seems... pretty crazy. ^^;

Did you really just include a symbol art in your story? That took me by surprise. xD

Ijiraku is a harsh CAST mommy. Hard to talk back to her. :<[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@Stukasa[SPOILER-BOX]Hurrah! (https://youtu.be/sM8mH0RNHRY)
Thank you and everyone for taking the time to read my story. I hope it was entertaining ride the whole way so far.

Maddening yes, but there is a reason for it. Its not stated outright, but it will be explained later in the story, with the side effects taking it's course even later.
P.S.: The hint is seen in Good Old Bait and Switch.
Yvonna and Arron is a result of the abandoned arc. Which took place after Yoshi and Arron kept one of her brother's mooks out of Yoshi's room. Depending on what type of person you think Yvonna is, why they are a thing could be due to several reasons. As for Yoshi and Sia, the fun is guessing what will happen next. Bear in mind, polygamy is a thing on the Melchior.
[/SPOILER-BOX]


[SPOILER-BOX]liking these gender benders xD[/SPOILER-BOX]

0 w0) b


Drama and comedy are two sides of the same coin. Just play the relationship troubles off for laughs, if it bothers you. Or even if it doesn't, because it's funny.
I'll sleep on it.

[yoshiblue]

- Laying Some Groundwork -[SPOILER-BOX]
Black boots paddled down a set of hollow stair steps. All of them bare bone and full of holes. From out of the ceiling and into a basement like room, walking into it, a teal hair human noticed his former master, Shiomi, fumble around in her T-57, with a wrench jiggling about right next to her. A shining silver tool in an open panel, surround by scars, bumps, holes and broken parts. Being a ship in need of many repairs, Yoshi took a step back to examine his once proud work. Judging by the looks of the beaten vessel, it had just recently escaped combat of some kind, and after giving the ship a quick sweep of an eye, he realized that a few of the panels have been replaced and that the engine flaps have been ripped off. Just what has she been doing with the ship he wondered? This doesn’t look anything darker related.
Degan slash marks? No, they were far too clean. Infected turrets? No, the bullet holes were far too small and the energy beams wouldn’t have melted the hull like this. Browns eyes went over tortilla colored panels, over dark grey wounds and speckled sliver paint spots; from cut up wiring up until they landed on a stained white and red jacket. Yoshi blinked twice. Shiomi is covered in oil, he thought. Since her mechanic attire had been stained with oil, Yoshi summoned a rag, figuring he should at least offer her one to wipe her face.

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/sWX18MfEclc)
“Hey do you have a moment?” he finally asked, holding up the rag for her.
“What is it, kid? I’m busy, so make it quick.”
Shiomi noticed the rag and reject it. She snatched the cloth from his hand and tossed it back onto his teal head.
“When are you ever going to replace that hat?” she suddenly asked, looking as if she braced for the wrong answer.
“What hat? The ten gallon hat?” Yoshi innocently asked, scratching the back of his head. “Don’t see why I would need to replace it. Not like it did anything special for me.”
Shiomi cringed. She stared at him with eyes half closed. To vent her frustration, she tore the wretch from her ship and waved in the air. “You do know who gave it to you right?”
Yoshi continued to scratch his head. “No, can’t say I do,” he replied, looking toward the floor for a moment. Nothing rang a bell, so he looked back up with a raised brow. “Didn’t you give it to me?” he asked.
“No,” said Shiomi in a droning tone. She shook her head, closed her eyes and sighed. Neona had completely wiped her from his memory. “Was it truly necessary,” she silently asked. Her eyes opened back up. “Whatever,” she continued in dismay. “What did you want to talk about?”
Yoshi tapped at his head. “Oh, right,” he exclaimed, his sudden backwards motion causing the rag to fall. “What do you know about Argos?”
The newmen froze in place. The name seemed familiar but she didn’t know why. So she now sought answers. “Who again?” she asked, as if she never heard the name before. She spun around and raised a brow.
“He claims to be the second son of Stheno. Very tall, very muscular and uses an array of blunt close range attacks. That sounds like them, right?”
“Second son of Stheno,” she hummed. Shiomi let go of her wrench and leaned forward. “Why do you want to know about him, hmm?” she pointed, eyes leering at the man below her. “You aren’t planning anything stupid are you?”
“Apparently he’s alive and fought elder, or did until I showed up.”
“Look kid,” she said in a scolding tone. “I don’t know what stories you’ve been reading, but you can’t bring people back from the dead; especially ones from hundreds of years ago. Now stop bugging me. I got work to do.”
“You may be surprised, Yaeko,” said a peppy girl from behind the ship.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/pP3D8bkLfAI)
Yoshi and Shiomi turned their heads towards a young girl walking around the nose of the T-57. Wearing a fancy green dress to match her neon green hair, the teenage newmen girl approached the two with a picnic basket in one hand and book in the other. As she approached the two, her face brimmed with excitement. So much so that it kind of scared the two them. It was almost as if she wanted this to happen. As if everything went according to plan. This kind of feeling felt familiar to Yoshi, for it was as if he stared right into Leanna. Neona’s grandmother.
“After all, Tuhina is alive,” she concluded, giving Yoshi a very mischievous grin.
Though he didn’t know why, Yoshi jetted backwards and instinctively raised an elbow over his face. “I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?” he panicked.
“No,”Neona pleasantly replied. “I just wanted to prove your teacher wrong. That’s all.”
Shiomi began to poke at Neona in frustration. “For the love of— look girly, I don’t have time to play games,” she complained. “And I certainly don’t feel like talking about a long dead rapist and his strange machinist of a wife.”
Neona laughed and glanced at her basket. Placing a hand on top of it, she lifted the lid and dug into it. “Regardless,” she responded. “Whether or not you care about Elder Falz’s future plans and what they have to do with anyone, you may want to listen to what Yoshi also wanted to ask you.” On this, Neona looked up and smiled at Yoshi. “It may prove to be rather… eye opening,” she smiled.
Shiomi crossed her arms and leaned against the ship. She wasn’t very amused but she listened to the newmen girl and turned to Yoshi. Forgetting that the wrench had been dropped on the floor, back when she let go it to point at Yoshi, the wrench flopped about on a picnic blanket being laid underneath it.
Seeing this, Yoshi knelt down and picked up the wrench. Before he asked his question, Yoshi nervously looked down at the silver tool and held it with both hands. So caught up with his question, he didn’t bother to realize how odd it was to see a blanket laid out in a hanger. Fumbling the tool around, he gave it a quick twist and tighten his grip on it; an act that allowed him to gather up the nerve to ask his question.
The teal hair human looked up at the silver hair newmen and locked eyes with her. They brimmed with determination. “Yaeko,” he began. “I want you to teach me how to manipulate dirt and sand. I want to learn how to scout and keep track of people like you do.”
Shiomi’s eyes grew wide. Her heart leaped, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to excitement or disappointment. Reactively she snatched the wrench out of Yoshi’s hand and bared her teeth.
“No,” she quickly shouted. She turned around and jammed the tool back into the ship. “It doesn’t work that way,” she hissed. “You haven’t learned at all.”
As Yoshi stared is sadness, Neona’s head suddenly hovered by his ear and whispered, “Watch this.” Afterwards she sat down and dug a spoon into her food. Right as she did, Shiomi started to fight with herself for some reason.
“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no. No way, it’s not going to happen. No.”
Curled fingers reached out into the air. “Eh, are you okay?” Yoshi asked.
“Hell to the no. It won’t even work anyways. Oh no, not this blame game bullshit again.”
Back on the floor, Neona giggled and smiled. Yoshi didn’t know what was going on but he knew she was the cause. Just what kind of girl is she, his mind screamed. What is she truly capable of? Not knowing what to do, he sat down beside the girl and waited with concerned over what was happening to Shiomi.
“Is she—?”
“You apply a little pressure and watch it come out,” Neona interrupted, a bottle of steak sauce held over her plate. “She always tries to hide it, you know. She also cares about you. Especially since you haven’t died yet; unlike a particular other person close to her. But she's afraid of getting too close.”
But her wife is still alive. Who else could have died? Yoshi lifted his hand to ask but before he could speak, the newmen forcefully continued,
“Before you ask, I’m not doing anything. I’m just here for the show.”
“Then—”
“I’ll have you know that I’m not old. Do remember that I have a steak knife in my hand, and that I am a Melchiorian newmen, Mr. Human. The only reason I’m not stabbing you is because of my sister.”
“I didn’t say anything,” cried Yoshi.
“Hur hur, I’m just like my grandma,” Neona said in a mocking tone while pointing the knife at the man. “How rude.”
Yoshi held his hands up in front of him. “Does everyone in your family hate being compared to each other?” he asked, eyes following the newmen’s knife the whole time.
“Nah, I’m just pulling your leg,” Neona replied, merrily cutting into her steak. But before she took her first bite, she lowered the plate and frowned. “Well don’t just sit there,” she complained. “Dig in. I brought enough for all three of us.”
“So where’s Anna anyways?”
“Working out,” Neona replied. “She’s still mad about missing last week’s workout routine. Even though our adventure was still totally worth it.”
“I see,” said Yoshi flatly. “Wait,” he said suddenly. “Shouldn’t I help Shiomi?”
“Give her a minute and she’ll be fine. What you should really be concerned with is how you will learn this trick of hers. After all, what you are trying to learn is something created by the family raised to counter you, as in you may die just trying to learn it. And even if you do manage to pull it off, it will work very differently than how hers will. But! That’s not to say it is impossible. After all, the Euryale bloodline has learned to imitate the infamous Medusa eyes to a small degree. I mean, sure it though several years and maybe a few generations, but they did it.”
“You would think being similar to each other would allow us to stay allies. Or make learning easy.”
“The relationships of the past don’t always keep us together. Sometimes the future breeds bad blood, and with it, conflict. Enough conflict to make once good friends become bitter enemies and loving families of the past into the back stabbing traitors of today. Don’t quote me on that though. I took that from a book,” said Neona with satisfaction in her voice.
The book smart newmen cut a piece of meat apart and ate it. Yoshi in kind reached into the basket and pulled out a small sandwich.
“No and that’s my final answer,” she scream at Yoshi, poking his forehead out of nowhere.
Out of sudden fright, Yoshi dropped his sandwich. The three watched it fall onto his lap and then apart.
“What a shame,” Neona commented. “My sister made that for you too.”
Yoshi’s head snapped in Neona’s direction. “She did what now?” he asked quickly.
“Neo, you little demon,” scream a distant and familiar woman storming down the stairs.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/0D_J8BGN4dI)
As the woman stomped her way down, Yoshi grabbed the sandwich and stuffed all of it into his mouth. Looking like a chipmunk before the clearly angry newmen, Sia, nobody noticed. They all watched Sia glared down at her much happier sister.
“Hey sis,” waved Neona. “I told you to keep up.”
“You said that after the taxi drove away. With you in it,” Sia screamed.
Neona went back to eating her steak. “That what you get for being slow. Maybe if you didn’t skip leg day—”
Sia started to circle her shoulder. “I’ll show you leg day,” threatened Neona’s sister.
“Hi, Sgha,” mumbled Yoshi, pointing two fingers at his puffed up cheeks. “Thus us a gweagh sanmigh.” Afterwards he tried to swallow it and began to start coughing.
Changing from anger to worry in a flash, Sia dropped down, started smacking at Yoshi’s back and shouted “You idiot.” She grabbed a glass of water and forced it down his throat. “You’re support to enjoy your food, not work it all down. Sheesh.”
“I think you’re drowning him,” Neona butted in with a clever smile on her face.
“Hush you,” spat Sia.
Yoshi grabbed the glass and pulled it from his face, coughing some more.
“Great manners, kid. I love picking up soggy food from the floor,” chastised Shiomi.
“I’m sure you had something to do with it, didn’t you?” asked Sia.
“Oh, don’t even start,” Shiomi replied. “Who makes a plain sandwich for someone anyways? What is this, cooking class for babies? I could have made something better than that. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to make a decent meal.”
Arms were thrown up into the air. “What the hell is wrong with a sandwich?” asked Sia. She looked at Yoshi. “You’re fine with a sandwich aren’t you, Bitol?”
“I had no problems with it,” shrugged Yoshi.
“Boy if you keep settling for the simple easy things in life, you’ll never get anything good out of it. Like a woman who can’t even put together a decent meal. You kids are gonna starve to death.”
Sia stared deeply into Yoshi’s eyes. “Bitol, this is coming from the woman who brought a watermelon to a potluck.”
“It wasn’t my potluck. I’m not going to cook anything for people I don’t care about. Besides, what was the first thing they dug into, hmm? That’s right, my watermelon.”
“Wrong, they were eating Elm’s casserole long before they thought about your watermelon. The only reason anyone even started eating it was because your father in law was trying to bond with you.”
“At least I brought something. What did you bring? Oh right, it was nothing.”
“I brought a three layer chocolate cake, thank you very much, and everyone loved it.”
“Yeah, the cake I bet Yoshi made and only thing you ever did was add all the little toppings on it.”
“Oh, I did more than just add toppings. Bitol,” she said, a finger slicing through the air. “Tell her what else I did.”
“Well she also—”
“That’s right,” Sia attacked. “So shut your mouth before you start making a fool of yourself.” Sia got up from the floor and tugged Yoshi by his sleeve. “Come on, Bitol. I need you to help me replace the barrel on the B-01.”
Wordlessly Yoshi got up and nodded. Anything to get out of this awkward situation he got into. As the two walked up the stairway, Shiomi cupped her mouth and shouted towards them, “You know you don’t have to do it manually anymore. It’s an automatic process.” The door slam shut in the distance. Shiomi looked down at Neona with both hands on her hips. “This girl is going to be the death of me, and him.” While she sighed, Neona began to cover her mouth and giggle. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Neona lied, wiping a tear from her eye. “It’s just nice to feel like a family again.”
“Yeah, sure, kid,” Shiomi dismissively replied, unsure of what the teenager went on about.

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Rock, Stone and Time Part I & II:
[spoiler-box]Well that was kind of a trippy chapter. At first I assumed Yoshi was just having one of those vivid dreams, the kind where you wake up and you're not sure what's real or not. But then it turned out it was Neona's fault after all!

Those dream powers remind me of my latest story chapter. Weird that I happened to read yours around the same time!

I didn't think of it until just now, but were Yoshi's Diga powers at all influenced by Gaara from Naruto? Just a thought that struck me.

P.S. The first song in this chapter doesn't work. Don't know if you care at this point but I thought I'd mention it. I have the same issue in my story, some of the old chapters have broken links...[/spoiler-box]

Filler:
[spoiler-box]Like Yoshi, I've only been in a limo once. It was twenty years ago and it was one of the prizes I got for selling magazines for my middle school's magazine drive. They drove us in limos to get pizza, it was pretty awesome. :lol:

Arethusa is a pretty self-aware little girl. Most kids want attention from their parents but not many are conscious enough to realize it's "daddy-daughter bonding time."

More playful flirting between Yoshi and Sia. I wonder how Reinhardt would react if he knew...[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]Good thing I wrote it down. The song used in that chapter was Xenoblade's "Colony 9" (https://youtu.be/4xJDwl46k98). The bad new is that I don't remember if I used day or night version.

As far as Diga goes, kind of. I always liked the idea of geomancy and how people use the elements of nature to their advantage. I also liked that there were many sources to look upon as well. Some of them being Naruto, Avatar, Final Fantasy, PSU and PSP 1+2, and much more. They are what allowed me to break down the element into three different combat types and help me think of their history; and lucky for me, earth is a lot easier to work with than say fire or electricity.

Brute Force/Speed (Sthenos) < Defence/Counter (Medusa) < Status/DoT (Euryale) <

When it comes to combat, this is the check and balance system I use. Any other form of combat or any inbetweens would be used by an unmentioned or unknown family linage. This is mostly because it would be foolish to use only three women for an experimental super soldier project during a time of desperation. Martial arts helps, but it's only really needed if it helps the user better draw out their power or fits into your flow of combat. Otherwise people could also act like a villain and do things with a flick of their wrist or with a simple thought. That said, as far as lore goes, the Diga users of today are a lot weaker than the ones of the past. But most of them make up for it with a slew of new techniques their ancestors never had.

Arethus's self awareness comes from watching parents play with their children during their various stations. Being part of a group of short lived children without a family to call their own, this made all of them feel very envious; Arethusa included until Yoshi entered her life.
[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

Filler (the one from 3-31-15):
[spoiler-box]Lesson #1: Maybe don't hand a katana to a woman who just told you to "go die" literally ten seconds ago.

Seriously, what is it with Yoshi and Newearls in this story. He's got a whole space harem full of them and half seem to start out hating his guts. xD

*reads to the end* Wait, this was a flashback? And the purple-haired Newearl was Sia? Talk about a last-second twist![/spoiler-box]

Space Drifters!: The Other Ones:
[spoiler-box]Well that was certainly random and unexpected. xD I think it would've been cool if you recreated your very first chapter (the original Space Drifters) except with Yoshi F, but had things turn out very differently.

What, you originally intended your story to end on 4/1 but ended up extending it? I'm not sure we would've believed you if you claimed to end it on April Fool's. :lol:[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

@Yoshi:
[spoiler-box]Sounds like you treat earth magic like I do water. I think it's more interesting than the usual elemental trio because of how versatile it is. In your case, you can use your element to protect yourself, for long range blunt trauma, or to cripple enemies. Compare to fire, which can only be used to destroy and perhaps a handful of other uses.[/spoiler-box]

@stukasa:
[spoiler-box]Ah, so you're up to april. I was just about to ask. That still means... Jeesh, six months behind? It seems like you're trying really hard to catch up, and still can't manage it. Yoshi can really churn out the content, huh? Maybe he should consider joining PSO2's development team, maybe then there'll be something to play.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@Stukasa:[SPOILER-BOX]I thought about. Then I asked myself, what good parent allows their child to get lost in space? Let alone with her friends? Then I figure if Yoshi is Yoshi, then everyone would have gotten there in the first place by bonehead levels of winging it and breaking da rulez.

Also, does he really have a space harem? [/SPOILER-BOX]

@Zorafim:[SPOILER-BOX]I would have said quality over quantity is more important but...[/SPOILER-BOX]



- Cheaters of Death Clash -[SPOILER-BOX]
“Where’s our ground support when you need them?”

(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/DfHNBE3Z8Bo)
Yoshi did his best to sweat unnoticed in their darkened environment. In an effort to retain a calm appearance, he kept his helmet visor down and lied that it helped him to see well. Though his partner could care less, she who had subtle issues of her own and constantly aimed the cannon around hoping to find a good angle to use, Yoshi would constantly adjust his visor, as if comparing what he saw to the data displayed over his eye. Having nothing to shoot at for a good while now, the two of them ended up sharing similar cranky expressions while Yoshi tilted sideways. Every so often he would turn the ship sharply like a jet fighter evading enemy fire. Seeing that he is also left handed; he had the tendency to tilt to the left than he did right and sometimes even rolled in the process. After making a smooth left over a water soaked hill, the B-01 suddenly shook in place. Since Yoshi focused more on maneuvering the ship around, Sia used the time to punch a button on the dashboard and summoned up a floating display in between them. Moving just as quickly as the display appeared, a brown eye peeked over to the right and then back. Nothing yellow or red showed up on the display, everything looked green, telling him that everything was alright.
“Anything serious?” Yoshi asked anyways, hoping to reduce the tension in the air.
“No,” Sia replied. “We got lucky. The angle of the hull allowed the shot to glance off.”
Yoshi gave the newmen a strange calm yet still tense smile. “Really wish I could do something about those Aclis bugs,” he replied. “This forest is too damn thick for us to go tank mode in.”
A random fist lightly punched at Yoshi’s arm. Sia looked at him with a frown and said, “Without ground support it would have been a dumb idea anyways. We don’t know where they’ll spawn or how many are out there right now.”
A red laser darted past the windshield. Yoshi sought out the source of the shot but could find nothing. The forest was far too dense to see anything on the ground and the cloudy sky didn’t help much either. While brown eyes scanned the ground, the ship shook again, only this time it seemed like they took in three different attacks. On the display, a thin outline around the B-01 flickered red. Their shielding wasn’t going to last much longer. Upon closer inspection, the two also noticed some hull damage on the undercarriage.
“You know,” Yoshi smiled, eyes darting back and forth real quickly. “It’s a good thing these ships lack a lower turret or that would have really sucked.”
“The fact that we don’t even have one is fuckin stupid in the first place. And I still don’t know why we lost our radar.”
“Hold on, I’ll going to boost around the mountain side. Maybe with some safe ground, I can check it out.”
Sia sighed and let go of the gun’s controls. “Into the tundra?” she asked, reclining into her seat. “It’s not where we’re supposed to be, but I guess. It will give me something to do at least.”
Yoshi put a hand on his chest and created a visible smirk in the corner of his mouth. “What, you don’t trust my ability to fix a program?” he joked, leaning out of his seat.
“Look you,” said Sia, tapping a finger on the human’s helmet. “Just because you can fix some machinery doesn’t mean you know anything about anything on software. Beside, I’m better than you at that anyways.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m willing to learn. Think you could teach me a few things?” Yoshi asked, leaning out of seat in the process. Though he bounced his brows around at the same time, Sia couldn’t see them underneath the helmet visor.
In turn, she patted his shoulder and replied, “Maybe,” before leaning out of her seat to tap heads with him.
Going back to piloting the ship, Yoshi hugged the ship against the terrain and eyed the ground for any sudden movement. Over the forest sea, into a lush mountain side and out over a frozen wonderland at blazing speeds, the ship’s windshield automatically tinted itself and slowly returned to normal due to the sudden shift in lighting.
“Aiko,” Yoshi said, tapping his ear. “We’re going to be a little late on the set up. The area wasn’t as safe as we assumed.”
“Understood,” a woman responded. “We will have James setup the telepipe in your place. Swing back around and await further orders.”
“Did you have a read on what was down there?”
“I picked up twenty Degan Aclis, five Degans scattered mostly throughout the area. However, I have a bubble of missing data showing up as well. Which is odd since you flew over that area already.”
“I’ll go check it out then.”
“Acknowledged, zero one. Stay safe.”
In the distance, the two could see a small B-02 model descend through enclosing clouds. Following behind, two other of its kind formed up and nicked the edges of the puffy hole they flew through. As they dived closer towards the planet the two wingmen summoned their bottom turrets and opened fire. The sight of this made Sia and Yoshi think back on their top side turret. They spun in their seats and took a glance at an empty third behind them. Though Arethusa did not join them on this mission, having been forced to take the day off by Yoshi, a large pink and blue book titled Ashto’s Child Care: The Perfect Guide for the Dense and Worried took the spot in her stead. Why the man placed it there Sia didn’t know, but in the end, she didn’t question it either. Though it didn’t fill in for Arethusa’s day to day antics, she felt it reminded him of why he was reading and learning in the first place.
After quickly turning back around, something in the distance caught her eye.
“That’s odd,” she whispered with a squint. “I just saw a tree fall over.”
She poked at the glass and redirected Yoshi’s attention. He leaned forward for a better look and saw another tree fall over, and a third. Seeing this Yoshi increased the throttle and flew the ship towards the strange event; but before he could get close enough, a random stump shot out of the trees and into their ship.
“What got hit?” Yoshi squeaked, recovering from the blow and racking his mind to understand what just happened.
Sia checked the display and then outside. “We almost lost our right jet,” she responded, looking through another window to see the damage first hand.
The ship shook again. They took another blow out of nowhere. So violent was the attack that Yoshi fell on his side and Sia flung forward, glad that they were restrained in their seats. With the loss of their right engine, the ship spiraled out of control and aimed for the ground. Yoshi did his best to stabilize the ship, but his efforts were not enough. Even after he tried to summon up a dirt mound to cushion the fall, the situation went from bad to worse due to his sudden surge of panic. Instead of forming a nice soft mound like he originally wanted, he instead allowed a stream of mud to fly into the air and knock the ship on its side, speeding up their one engine crash flight.
Damp soil splashed into the windshield. Both Yoshi and Marean shook violently in their seats. Zooming out just as fast as they got hit, the book from behind flew out of the third seat and landed between Yoshi’s head and the vessel’s roof. After the two smacked their heads against the slanted windshield of the cockpit, Yoshi sluggishly threw off his helmet in a daze and struggled to remove his seatbelt and he looked over his shoulder to see an unconscious Sia. Yoshi hummed loudly. He tried to cry out to her but could barely heave out a “No.”
Fear stabbed at his heart. It drove him to scramble out of his seat with all his might and throw himself onto Sia’s. With his belly now on her lap, he took out a star atomizer and chucked it into ceiling, thinking it would go off faster that way. Bathing in in the showering green aura, the heavy breathing human unbuckled the newmen from her chair and dragged her out of the ship.
“Don’t worry,” he whimpered. “I got you. This isn’t the end for us yet.” His half closed eyes widen in realization before he hopped out of the ship. He looked behind him and stared at his mag in the cockpit. “Mag, man,” he said with an unexpected raspy tone. “The ship is done for. Unlatch and follow me.”
The mag’s eyes flickered to life. Doing as it was told, it dropped out of hull’s slightly twisted interior and drifted over to its master.
Going from heaving breathing to quivering in fear, Yoshi hugged the newmen in his arms and jumped out of the sinking ship wide awake, thanks to the aura’s seemingly magical healing powers. Once mud met his armored boot, the pilot glanced scanned the environment for any sign of danger. He started to quint as fog settled in. As he did, drops of rain drizzled on top of his teal hair and thunder drummed at the sky above him. It didn’t realize that it covering for everything that moved beyond the fog.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/8rI545HiuHg)
“Shit,” he spat, staring at a black insect emerging from a nearby brush. “Degans…” Not the anti-air kind he expected but still looked similar enough to be mistaken for one.
Placing Sia’s safety as his top priority, Yoshi looked at his options… or his would be options. With every turn of his head, more bugs entered into view. One by one they inched closer and closer until Yoshi’s mag fire a blue bolt to scare the nearest one away. After the bolt had hit the ground, Yoshi watched them all jumped out of the way and skittered from side to side, as if thinking out their next plan of attack. Taking this moment to think, Yoshi quickly gasped and blinked.
“That’s right,” he whispered under his breath. “A Force… I’m a Force.”
He dropped his gaze unto his occupied arms. So used to casting with his hands alone, he realized he never thought about being in a situation like this until now. With his arms being useless at the moment, his eyes soon moved down to his green armored leggings. This was the only other way he could think of casting any form of technique.
Yoshi’s eyes flicked back over to the enemy Darkers. With his plan of attack found, he stumbled backwards and sloppily kicked at the air, unleashing a ball of raging fire. The insect quelled in pain and vanished. It didn’t land where he wanted it to land, but he hit the Degan. Surprisingly enough, it was also enough for him to kill it in one blow as well. Feeling a bit of courage build up inside him, he bravely turned to his next target and kicked again, and again, until all three of them felt his wrath. Like the first one, they too fell in one blow and as he watched the last one fade into black smoke, Yoshi gave his unconscious companion a quick hug and moved on.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/GzouznIW1_0)
“Everything’s going to be okay, you hear me?” he said to her, looking around for a familiar sight. “I’m getting you out of here, alright? I promise.” Without his glasses or his helmet, he didn’t have the mini map he was so used to watching all the time. Because of this, he spent more time waddling about than he did moving forward. “Damn it, which way,” he complained. “Mag man, where’s the telepipe?” he demanded.
His knightly helmet shaped device flew in front of him and displayed a symbol art. Interference, No Signal, it said.
Yoshi stomped and scowled at the ground. He glossed over the water drenched grass and thought for a moment.
“Which way is the mountain then?” he suddenly asked.
The mag flew up into the air and back down. Flying back in front of its master, this time it displayed a compass with a red arrow pointing North East, towards the mountain as requested.
The teal hair man flicked his head to the side. “We head west then, where the others should be. I’m counting on you mag man. Lead the way,” he finished, poking his chin forward.
As asked, the mag moved away, in front of the green clad man. During their trip, they treaded over mud and into dense flora. From time to time, they witnessed native creatures running about at full speed; most of them retreating to their homes. Soon the drizzle became a full on storm. Muddy water splashed everywhere with every step. Lightning seemed to have struck the forest far too many times to the pilot. Every time he landed in a puddle, the rain water happily cleaned mud off. Before long they would find themselves stepping into a strange clearing full of tree stumps and puddles, and as he did, the human froze in place. In the distance, waiting on the other side, a shirtless man with his arms crossed; standing around with his back to the wide open space.
“No,” Yoshi gasped. “It can’t be. Mag man, call for help,” he pleaded. “I don’t care how you do it. Just get them here now.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/77453nuj1dg)
A flash of lighting struck the forest and the man turned around. While he did, Yoshi’s mag darted away into the sky in the opposite direction.
“Fancy meeting you here,” the tall man greeted in a booming voice, somehow missing the small object zooming away.
Walking forward, he lazily tossed a chunk of wood at Yoshi with a slight intention of injuring him. Not wanting to take any chances, the mud covered pilot hopped out of the way and almost fell over in the process. The sudden loose of balance forced him to crouch so he wouldn’t land on his back.
“What the hell are you doing here Argos,” yelled Yoshi, clutching the unconscious even harder than before. “You should be on Lillipa.”
Argos wrapped a hand around his face. “Again you still lack manners,” he replied with a sigh. “It’s a real shame you ARKs just simply refuse to die. It would have made target practice a whole lot easier. You know, one man dies and more come to check it out?”
“Why would you attack a ship just for fun?”
The muscular man let out a roaring laugh. “So someone dies,” he smiled. “A small price to pay to ensure I stay in peak condition,” He flexed one arm and then the other. “Trust me,” he continued. “ARKs doesn’t care about you. I don’t care about you either— and hey, you got to admit, hitting the same spot with just a tree stump from this far away?” Argos started to flex again. “Yep, I still got it. Now I just have to wait for your friends to show up.” After he finished, Argos placed a hand on his head to shelter his eyes. Seeing nothing on the horizon, he then peeked down at Yoshi and noticed Sia clutched in him arms. “Oh, is that a lass you have in your arms?” he asked, eyes wide with interest. “I’ll tell you what. You hand her over to me and I’ll give you the swiftest death I know how to give.”
“Piss off,” Yoshi spat without thinking. Something snapped inside of him. His nostrils flare and his blood boiled in his veins. “You’re a moron if you think I’m ever letting go of her,” he shouted bravely.
Argos started to laugh again. Lightning struck the forest in the background. “You know,” he began, cracking his knuckles together. “They say that a thunder storm foretells of one’s victory. Looks like you’re out of luck, lad. I’m going to pin your head on a tree when I’m done with you.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/xGBO7arNdt8)
Even though he was still a good distance away, the massive man cocked his arm back as if getting ready to punch his foe in the face. Just before the man flung it forward, his feet instantly left the ground and towards the pilot. Yoshi’s eyes shot open in fear. First moving lighting quick and then slow as a snail, he watched as the rain magically fell before them in slow motion. Never blinking, frightened eyes paid close attention to his enemy’s attack. Argos was lunging at him just like in the battle with Elder. Knowing that he would be too slow to make a full on bubble shield to protect both him and Sia, the crouching defender opted for a very small shield to parry the blow.
Thunder ripped through steel grey clouds. Time sped up. Argos flew at him with blazing speeds. Moment by moment, Yoshi watched as the titan punched the shield. He saw the object bend and push the arm out of harms away. At the same time, it formed trees trap like whips to whack the back at the same time.
Time fully resumed now and Argos groaned after the attack fell apart. All the moment he gain from the charge made him slide past Yoshi. Though a hit was score, the trap wasn’t good enough. Yoshi knew this. The moment it hit Argo’s back, the spines and stakes he hastily conjured up instantly fell apart, leaving only minor scrapes and wounds on his enemy’s skin.
“Cheeky little runt,” the wounded man said as a hand felt around his back.
Argos turned around and raised his leg. Time slowed down again. This looked familiar, Yoshi thought in his head. “It’s just like on…,” Soon images flashed through his mind. The stone pillars used against elder, all of them playing in fast motion. In a blink of an eye, Yoshi used everything he had to jump backwards and barely managed to get enough ground to avoid a pole to the head. Seeing that he was in very great danger now, Yoshi lifted his chin and glared at Argos.
“Don’t you use those eyes on me,” the man roared, charging at Yoshi once again.
Since the gap was much smaller this time, Yoshi knew he didn’t have the luxury of making another shield. In an act of desperation he drew from the mud again and grabbed his gunslash. In one second, a giant fist met brown stream. Using the force of Argos’s punch to his advantage, the pilot latched to the mud and spun away and as he did, made the stream a little more solid so it would catch his arm and give him the perfect opportunity to shoot Argos in the head. It worked. Yoshi smirked. Though the stream crumbled apart a little, Yoshi’s gun landed dead between the man’s eyes and went off.
Before he knew it, Argos recoiled backwards and back forward again. “Hahaha,” Argos laughed, raising both his fists and ramming them into Yoshi’s outstretched arm.
Yoshi let go of his weapon and let out a wail of pain. Scared of getting kicked or punched again, he used the mud to glide him out of harm’s way while his massive foe casually walked forward.
“You’re not the only one with a hearty defense, scared little lamb,” Argos smiled.
With one arm now wrapped around Sia, Yoshi got up and moved in a circling motion, trying to avoid the more muscular man.
“I understand the brave protective gesture you’re putting up, but it would be much wiser if you simply just drop the girl. Not only are you throwing her in harm’s way, but you don’t look like the type that screams amazing stamina either.”
Yoshi continued to glare. A sight that made Argos laughed out loud and allowed the fallen gunslash to snap under his foot.
“I knew you were stupid, but not that stupid,” he bellowed, wiping a drop of water from his under eye. “Your eyes don’t affect your kin, lamb. Your abilities are useless in this battle. I admit, you have some amazing tricks; but you can’t run from the truth forever. This battle is over. Even you know this.”
Still Yoshi leered and continued to circle away. He glanced over his dangling arm and onto Sia. He thought about flexing his grip hoping his arm was alright. But in the event he needed to trick his opponent, he wanted Argos to guess if it was broken or not. Seeing as he had no other choice, scare for his safety and mostly for the love of his life, the pilot resorted to his trump card.
Like magic, earth formed out of thin air. Like water, it became his golden greaves. Dirt slathered his arms and became his shining gauntlets. Around his head, particles of dust became his protective helmet. Slipping between his waist, rock became his breastplate and plated skirt. Behind him eight small balls of emerald shot out of the ground and grew to the size of a mace head. Spinning once in unison, all eight of them shimmered in green glow and produced blades of their very own, four for each side. Finally, two arms sprouted from his waist and took over for his one weary arm, wrapping around the sleeping Newmen in gentle loving motion. Normally these arms would hold the mech guns he carried just in case; but Yoshi didn’t trust his one arm enough to hold her much longer. Not without dropping her by accident. So in the end, Yoshi resorted to using only one mech gun, one blue in color with a silencer one it.
“Oh,” said Argos. Impressed by the sudden transformation, he clapped in awe and closed his jaw. He had stopped and watched the whole thing happen. “That’s something you don’t see every day. I’m impressed,” he said with a complimenting tone of voice, pointing at the blades flexing behind the golden warrior. “I even see you’ve been taking pointer from the old man. This should be interesting, very interesting.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/8kqls64aYUs)
With the armament now completed, Yoshi immediately dashed to forward for a faked flank attempt and opened fire. Likewise Argos moved in as well, but instead of receiving some form of block like he expected, the golden warrior twisted out of the way and chopped at his exposed arm with three blades instead. Resisting the urge to grab his arm, the shirtless warrior held back his cry of pain and smacked away with his other arm; but before it could hit Yoshi, four free blades came in to parry the arm and protect their master. Now found defenseless before the golden warrior, a shower of bullets fell onto Argos and the two hopped away.
Just before they could make another form of action, a barrage of random missiles splashed into the ground around them. Both of them looked into the air and saw a ship hover in the distance, preparing to unleash a second barrage. Now prepared for the attack this time, Argos waited for the second hail to come and danced around the explosions until he managed to catch one in midflight. With a silver tube burning in his hand, the muscular man forcefully chucked it back at the ship and watched the missile blast away the turret underneath the vessel.
“Hmph,” Argos uttered, walking into the forest. “To think that me, a man who took out an entire armies all by himself, me, a man that made Arks bow to him as a hero, is having trouble killing such a small little lamb. How disappointing,” he grunted, melting into the forest fog.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/35y6kw7L7Ms)
Once gone, Yoshi could feel all the weight draw him down all of the sudden. His knees gave way and fell into the mud. Instinctively he wrapped one arm around Sia and watched his armor slowly drift apart.
“Sia” he murmured, rubbing his head against hers. “Everything’s going to be okay. You’re safe now. You’re safe now.”
“Well… just sit…,” a fuzzy voice scream at him. “Go after… Kill him now.”
“Do not go after him,” interrupted Akio, coming in much clearer than the pilot. “We don’t know if that man was a Falz or not. In the end not even James could get the telepipe down. We shouldn’t risk any more ships or men in this area. Bluebird, extract Yoshi and Sia from the field and bring them home. This mission is now over. Yoshi, your mag is reporting a fractured arm. Can you use a star atomizer to heal yourself?”
“I might,” Yoshi grunted, rubbing a tear on his shoulder without a second thought.
“I’m bringing in your B-01 for repairs now. You’re lucky the Darkers have left it alone this whole time. We’ll have someone wait for you two on the campship when you arrive. They’ll take care of your arm and any other injuries sustained in that fight.”
“Right,” Yoshi replied.
He got back up and let the rain wash the mud off his face.
“Just get us out of here.”
Stumbling forward in fatigue, he and Sia made their way to Bluebird while it lower its ramp to let them in. Right before Yoshi got inside, Sia finally came to and woke to see a smiling, teary eyed, dirt painted man smile down upon her in an exposed metal room.
Yoshi beamed down on her and asked, “How’s it going, sleeping beauty?”

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

@Zorafim: I try to read 2 or 3 per week. I'll get there (eventually)!

@yoshiblue:
[spoiler-box]You bet he has a space harem! A harem full of sultry space elves (and one robo-mom) eager to give him lots of punishment and abuse. :lol:[/spoiler-box]

The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part I:
[spoiler-box]I burst out laughing at the part that said, "No music here," in the place where the music links usually go. I guess that part's supposed to be read without any background music, it's just funny that you explicitly called it out that way. Or rather, it was funny because I wasn't expecting it. I went to click the link and--"What? No link!" :lol:

I know I mentioned this before, but it feels like you are slowly trying to change everyone's names in your story. By the end of it we'll still have (mostly) the same cast but they'll all be called something else, so if someone happened to read the first few chapters and then skip to the latest few, they might think it was a completely different group of people! "Bitol? Sia? Arethusa? Who are they and what happened to Yoshi, Marean, and... Marean?"

Were you thirsty when writing this chapter? Lots of drinking going on by various characters throughout, I noticed. :p[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]There was a time where I thought about how to tell someone that music shouldn't be played in a scene. I think I used (-/-) before and (No music) was just something I experimented with. In the end I didn't like it and never used it again.

As for everyone holding a glass of water, it was that or everyone eating waffles. All I remember was that I wanted everyone doing something instead of just standing around.[/SPOILER-BOX]


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/2f4ReN5mLpQ) “Now normally we would assign you three into the first B-01 or B-02 we could give you. However, since you are in a unique spot, and in a unique team, we are only left with letting your leader decide what to do with all of you.”
“That’s why I’m here,” added a well armored newmen woman of black hair. “But I’m going to need a moment to think this through. So if you will excuse me,” she said, turning to the woman next to her.
Besides Yvonna; standing before Yoshi, Sia and Arethusa; was the same human woman responsible for introducing the members of Team Zelatus to one another. Standing in the same red room they gathered in last time, now only them, Yvonna and the navigator dressed woman occupied the room. While Yvonna discussed what to do with them, Yoshi knelt down by Arethusa and chatted with her about the mag maintenance, treating the topic as if she were raising a new puppy. At first Sia listened to their conversation, but eventually her attention started to wonder in another direction. The conversation between the woman and Yvonna seemed to be growing more and more important by the moment.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/0uZ8_vHiNwE)
But before Sia could single out the silent conversation they were having, the caseal Ijiraku and their newmen ally, Shiomi, stormed into the room in a loud bang. Shortly before the door closed, a man cloaked in a robe wondered inside as well and rapidly made his way to the tables in the back of the room.
“Nobody move,” sang Ijiraku, staring at Yvonna with determination. “This decision is as important to me as it is for you.”
“I’m just here to see how this turns out,” said the seemingly carefree Shiomi, shrugging on the way to Sia’s side. “Yvonna’s decision, and I know it will be one heck of a decision, will shape the dynamic of our group from here on out.”
“Oh you’re just being over dramatic,” said the Caseal of gold hair with a toss of her hand. “This discussion wouldn’t even warrant the ears of the whole team.”
Shiomi crossed her arms and dipped her head in a menacing manner. “Actually it does,” she argued. “You’re just here to bring some bias to the decision.”
“Ladies please,” pleaded the navigator dressed woman. “We are trying to make this as quick as possible.”
“Do I even get a say in this at all?” complained Yoshi, trying to contain his sudden burst of anger.
“Sadly you don’t,” said Yvonna, who finally stepped forward. “And neither does Ijiraku. This isn’t about a simple change of seats. This is about preventing another massive failure like the one we had on Naberius. After reviewing your mag’s footage, we have determined that Yoshi has been off the ground for far too long. As of now, you are now in my squad along with Arron and Stamato.”
Yoshi shot an arm in the air to argue. Right as he opened his mouth Shiomi shouted,
“Not a word from you, Yoshi.”
Thought Ijiraku looked down upon the silver hair newmen, she didn’t care. She also refused to enter into a silent stare down. Ignoring the Caseal entirely, Shiomi looked to Yvonna and softly said with eyes closed, “Continue.”
“Marisa and Inanna, you will be paired with James. Since we are down in fire power, you two will be making use of the turret and missile pods. Our team is not ready to take the risk of requesting another machine. For now we will use what we have until the B-01 is finished with repairs.”
“You make it sound like it’s going to take a while,” said Sia in a surprisingly serene tone of voice.
This time the navigator stepped forward. “As much as we would don’t like admitting it, the B-01 series has not been seeing as much success as we would have liked. As such, production of said vessels have halted and are now very limited in the amount of items we have for repairs. This is partly due to the over protective designer and his legal team preventing us from fabricating additional parts. As of now, only three teams have made good use of the B-01 type hybrids— this team included— and has yet to see use in large scale operations.”
“If ARKs wanted a powerful ground machine, they would have called in the AIS instead,” added Yvonna. “B-01s would have just been fodder on the field. So, seeing as we have discussed your reassignment, you are all dismissed. Marisa, be sure to check in with James whenever it is most convenient, and I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, Yoshi. Try to wake up on time, okay?” she finished, patting Yoshi shoulder on the way out.
At the same time, the navigator bowed and followed her.
Ijiraku did a pirouette over towards a flustered Yoshi. “Oh how lovely,” she sang. Reaching Yoshi, she cupped his face and continued, “Don’t worry, my child. Everything will go swell. Trust me, okay? Until then, ta ta and you stay a good boy now.”
Once Ijiraku had left, Shiomi relaxed her shoulders and gave the teal hair man a warm smile. “At ease, kid; you can speak now.”
Yoshi rubbed at his throat and coughed just to make sure he even could. “You didn’t have to lock up my vocal cords,” he wheezed.
“Someone had to keep you from saying anything stupid. Look, I don’t like the decision any more than you do, and I certainly don’t want to agree with the Caseal, but listen to her. Everything is going to be fine. So I’ll see you tomorrow.” Just as she was about to pass by, Shiomi leaned over to his ear and whispered, “And keep an eye out for our guest. He hasn’t moved at all and he certainly isn’t here for the free television.”
The door opened and closed again.
“Are you okay with this?” asked Yoshi to Sia, worried about how she felt the whole time. “I’m going to set things right, don’t you worry.”
“It could be worse,” said Sia in a lofty manner. “Let’s just roll with it for now and see how it goes. Also, before you ask, the robe man is gone.”
“Huh?” Yoshi peeped.
He ran to the other side of the room and glanced around. No one was there anymore.
“How?”
“Whoever that person was, he wasn’t working alone. Somehow, he seemed familiar. Keep an eye out, Bitol.” She said, giving him a small peck on the cheek. “Try to stay out of trouble, alright?”
(-/-)
Suddenly the room dimmed into near darkness. Within it, a familiar voice rang beside him.
“How does this feel? Are you alright with how you’re treated? Do you feel like a real man?” The more the voice talked, the more time slowed down. “How much do you really love her, hmm?” Yoshi tried to budge but found that he couldn’t move. During his struggle, a figured circled around into his vision. Chipper walked into his view. “Can you truly protect her like you did me? Can you truly save her life when you failed to save mine… father?”
“Cyane,” Yoshi called out, almost stumbling over in the process.
The darkness melted away. Time resumed. Coming close to tears, Yoshi failed to notice Arethua come in to keep him from falling. As she tugging at his sleeve, she carefully scanned the room. Nobody messes with the memory of her sister without her permission, thought the small teal hair girl. Memory…, she continued.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/0uZ8_vHiNwE)
Arethusa furiously looked up and bolted to the door. “Do you know any other mind newmens?” She hissed outside.
Suddenly Sia came back inside and looked at Yoshi.
“Bitol, I’m going to take Arethusa to have a chat with James. Is that alright?”
Yoshi bit down hard and fought back his emotions. After gaining some control over himself, he slowly replied, “Yeah. I’ll make some dinner for you to come back too.”
“Try to get some rest okay? We’ll be back before you know it.”
“Look,” Yoshi heard his daughter shout outside. “I see Neona. Hurry, she’s already on the move.”
Yoshi dashed outside after them, but before could get far into the shopping district, a man grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him backwards.
“You don’t want to follow them,” calmly said Kazamir.
“What do you mean I don’t?” Yoshi whispered, trying hard not to make a scene.
“They have been trained for these kinds of situations by both Leanna and Neona. Do not worry.”
“What are you—?”
“For now we’re going to Reinhardt. He needs our help and hey,” he paused. He let go of Yoshi and walked off a little. “I’m sorry about your partner machine. If I had known she was going pass as soon as she did, I wouldn’t have given you such a hard time. You are a good person, Yoshi; making her last few moments a good one.”
Yoshi balled a fist and bumped it against his chin. Breaking out of his small moment of shock, he walked forward to comfort his friend. “Kaz, don’t worry about it. For now, let’s get to Reinhardt.”
“I must warn you first. It’s going to be very silly.”

[/spoiler-box]
- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/FFZKS2nJDXU)
Once the lunch bell had rung mass groups of people rose up for their seats and proceeded to the nearest sliding glass door exits. In-between the many tables and by the large exit doors, trays of gray would be flips or slammed over fixed white tile pillars in the ground, each with a glowing blue rim near the lip of the pillars. Every so often, whenever one of these pillars ever overfilled, the blue ring and the floor would emit a radiant blue glow and magically cause the contents inside to disappear. When finished, a black smooth finished could be seen inside and people would flock over to them to dump their trays again.
Sitting at a rectangular white table by the wall of the building, Yoshiblue, Kazamir and Noreen all sat by and watched the public scramble about leaving the large cluttered room. By waiting out the crowd and watching rare humorous events fold out, there would be less fighting at the doors and less accidents to worry about. Said accidents being mostly caused by Yoshi, where one time a boy received a bloody nose for rudely knocking her down and has since then has become somewhat feared by the community.
Just as the dewmen boy got up to discard his wrapper, Noreen shifted to her right and near Yoshi’s ear.
“Isn’t everyone afraid of falling into those things?” she asked in a voice of subtle dismay. “It’s all full of germs and gross stuff with a chance of dying.”
“Eh, I wouldn’t worry about,” Yoshi casually responded, waving her hand as if shooing away any doubts. “A while back there was this Mu-gu-romi kid— a real dweeb that guy— that got dumped into one of them. When it went off it turned out that he was perfectly okay. I think he lost his hat though.”
“And his socks,” added Kazamir, now looming over the two. He put a hand into his pocket and took something thin and black out. Unfolding them, he put on a pair of emotionless glasses, ones used for comedy, and imitated Kreszentia. “If they were fatal to the people, the academy would not have installed them.”
Noreen looked up and laughed nervously. “Haha, yeah,” she said, fumbling her hands around. “You’re right. Yep yep.” In an effort to hide her embarrassment, she lifted from her chair with her tray in hand and cautiously eyed a pillar. “Right, shall we go then?” she asked, shifting the tray left and right.
“Yeah sure,” Yoshi said with a smile.
Kazamir, picked up a bag and glanced over at Yoshi. “I’m going on ahead, Yoshi. I’d rather not be late to Ms. Sato’s class again.” After that he sprinted off to the nearest exist, leaving Yoshi to scramble out of her chair and shout,
“Get back here, Kaz. I’m not going to get in trouble alone.”
“Bye,” he said with his head out the door, closing it on the way out.
Noreen watched Yoshi vault over two tables and a few chairs. She wanted to tell Yoshi to be careful and act more lady like, but none of the words reached her mouth. She could only stand by the table and stare with a hand curled below her chin. By the time Yoshi ran out the door and after Kazamir, Noreen could vaguely hear the mumbles of their shouting from beyond the blue and white cafeteria wall.
“Must they act like a bunch of boneheads,” said a familiar intimidating voice from behind.
Noreen jumped in her skin. A shiver ran down her spine. Frightened by the sudden voice, she spun around, fighting back the tear quivering in her eye, and found Kreszentia standing behind her while holding a large book in her arms. Like always, she stared with a near emotionless, soul piercing gaze.
“Oh, hello Ms. Borchard,” said Noreen, clapping her hands together. “You’re looking as radiant as always.”
Kreszentia face didn’t budge. “Like I said before, just call me Kris,” she replied, turning around.
“R-right. So what is this about them and being late?”
The white hair newmen gestured forward and began to walk. “I’ll tell you while we walk to class,” she said while walking away.
So they did. Before the newmen said anything the two walked out of the cafeteria hall and into a massive complex of sidewalk, grass, flower and similar colored buildings. Starting from under a large area of shade, the two headed toward a two story building directly on the other side of the facility. As they walked in-between the rolling mini hills and small beds of flowers, Kreszentia placed the book into her bag and lifted a palm.
“Yoshi wanted to show us some new gunslash drawing techniques she wanted to use in future battles,” she began. “Needless to say, they were too flashy and far too inefficient to be effective in combat. Eventually a teacher caught us goofing around and after giving them a scolding, caused them to be late and get another scolding from their parent. Or so they believe anyways. The only reason I did not get in trouble was because I was asked to run an errand for her father. So my parents were never called.”
“Oh? They must be really lucky. So what makes you believe that they didn’t get a second scolding?”
“I am not saying they did not, as I never asked,” Kreszentia quickly replied. “As far as I know, Yoshi’s father would not consider something like that as a reason to yell at her and Kazamir’s mother may be the same way. At best Yoshi may have had a talk with her mother and as for Kaz… I am not sure what his father would say to him. I never met him.”
“Oh, I wonder what he’s like?”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/RQL1SgPVVpg)
Noreen and Kreszentia entered into a sun worn beige building. Walking into a cream and sage green interior, they soon looped around on the green tile entrance and swerved up a set of green stairs. As they did, the two molded and shifted around several students idling in the hallways and past other people who also tried to pass through. Just as they reached the last step of the second floor, Kreszentia immediately stuck an arm out to block Noreen from moving forward.
“Hold on,” said the newmen, looking over her right shoulder. “What is my mother up to this time?”
“Why? What does you mom normally do?” Noreen asked innocently.
“She has a habit of getting on my nerves.” The newmen used her arm to point left and continued, “This way. We’ll just go around.”
“You know… maybe you should take some time to sit down with your mom and talk out your problems? It wouldn’t hurt, right? Does she work here?”
Kreszentia stopped a person from crashing into her and mumbled, “Were it so easy. And no, she does not.”
“Sorry,” the person quickly bowed. Kreszentia took Noreen by the hand and moved on without saying a word.
“I told Yoshi’s father about your partisan usage. He might have something for you in the near future.”
They both ended up stopping in the middle of the hallway. Noreen came to a halt and tugged on her friend’s hand. “About that,” she began with a hand over her mouth. “I don’t really want to be a hunter.”
“So then why are you training to become one?”
The human girl looked to the floor for moment and back up. Eyes still hugging the not brown second floor carpet, she responded, “I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”
Kreszentia kept still and didn’t say word. After a moment of silence and a girl pushing past them, the newmen patted Noreen on the shoulder and said, “You can tell me later then, alright?” before continuing into their classroom.
Right at the very moment they reached their seats the bell rang again. By the end of the jingle, the two girls watched everyone who wasn’t in the room scramble through the door to get inside. When the last person reached their seat, a teacher dressed in white and blue walked through the door and towards her desk.
“Bottoms down, desks on,” her voice boomed through the silent room. “Today we will be learning about the Bravers and the history of their choice armory.” The teacher placed her hands on her desk and looked at everyone sitting in the room. “Now I want everyone to access the library and open up Swords and Bows Across the Ages by William Campbell and Atsuhiko Hara,” she said, writing the name of the book on the wall behind her. “And before anyone asks, no, we will not be learning about spiritual entities inhabiting our weapons. However as I discussed with Monrow, you can explore the idea when Mr. Shu arrives.”
Right when she was about to say another word, there was a knock on the door. Her hand hovered in the air. Frowning, she stormed around her desk and towards the door.
“This is the tenth time this week. Can’t they see I am trying to teach a class?” she muttered under her breath. Opening the door, she leaned backwards and said in a much more pleasant tone, “Hello, Mr. Xol. How may I help you?” After that, she closed the door behind her. Yoshi’s father mumbled in the background. “No I will not call her out of the classroom for you,” she shouted. The man mumbled something again. “Well then you should have thought of that before the bell went off.” More words were spoken. “Great light, man,” she screamed. “Do you not live in today’s age? Just leave her a message. Then you wonder why her mother screams at you around every corner.”
Suddenly the man started laughing. A sound that increased once the door slid open up.
“What’s so funny?” the woman asked in frustration.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mr. Xol replied, waving her back into the classroom. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
After that, Yoshi’s father walked away, allowing the teacher to close the door and place a hand over her face. “That man is going to give me a headache. Kreszentia,” she began, returning to her desk. “You no longer have to make any sort of permission slip for the flight class. The simulation ship has been repaired. Now, everyone turn to page one hundred and ninety three so we may begin.”
Back outside as Mr. Xol turned the corner, a tall newmen of white hair and silver frames waited on the other side.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/C9SqP6sJruQ)
“Ah, what a pleasant surprise,” Mr. Xol smiled, shouldering his paper work. “Hello there, Mrs. Borchard. A strange time to be standing behind corners isn’t it?”
“Hello… Mr. Xol,” she monotonously replied.
Like her daughter, she too spoke in a monotonous manner, and also like her daughter, she wore an expressionless face as well. To prevent an awkward stare down from occurring, Yoshi’s father pointed forward and began to walk side by side with her.
“I am not a stranger. You can call me by my name,” said Mrs. Borchard. “If I did not know any better, I would say you were afraid of something.”
“Wouldn’t want to appear be too chummy with the ice queen now would I? And me afraid of you? Says the woman who can’t even look me straight in the face.”
“You have a very ugly face,” she shot back, coming close to snicker.
Mr. Xol frowned and touched his face. “Ouch,” he smirked, knowing she was joking. “Now, if you here—,”
“I already know—,” she tried to interrupt before being interrupted back with,
“Then there’s nothing to worry about then.” Mr. Xol shrugged and chuckled a little. “If you need me, I’ll be in the hanger making sure the sim ship is properly repaired.”
“That is why I am following you. To make sure the machine is in standing order.”
“So I’m told,” said the man, pointing a brow towards a frowning newmen woman.
Seeing his expression, she tilted her face and gave him a serious expression. “Are you suggesting something, Mr. Xol?”
“It would be pretty nostalgic, would it not?” the man pleasantly replied, holding a palm up in the air, his gaze out a window to his left.
Mrs. Borchard clasped her hands behind her back and her expression softened. Looking out the window as well, she softly said, “Yes, I guess it would.”

[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

The music thing gets me too. I love music and want each of my scenes to have it, and if nothing else it's the beginning of a chapter that's without music. Considering that, I've never been in a situation where I need to tell my reader that this scene is songless. I think if I did, I would try to get some mellow music instead of saying that there shouldn't be a song.
But there are times when not having music would be more dramatic than having a song. In that case... I don't know, background sound effects?


@Zorafim: I try to read 2 or 3 per week. I'll get there (eventually)!

At that rate... two to three more months?

[yoshiblue]

Environmental sounds are always nice. Eh, we'll figure it out eventually. (We being me, you, Stukasa and anyone else who put music in their stories.)

[stukasa]

At that rate... two to three more months?
Let's do the math, shall we? At a rate of 2 chapters per week (on average) it'll take me 3 months to catch up on 6 months worth of releases. However, at the end of that I'll have 3 more months of releases to contend with. So, using that idea...

6 months of releases = 3 months to catch up
+
3 months of releases = 1.5 months to catch up
+
1.5 months of releases = 4 weeks to catch up
+
4 weeks of releases = 2 weeks to catch up
+
2 weeks of releases = 1 week to catch up

GRAND TOTAL = About 6 more months to get fully caught up!

Well, that sobered me up in a hurry. THANKS.

Anyway~

The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part II:
[spoiler-box]Hoo boy. I don't know where to start or end with this one. It felt like you covered a lot of ground with plot and back stories and foreshadowing and whatnot.

The idea of having different color hair signify different abilities is an interesting one, but it's a characteristic that sets our stories squarely in different dimensions. I never used a Newman's hair color to signify anything other than a fashion statement. :p

Stop teasing us with that engine room already! xD There had better be something super amazing in there or, like Arethusa, I'll probably end up disappointed. :lol:

I think you're a lot better at writing jerks than I am. I usually write either A) generally reasonable people, or B) villains. The third category, C) jerks who aren't exactly evil, well... I have a hard time getting into that mindset.[/spoiler-box]

[Zorafim]

Man, I don't know how my math minor failed me that hard. I was way off.

[spoiler-box]Wasn't it, different abilities came from being from different families, and being in a family meant you had a specific hair color? If that's the case, one can have a certain hair color by some other means, and not have the ability tied to it. Oracle is a big place, after all. One family can't have all the people of a certain hair color.
Of course, Ur is much smaller than Oracle, so characters in Ur would probably know of these families...

As for writing jerks... Certainly, there's something that tips you off, right? Jerks on the road, unmanagable work schedules, something like that? I think in this family's case, the best thing would be to take a person you hate (maybe someone you met once who happened to do something bad to you that day, or someone who's just not agreeable), and imagine yourself talking to that person at your worst. It can be tough if you avoid thinking like that, but I'm sure it can be done if you want to. Though I can't say why you would want to.

That being said, the closest I got to that was writing for Torva. That was pretty easy. I just imagined myself as a teenager, and her lines flowed. Making someone a jerk, and sympathetic... that requires some skill. Or, I suppose, just seeing things from that person's perspective.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

Alright, well I think I mentioned enough about the Melchior to go a little more in depth about it.
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/SzMjBc_C8kc)
The Melchior is like Ur, its own cruiser, and as its own cruiser has its own pocket society and culture. A culture made by Luther. Hair color and power are not things limited to one ship in Oracle but can be found on the Melchior and all hair colors have prominent families. For example orange color hair has the Durenes, the Barnas and the Wades. I never mentioned the last two so don’t worry about them.

The easiest way in explaining it is like this. Luther is your favorite pkmn protag and the Melchior is the daycare center.

At first one may come across it and go, "Oh, I can use it to create more things that I like, cool." and that's what he did. He called for an entirely new ship to be made just to reproduce more of the people he found interesting.

Then as time goes on, things like IVs, EVs, and shiny rares come into play. You also have a darker war you have to fight to boot. So what does Luther do? He takes some of the heroes and heroines of the past, turns everyone into Newmens (willingly of course) and throws them into the Melchior. Where he can mass produce them and have a hard comparison to the side by side cloning project.

But people don't just breed just like that. You can't put everything together and expect everything to just work out like you want it to. So what does Luther do? He starts to mess with genetics. Powers are now attached to hair color; colored coded for convenience and easier tracking. The need to breed (their curse) is then introduced. Everyone and anyone of Melchior linage, regardless of who they are or what they look like, is a potential partner. It doesn't affect people at birth, but after puberty it starts taking effect. As the years go by it gets worse and worse and if anyone keeps resisting or can't find a partner, they start feeling signs of depression or madness and eventually commit suicide. You can imagine solitary confinement being commonly used in the early days to keep everyone in check.

With that done, things like Honor, Tradition and Family is emphasized overtime so that people better segregate one another and group together in their circles. A caste system is made to create the illusion of a high and privileged society, with those who pose a greater threat being repositioned as needed. As of right now, the lower you are, the more of a threat you pose to everyone. Green hair Newmens being the lowest and orange being second lowest. The public doesn't know this of course and just believes that they are below them, thus every makes fun of them all the time and treats them like trash. The caste also expands outside the ship. Any Newmen outside the Melchior will always be the lowest, right above humans and then CASTs. Since Dewmens are the latest thing, they are above CASTs but still share the same treatment.

With families forming their own circles and districts on the ship, everyone now works to protect their children and arranged marriages become a thing again. Some families even allow polygamy while others, like Yvonna's family, allows incest. Since it is the future and you can eliminate the defects anyways. Families can marry others of different hair color but it is not only frowned upon, but carries the thought that such a union will also only produce an unwanted child. In truth, the child will have a small chance of inheriting one parent's potential power but is more likely not to be born with anything at all. [SPOILER]That said, Sia and Neona would be considered miracle children.

Over time it was discovered that those gifted with higher technique and those born from the Diga bloodlines can calm the curse. This allowed some of them to figure out that it is not something hardwired into the brain but is actually something the body produces. At first, higher forces became figure heads and people to gather around. Diga people on the other hand became body guards or slaves, as they were seen as outsiders and lesser people. Some Newmens even try to leave the ship, to find a cure or to escape their life, but are either killed by others or themselves. Luther and the people of the Melchior did not take kindly to deserters. This is why Leanna has cut ties with her roots entirely, was completely outraged with the thought of her daughter going back to the Melchior and how she allowed her daughter to die. She couldn’t go back to help her.

Any special child found in the ship (the shinys/ those born who exhibit special powers) are taken at a young age and are replaced with a sickly clone to live in their stead. The talented people (Perfect stats group) on the other hand are encouraged to join Arks later in life with the families they are born under being compensated with titles, honor and wealth. This is partially why families like the Durenes have such a fascination over becoming heroes. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

@Zorafim: In my case I think it just doesn't come to me naturally. I'm always trying to be considerate of others so thinking like a jerk takes effort. Even in games that give me a choice I always end up playing "one of the good guys." :lol:

@yoshiblue:
[spoiler-box]Wow, that's quite a detailed background! My question to you is, how much of that have you explained in the actual chapters? I recall bits and pieces being mentioned by various characters, but a good chunk of it was new to me. Especially the connection to Luther. Or maybe I just haven't reached that part of the story yet where it was more fully explained? With such a detailed backstory, I feel like it would benefit the readers to know this stuff as they read the chapters. Like, it would enrich the experience knowing more about it. Have you seen the anime Outlaw Star? I almost feel like you should follow that model. (If you haven't seen it, every episode starts off with a bit of exposition explaining some aspect of the world that's relevant to that part of the plot. So if there's an episode about a space race, the episode will start out explaining the history and significance of those races.) But, I dunno, maybe that's too obvious a way of going about it? You don't have to take my suggestion, I'm just thinking aloud here--or in this case, typing aloud.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]I know you mentioned Outlaw Star and sadly I still have not taken the time to watch it. My apologies. Nearly none of backstory is stated outright but some of it is hinted and talked about throughout the story. I've just been very subtle about it. The only new/unknowns things to the reader so far should be the origin part. Luther, the reason why the Melchior exists and why the people are cursed (kinda).

I do understand the issue though. One of the things that bothers me all the time is deciding how to give the story life and how much it I want colored. There are several ways to go about it, like pulling an Outlaw Star as you have suggested, but I feel that its already too late in the story to change any of that. Even though I did use to do those mag ramblings for a time. So maybe i'm just stubborn.

The other issue I have is deciding how much backstory should actually make it into the story. Luther's hand in things, for example, would be interesting to know about but also seem kind of irrelevant to the plot. He never appears in the story and has no real influence over any of the cast. His mentioning would only bring up more lore questions; Like how many more ships are like this? What else is he involved in? Is Xion involved in the plot then? How much control and power does he truly have over everyone? Can he order Yoshi's death on the spot? Did he have a major roll in the Diga project as well?

Though I guess the answers to these would then be found in the fillers. Heh.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

@stukasa: No, of course not. Writing a character who is completely unlike you is a tough skill. And if you can't force that mindset, then it's even tougher.
I'm having this problem with jerky Levia right now. I need to get into the mind of a purely logical being who views my species as something to look down upon, while being forced to interact with them. How do I get visible scorn out of procedural logic?
Though that's still better than side characters. It's not so hard if they're one dimensional stereotypes, which I like sticking to. But it's very hard to make humanity look sympathetic if that's all I'm showing.

Hm. I think I'm using this entire post to complain about how much trouble I'm having writing...

@Yoshi: Did I link this song? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz1508RBx2w) I used it as motivation for Levia's theme, and am sad I can't use it in my story because of the distracting lyrics. It's one of my favorite songs, and it played at the end of every Outlaw Star episode. I've got some good memories of that show, though I don't think you can get anything out of it that you can't from, say, Firefly.

And about Luther; (PSO2 episode 2 spoilers)
[spoiler-box]Now that he's dead, does that change anything in your story? Or does this all take place before episode 3? Perhaps this opens a plot point to a kind of reform. And exactly how old is he to create multiple generations of inbreeding newmans?[/spoiler-box]

Also, I got behind on your story again. Remind me to marathon the last month this weekend.

[yoshiblue]

@Yoshi:[SPOILER-BOX] Did I link this song? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz1508RBx2w) I used it as motivation for Levia's theme, and am sad I can't use it in my story because of the distracting lyrics. It's one of my favorite songs, and it played at the end of every Outlaw Star episode. I've got some good memories of that show, though I don't think you can get anything out of it that you can't from, say, Firefly.

And about Luther; (PSO2 episode 2 spoilers)
[spoiler-box]Now that he's dead, does that change anything in your story? Or does this all take place before episode 3? Perhaps this opens a plot point to a kind of reform. And exactly how old is he to create multiple generations of inbreeding newmans?[/spoiler-box][/SPOILER-BOX]

Also, I got behind on your story again. Remind me to marathon the last month this weekend.

Its a nice theme. To be honest, i'm not truly sure if I can accurately answer the time question, because i'm not sure if PSO2 runs on that bassawkward anime time logic were 30-40 years = a super long time/ old man already lookin' in his 80s or something. But if I put aside the game's timeline, we're talking a thousand or more years of hero gathering and war; or at least that's how old the Diga bloodline is. The Melchior may or may not have been around for much longer. Changing it's purpose through the ages. As more unique bloodlines are seen, more people are added to the ship. Sometimes random Newmens will be brought in to freshen up the DNA pool, since all he wants is their offspring.

As for EP III, even if i have to use the power of photons to make the time span fit, the story will end before EP III begins. If I were to write about the reforms that take place afterwards, it would be in some sort of epilogue. Also, [spoiler]Luther isn't dead.[/SPOILER-BOX]

[stukasa]

@yoshiblue:
[spoiler-box]Yeah, it's a tough call... I just thought that since you spent the time coming up with a neat, detailed backstory, it could enrich the readers' experience if they knew some of that stuff while reading chapters that involve the Mechior Newmans. But I suppose some of it isn't really necessary for understanding the plot, and you *have* mentioned some of it during conversations between characters, so I suppose it's fine as is.[/spoiler-box]

@Zorafim: Wasn't Firefly partly inspired by Outlaw Star too? At least, that's what I heard. They certainly share a common theme (which Yoshi's story also shares, i.e. space western), not to mention the whole "girl in a box" thing...

[yoshiblue]

- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/tdD2vR6SLck)
A door slid open that next morning. As highlighted paint steadily creeped down hollowed grey ceiling fixtures, a newmen woman of black hair stormed into a tiny room with a large metal pot and matching ladle in hand. Wearing nothing but a black sleeping gown and a pair of fuzzy slippers, Yvonna stood very closes to Yoshi as he slept on his western style futon. Just as the sunlit colors hit the ceiling molding, the newmen woman took up a wide stance and menacingly beamed down at the turning man. Judging from the fresh spring scent he emitted in his sleep, the sheets and the futons had recently been cleaned. It could be due to the fact that he had hosted a small random party yesterday for his friend, Reinhardt.
A deep breath was taken. With nothing to pick up or getting in her way, a pair of hands rose up high up in the air. Banging the ladle loudly against the pot, Yvonna screamed at the top of her lungs, “Rise and shine, Yoshi.”
Arms flailed. Messy bed hair brushed against pale arms.
“Ah,” Yoshi screamed, accidently smacking his newmen roommate’s arm in the process. Now sitting up in his bed, he rubbed his forehead and sighed, “Don’t do that.”
Yvonna placed her hand on her hips. “Good, you’re awake,” she said with a smile and a nod. “Now you can make us breakfast.”
“You~,” Yoshi replied, pointing at her without looking. “Can make breakfast yourself. I don’t see why you needed to wake me up…” Yoshi flicked at the air and summoned a clock. “…At five in the morning.” Brown eyes wondered unto the black gown and zoomed back. “And would you put some clothes on?” he asked, getting off the sofa shaped bedding.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/eKnhh8u_I6M)
“Watch the attitude. It’s not my fault you leave the house every day to do whatever is you do with Marisa. And don’t forget. I’m your leader. So don’t push your luck.”
Yoshi rolled his eyes and began to stretch. “Yeah, yeah, I’m not the one who’s waking people up early in the morning for some food.”
To avoid getting hit, Yvonna stepped backwards and poked his head with the ladle. “I’m not just waking you up for food,” She cried, resisting the temptation to bop him on the head. “I need to make sure you are able to take care of yourself.”
The human stopped what he was doing and allowed his arms to flop above the floor. He slouched sideways and gave the newmen a weary expression. “Out of all the things you have to worry about, you want to make sure I can take care of myself. I can take care of myself, Yvonna,” the man proclaimed, patting his chest. “I’d be more worried about you taking care of yourself than anything.”
Yvonna patted the human’s nose with her tool. “My ass you can take care of yourself,” she disagreed. “Have you seen this room? It’s still empty. It screams, no, it shouts to the entire city, I am a hobo who can’t be bothered to improve his life. How many days has it been now since I moved in? You look a bum, Yoshi, a bum. You’re going to be forever alone if you keep it this way.”
Yoshi threw his arms into the air. “Nobody gives a damn if my room is decorated or empty, woman,” he shrugged. “Geeze, if you hate it so much, move next door or something.”
“No, I like it here. It saves me money and I already have everything set up to how I want it. What you can do it take up the other room over there,” she said, pointing the ladle at a wall, “and let me decorate this place so it doesn’t look like an eyesore that it is every time I walk in. I can’t even invite anyone here because of you.”
“That’s because it’s my home, and I will do whatever I damn well please with it.”
Cheeks puffed up in anger. The ladle hit Yoshi on the head.
“You are moving into the other room.”
Yoshi grabbed the metal object and ripped it from Yvonna’s hand.
“Keep it up,” he growled. “You may be leader of the team, but this is my house and i’m not moving anywhere.”
Yvonna lifted up the pot. “You’re going to use the other room.”
Without hesitation, Yoshi snatched the pot out of her hands and walked away.
“Where are you going? We’re not done yet. Get back here right now,” she screamed, pointing at the futon.
“Just tell me what you want to eat already.”
In an empty corner of the room, by her door, a stove, a refrigerator and a few hanging counters appeared. As the tired man placed the seemingly heavy pot on the stove, Yvonna appeared over one of his shoulders, and then the other. Tossing the ladle into the pot, Yoshi moved over to the fridge, put a hand on the door and waited for a response.
“I want a seven course meal of the finest quality,” Yvonna finally replied. “One that matches the greatest chiefs in my family who have undergone years of training and have won many awards.”
“Did you restock the fridge?”
“Yes I restocked the fridge, you half brained goof ball,” she snapped. “I’m not like you who chooses the worst things off the shelf.”
“That’s because I only pick things I know I’m going to eat the next day,” Yoshi replied, opening the fridge door. “Not my fault you take my stuff without asking.”
Yvonna tackled Yoshi with her shoulder and glared at him. “That’s because I the one who actually eats here,” she replied, pointing a finger at herself. “You know, like a normal person. Someone who washes their own dishes— the dishes they use — and cleans up their mess. You know, like a person who uses their own home.”
Yoshi pulled out a carton of milk and eggs. As he walked back, he snapped his fingers and conquered up a matching cabinet, which contained the dryer food and goods. After reaching in and pulling out a container of oats, he laid everything out onto the counter and turned around. Staring back at the eager to fight newmen, he said with half closed eyes,
“How do you want your eggs?”
“You’re making eggs?” cried the newmen in disbelief.
“Do you want toast with your porridge then?”
“What kind of meal are you making?”
“You’re the one who gave me the pot, not me” said the human, turning around.
Yvonna’s hands shot up and chopped at an invisible wall. Very tempted to hit Yoshi on the back, she quickly walked in a small circle and chopped at the air again.
“You’re a man,” she suddenly continued. “Get something else to cook with.”
“Nah,” said Yoshi sleepily. “I think I’m good with what I have. I just need to grab my pan.”
Slowly, he reached out at the wall and poured milk into the pot at the same time. By the time his hand had reached the handing pot, Yvonna’s eyes burned due to her lack of blinking. Grabbing it by the handle, he tried to pull it off but ended up fighting with it instead. After a few seconds of jittering it around, he finally plucked it from its jealous rack and reeled backwards at amazing speeds. Almost hitting Yvonna, stopping the pan just above her head, Yoshi simply said, “Hi” and snapped forward, carefully placing the pan next to the pot.
Yvonna two hands balled up in front of her face. “Ugh,” she groaned. “You’re just so… you know…”
“I’m afraid that if I asked you what you exactly wanted to eat, you wouldn’t be able to tell me. So be glad I took it into my own hands.”
“That’s because you can’t cook what I want.”
Yoshi poured the oats into the heated milk. “So why asked for expensive meals then?” he asked, stirring the pot.
“Because that’s what I want,” she screamed. “I want freshly made, high quality food that people make in the same hour. I want it and I miss it.”
As Yoshi stirred the pot around, he blankly stared into it and responded, “I’ll keep it in mind then.”
“Ha ha, yeah right. You, reaching that kind of perfection? Don’t make me laugh.”
“You already did,” said Yoshi in an emotionless tone.
“Don’t start with me,” the newmen pointed.
Yoshi put a lid over the pot and tended to the eggs. “Arron doesn’t cook, does he?”
“He does, unlike you.”
“Then how come you never talk about his meals or eat them in front of everyone?”
Yvonna crossed her arms and looked away the moment Yoshi spun around. “Because that would be rude,” she replied.
“Right,” said Yoshi quickly. “How did you want your eggs again?”
The newmen woman slapped her sides and responded, “Surprise me, geese.”
“Sunny side up it is. You may want to step back a bit.”
With one hand on the pan, the other hand reached over to the wall and grabbed a second much smaller pan. Before he set it down on the stove, he let go of the first pan, grabbed the ledge of the stove and pulled out a second set of grates from the wall.
“You better not overcook them,” said Yvonna, now looking over Yoshi with her chin on his shoulder.
“I’ll try not to, and don’t worry. The metal grates are just for looks. That’s if you care about gas, electric or whatever other kind of cooking there is.”
“See,” Yvonna exclaimed, shooting her hand high up above her. “This is what I’m talking about. You care about your kitchen, now you just have to apply it to the rest of your room.”
Yoshi placed Yvonna's eggs on a plate and turned off the burner for the pot. Stirring the pot one last time, he let go and made his way to a large gray console embedded by the front entrance. After pressing a few buttons, a table set magically appeared in the side of the room along with two chairs. Since he now had something to eat on, he grabbed Yvonna’s food and set it on one side of the table.
“You had a table set this whole time?” asked Yvonna, gripping the counter with great intensity. “Why didn’t you put it down ages ago?”
“I never figured out how I wanted my room to look,” Yoshi replied, setting his own food on the other side. “So I never placed anything anywhere.”
Yvonna sat down on her side of the table. “Ugh,” she groaned out loud. “I am going to hit you.”
“You already hit me,” said Yoshi, taking the seat on his side.
“I’m going to hit you again,” she snapped.
“You can yell at me some more once you sit down,” said Yoshi calmly, making sure he had all of his utensils. “So, tell me more about the people you wanted to invite. It’s good to hear that you made more friends.”
Yvonna sat than and grabbed her spoon. “Yeah, better friends than you’ll ever have,” she smirked. “They’re awesome and we always have an awesome time together.”
“How does Arron feel about it?” asked the man without looking.
“He’s totally cool with me and my new friends. He comes with us all the time.”
Yoshi tapped the plate with his spoon and looked at Yvonna. “You didn’t make any new friends did you?” he asked with hugging brows.
Yvonna slammed on the table. “Shut up, like you’re any better yourself,” she shot back, pointing a fork at the teal man this time.
Yoshi lifting his brows and took a bite out of his eggs. “I didn’t say anything,” he replied, almost chuckling at her reaction.
“Oh yeah, how many new friends have you made lately? Oh, that’s right, none.”
“Not the fun kind at least, I can assure you that,” Yoshi replied, taking a spoon full of his porridge this time.
Yvonna busted out laughing. “Ha ha, no friends, you friendless bum.”
Though Yoshi wanted to argue back, he furiously cut at his egg and instead asked, “Anyways, what are we doing today?”
“Well,” the newmen began, clasping two hand under her chin. “I was going to have you run several miles in the dunes of Lilipa, but I have a better idea.”
Yoshi tapped his plate again. “And that is?” he asked with the same expression.
“We’re going shopping today.”
Yoshi slapped the table with his knife. “You’re asking me out on a date,” he said in a serious manner.
Yvonna start to blush slightly. “I am not asking you out on a date, you—,” suddenly she paused and poked the table. “I want you to spruce up this place,” she finished, scrolling a palm around the room.
Yoshi looked back down and continued eating. “I wonder how Arron will feel about it.”
“It is not a date.”
“Let me guess, you’re going to call me by my real name the whole time too.”
“Yoshi,” she warned.
“You should eat your food before it gets cold. Don’t forget to let me know if I over cooked your eggs as well.”
“I’m going to throw these eggs at your face is what I’m going to do. This table too. And all your silverware.”


[/spoiler-box]
- Extra -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Ambiance) (https://youtu.be/uQ70qVc0f3w) Two figures sat on a bench outside a room, by a door with a glass window built into it. On the left side of the bench a tired man of teal hair sat down tending to his work jacket with baggy eyes. As if use to this kind of problem, in the next second after quickly examining a stain on it, he summoned a clean white rag in his hand pressed down hard on the jacket. As he started to pat around, a woman made of metal sitting next to him stared at him with a troubled expression on her face. Something the man caught in the corner of his eye.
“Don’t worry about it,” the man said in a relaxed tone of voice, without once glancing at the robotic woman. “It’s nothing permanent.” After that he paused for a second and went back to patting the stain away. “So, what were you saying about the Newmens?”
The Caseal’s face turned away and blushed. “It’s nothing,” she replied. Since her head now faced the door, she attempted to look through the window on the door. Shifting left then right, she gave up and sat still. She couldn’t see a thing. Only faint oranges lines against an egg shell wall.
The rag hung for a moment again. “Something about being envious?” the man poked on, with a humorous smile facing his right.
The Caseal peeked at the man and back. Still blushing she continued to stare through the window and responded, fighting the nerves that tried to hold her back, “I’m envious of how he treats the Newmens he surrounds himself with. It’s something I will never receive.”
“How does he treat you?” the frowning man asked.
Her voice slightly quivered. “Like any other person,” she replied. “Like a stranger.”
Hearing this, the man let off a loud sigh and leaned backwards. As if changing his mind, he put a hand on his lap and quickly slouched forward again, looking towards the sea foam colored desk sitting close by. Though he would like to tell this woman to ditch the guy and find happiness someplace else, this “guy” wasn’t just an ordinary person he could forget the next day. This person was someone close to him, and because of it, he had to find harder words to say. Words of thinking things out, hoping they would provide a better outcome someday. The kind of advice he felt his wife should give instead of him. Gripping his rag tightly, he looked at the woman and hummed.
“Give him some time,” the man said in a soft voice. “I’ve been trying to beat this Newmen supremacist nonsense out of him for five years now. Eventually he has to change. When he gets into a tough bind and realizes you’re the only person who’s ever still around, maybe he’ll change his tone. Who knows,” the man continued, leaning to the side, “Maybe your words with smack him harder than I ever could. It would certainly keep the floors clean.”
After that, the man started laughing so loud, the mug on the nearby desk rattled for a moment. As he slapped his knee in laughter, the woman next to him glanced over and gave a hopeful smile before looking back at the silent door.
“Ah,” the man said, wiping a tear from his eye. “I kill myself sometimes. But seriously though, thank you for keeping my son out of trouble. It really means a lot to me and his family.”
“I’m not sure your daughter would agree.”
“So they get into a few arguments,” the man shrugged. “Siblings fight, it’s what they do. No matter how much they hate each other, they’ll never truly despise one another. When life gets tough, they’ll still work together as a family.”
“So you hope. After all you wear armored sleeves because of him, and have gone through four life attempts already now.”
Smile in tow, the man bounced a finger at the woman and responded, “Hey, reading people’s minds isn’t very nice you know. Family is family, though he brings those beatings on himself, I would never intentionally raise my hand at my own son.”
Sounds echoed in the hallway. Suddenly the two of them sat up straight and listened. Due to the murmurs emitted from the other side of the doorway, both the human and the Caseal beamed down at the door each with mixed expectations. Little by little, the sounds grew louder. Soon a blue shirt covered the window and the green lit door panel glowed open. Walking out the door first, a frowning newman male in a black long coat came inside without stopping.
“Easy there, son,” said the man in the blue uniform, reaching out the door and grabbing the newmen by his shoulder. “You’re not off the hook just yet.”
The man on the bench stood up. “Don’t worry,” he replied in a stern voice. “I’m here to take him.”
Eyes widened and a free arm stretched out into the door frame. “Ah, Break Bit Xol,” the man almost chuckled. “It’s a shame we have to meet up in a place like this. Not breaking any more of your weapons I hope?”
Mr. Xol tilted his head and gave the uniformed man a mischievous look on his face. “It could be worse, Bottles, but I’m not. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Like you said, nothing went horribly wrong. So don’t sweat it. You’re lucky we’re friends or this kid’s carrier may have been cut short.” After that the man moved the newmen boy towards his father and released his grip. “You’re lucky nothing happened, lad. Try not to give your father a heart attack and avoid coming here again.”
“Don’t worry,” Mr. Xol responded, grabbing his son by the shoulder. “He won’t. Well, time to go,” he said, looking at his son. “But before that, say you’re sorry.”
“Yeah, whatever,” the newmen boy replied, making his way towards the door. Behind him, he threw a hand backwards and half heartily finished with, “I’m sorry.”
On this, Mr. Xol clenched a fist under his chin and shook it in frustration. Seeing as he didn’t want to look bad in front of the uniformed man, he quickly stared back at him and said with a smile, “Try to take care, alright?”
“Thanks but I think you should be more worried about yourself than me. See you around,” waved Bottles. “See you around, Break Bit, okay?”

(*optional ambiance*) (https://youtu.be/PyqVA7N45aw)
Waving goodbye, Mr. Xol jogged to catch up with his son. Exiting the building alongside him, the Caseal walked at a brisk pace to keep up. Before the newmen boy made any other moves past the police station complex, his father grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.
“You’re lucky I was there to stop the fight before it got out of hand. What do you think you’re doing going around pissing people off like that?”
The boy didn’t say a word. Instead he stared with a lofty expression on his face and kept his hands in his hands in his pockets.
“You are not in the academy anymore, Armon. This is the real world now. You can’t get away with the same stupid shit you use to do all the time. People won’t see you as a little kid anymore.”
Armon turned his face and spat with indifference.
“Listen to me, Armon. You’re ARKs now. Do you know what that means? It means that you don’t only represent the fleet and this ship, but you also represent our family. You’re family. So you better think twice before you start doing something stupid again.”
Without a care in the world, Armon shook off his father’s hand and walked away.
“What would your mother say, seeing you act like this?”
Suddenly the boy stopped in his tracks and peeked over his shoulder. “She would have said, I should have never married a good for nothing human.”
“If that was the case, we wouldn’t have had you.”
“So, what?” the boy shrugged. “If she had married a newmen, that kid would have been far more superior to anything human in origin.”
“Newmens are humans too you know.”
“If humans were so perfect, they wouldn’t have had the need to create the better newmen race. Think about that. Anyways, I’m done wasting my breath with this loser. We’re leaving. Do have a heart attack soon, human. One less of you may do everyone some good.”
The Caseal ran forward and bowed in apology. Before she spun to get into a taxi with Armon, Mr. Xol raised a hand and asked,
“I never got your name.”
“Sorry Mr. Xol, but I must go. Maybe some other time, okay?”
“Yeah,” Mr. Xol replied, putting his hand in his pocket. “Some other time.” In the distance, the Ceseal and the Newmen got into a floating car and flew away, moving in random directions. As he watched, he rubbed his chin and whispered, “One of these days, I’m going to end up knocking that kid’s teeth out again.”
As he watched the taxi fade away into the sea of traffic, a jingle played in his head, causing him to remove a hand from his pocket and onto his ear. A voice squeaked from the other end.
“Hi, honey. Yeah, I got there before things got bad.” The voice responded in a calm tone of voice. “Don’t worry, it wasn’t anything serious.” The voice asked something sternly. “Yes, I talked to him. No, I wasn’t going to bend him over and spank him in front of his girlfriend.” The voice in his ear started screaming. “Woah,” Mr. Xol panicked. “Okay try to relax, the relationship isn’t anything serious. No, he drove away already. Okay, Okay, honey, I think about, okay? I should have know you wanted to talk to him. Honey, relax...”

(Optional End Title) (https://youtu.be/hdgqoI4J1po)
[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

The Inner Rivalry of Melchior Families: Part III:
[spoiler-box]Ha ha, I'm glad I never came to blows with my sister like that. xD It's kind of crazy that Sia didn't know something so important about her sister, I guess they're not so close. I also found Neona's powers interesting, and similar in some ways to a character from my own story who will go unnamed in case anyone reading this comment hasn't gotten to that part of my story yet. In this case it's simply a coincidence since I had that part written weeks in advance.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

[SPOILER-BOX]My comment about that character also foreshadows the next chapter you'll be reading. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[yoshiblue]

I pretty much gave up trying to make music work with this entry.


- Filler -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/pLESWPUnVss)
Yoshi and Yvonna walked through two normal looking sliding glass doors later that day. Stepping into a magically colorful and air conditioned building filled with a good hand full of travelers, ornaments and music, the newmen and the human scoped the area each with their own separate opinions. Though the female newmen was obviously overjoyed, wiggling right in front of the door to express her feelings, the human male beside her appeared far more disappointed in comparison. Hunched forward, hand in his pockets with a frown large enough for two people, Yoshiblue did not want to be here. He honestly would rather be somewhere else. Like eating at a restaurant he saw a few roads back, repairing his ship wherever it may be, or even taking his daughter out to a museum to see the life of ancient history and how people lived their lives back then. Things he wanted to do but couldn’t because he was bound by order to follow along. An order placed by Yvonna and enforced by ARKs. Or so he believes; as Elm, James and Kerri all played along just to see what would happen. So here he is. Stuck in a place he has been to several times now, doing all he can to avoid showing his inner turmoil.
“Well, here we are,” said the excited Yvonna who clapped her hands together in joy. Shaking in excitement, she hopped to Yoshi and broke into his aura of doom and gloom.
“Sure hasn’t changed much since the last time,” commented Yoshi in a half-baked voice. Unlike his friend, he studied the area at a much slower pace and skipped over the more unfavorable locations.
Yvonna gave the human a quick scowl and shouldered him in the ribs. “You could at least pretend to be excited,” she growled before she restored her smile, looking at a nearby clothing store. “I wonder if we will find something amazing today.”
Yoshi lightly grunted and looked away. He lifted his brows and looked up at the second floor above him. “Pretending would only give you a false impression,” he replied. “You would want me to lie would you?”
The floor above him worked somewhat differently from the last time he seen it. As usual, mosaic stain glass window patterns scrolled underneath to block the view below. Unlike before however, this time sleepy advertisements big and small swam in between it all, as if gently drifting on a sea of pictures and boarders just to let people know that a deal is going on.
“That not the point,” Yvonna whispered. She gestured forward and walked to the nearest black marble map. “The point is to have a good time and buy some really nice furniture. Or at least be a gentleman and humor me for once.”
Yoshi followed behind and checked the map with her.
“Yeah, yeah, so where are we headed to first?”
“Well, considering that our destination is on the other side of this corridor, let’s go here first,” said the impish looking newmen.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/TYZ9n-cOnp0)
Pinned to the black road of the map, a finger pointed at the gold letters of a store she eyed the moment they walked in. Memorizing the name of the store and looking for it out in the surround area, it wasn’t surprising for him to realize that it was a purse store. Looking back at the smiling Yvonna, Yoshi shrugged with indifference and said, “Sure.”
Unexpectedly, Yvonna grabbed the man by his sleeve and pulled him westward, towards two pillars laced in gold trimming. “Yay,” she cheered, weaving through a busy stream of people and into the store.
To Yoshi the place wasn’t very spectacular. From front to back, the walls were made up of peach colored boxes, each holding a single untouched bag per box. After glancing at every sign hanging off white tiled ceiling and on the elegant floral patterned carpet, he realized that all the bags were separated by brand rather than color. As a result, the peach walls were colored in a mix of whites, blacks, browns and golds specks. It’s a good thing I don’t care about their colors or this would have really sucked, thought a slightly amused Yoshi.
Passing through a corner coated with leather bags, Yoshi watched Yvonna examine and observer everything the area had to offer. Every so often she would whisper various things to herself and point out subtleties to herself. Subtleties Yoshi would miss since he focused more on what was outside of the store than what was inside of it.
“Aw,” Yvonna suddenly said, bumping into Yoshi as she began to walk backwards. “It doesn’t come with it.”
Pulled back into his surrounding, Yoshi looked over his shoulders and past the newmen’s. “What doesn’t come with it?” He quickly responded. Looking to the purse next to the one his friend eyeballed, he quickly realized that something was missing. “What, the wallet?” he added, holding a hand up to the question.
The sadden Yvonna turned to look at him and replied, “Yes.”
The man’s shoulders dropped as he looked at the purse. “Couldn’t you just get something of a similar color?” he casually asked.
“No,” the newmen barked. “It has to match.”
“But it would be the same—,”
Yvonna slapped him on the arm. “I said no, it has to match or it won’t work.”
“Alright, alright,” Yoshi waved away, taking a step back so he wouldn’t get hit anymore. “It has to match. If you need me, I’ll be by the exit.”
“You better not walk away,” Yvonna whispered.
Yoshi stopped and peered behind.
“No promises.”
Unamused by his response, the black hair newmen stormed after him and grabbed him by the shoulder. “Fine,” she harshly said under her breath, escorting him out the exit. “If you’re going to be that way, we’ll just go somewhere else.”
“Hey, I’m just here to buy some furniture and enjoy the rest of my day. Not go around a store to look at thing I don’t use.”
Yvonna stopped the both of them in front of a glowing black bench. Standing between an electronic store and large flower base, she stared Yoshi in the eyes with great intensity and pointed at her chest. “Well I use them, so why can’t I look at them?”
“Because I don’t see any reason why you would need me to tag along, when you can do all of that and more on your spare time,” replied her obviously annoyed companion.
The newmen slapped her thighs in frustration. “Why must you make this so difficult? All you have to do is enjoy yourself a little. If you did that maybe it wouldn’t seem so bad. Can you at least do that for me, huh?”
Yoshi pulled the two to the side and onto the bench. Sitting down, the human leaned against the backrest and thought about it for a moment. As he did, his newmen friend glared at him with much irritation in her eyes.
“If you wanted to go shopping so badly, couldn’t you at least bring the other girls on our team instead?” he asked with a wave of his hand.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/2qgTz16UQp0)
“Believe me I tried,” Yvonna cried.
Yoshi rolled his head way and focused on a church choir singing in the background.
“And?” he asked with a hand on his chin.
“No one could come. Even miss hypocritical ‘Hey, let’s bond as a team guys’ said she couldn’t find the time.”
Yoshi rolled his head back towards her with a gaze of sympathy on his face.
“I wouldn’t worry about her,” he replied, giving the newmen a warm smile to ease her mood. “Kerri seems like the kind of person who doesn’t care for anyone not working in her favor anyways. So don’t let it bug you too much, alright?”
“So why doesn’t anyone want to spend time together? Is there something wrong with me? Does everyone hate me?”
Yoshi gritted his teeth and rolled his head away again. “Nobody hates you, Yvonna,” he cut in. “Stop thinking that. Like everyone else, we do our job and we come back to the comforts of our own homes. We just have lives to live outside of work, that’s all.” Though he wanted to address the issue of what wrong with her, Yoshi was too scared to mention how bossy she came across from time to time. “Look, I’ll try to ask around and see what’s holding people up, alright? Can’t expect everyone to change their plans on such short notice, you know.” In an effort to cheer her up, the casually dressed human got up from the bench and offer the newmen a hand. “So for now, let’s just get on our way. Maybe we can even get something to eat as well.”
The newmen slapped his hand away and got up her own.
“Yeah, nice try,” she smiled. “I’m on to your little games.”
“Oh come on,” Yoshi whined, even taking his other hand out of his pocket. “You give me some advice and can’t even trust me enough to take it.”
Yvonna tilted her head forward to give him a sarcastic expression. Having none of what he said, she spun and strolled forward shaking her head.
“That hurts me feelings you know,” Yoshi said with a smile, jogging to catch up.
The newmen slowed in her pace a little and peeked over her shoulder.
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong with me?”
“No there’s nothing wrong with you, Yvonna.”

(-/-)
Yvonna halted the two of them and pointed at an entrance next to them. Standing before an open store without any archways or windows blocking the way, they could both freely see the lines of clothing isles sitting from the front of the store and all the way back, where shirts and pants of many colors hung on the walls to add some flavor to the mostly stone gray place. Stepping in front of slightly confused man, Yvonna looked at him and said,
“Let’s go here.”
“I’ll stand over here if you need me then,” Yoshi quickly replied, aiming a finger at a nearby pillar.
Yvonna grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him with her into the store. “Oh don’t be that way,” she responded. “Being able to share our opinions is half the fun.”
Sure it is, Yoshi thought to himself.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/399YneFTwh0)
Barely going into the store, they immediately stopped at a pile of clothes sitting on a fancy display up front.
“Oh, this is cute,” said an impressed Yvonna, reaching down to pick something up. In her hand she held a pink shirt with a flowery collar up in front of her and faced Yoshi. Placing her chin above the flowers, she asked, “What do you think?”
Yoshi stuffed his hands back into his pockets and shrugged. “It’s not often I see you in pink. Would be a sight to behold.”
“Can you grab a basket for me, please?”
Yoshi lifted his brows, gave a quick chuckle and swung around towards the pile of baskets sitting by pillar. As he did, a hand pulled on his shoulder and caused him to look in its direction.
“Hmm?” he hummed.
“What was that?” asked a serious looking Yvonna.
“What was what?”
“What you just did. Are you saying something about me?”
“Would you stop that,” said Yoshi in a scolding tone. “Seriously, woman. Fine, you want me to say something about you— it’s that you said please and I was impressed. You’re doing a lot better than most Melchiorians I know.”
After that Yvonna let go and went back to looking at shirts. Letting Yoshi wonder off, he plucked the top most basket off of its throne and returned to his newmen friend.
“Maybe that’s because I know I can’t rely on you for anything,” she said on his way back. “If I did my life would have been a great big mess by now.”
Yoshi uttered another quick chuckle and stood next to her. “We’ll at least you’re learning. Better me than anyone else. Here’s your basket by the way.”
Yvonna snatched the basket from the human’s hands and gave him a look of annoyance. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she replied, placing the pink shirt into it “If it weren’t for me, you room would be a great big mess by now.”
“Now you’re just giving yourself too much credit,” Yoshi replied, following her into the room. “There nothing to even pick up and I’m pretty sure you don’t even touch a single thing in my room.”
Yvonna stopped to take another shirt off the rack. “That’s because there’s nothing to touch because you never use it,” she said as she searched for a different size.
“No, you never touch anything because if you did, my bed would be a lot neater than it already is.”
The newmen plucked another shirt away and raised a brow. “Maybe that’s because it’s your portion of the room and you specifically said that you didn’t want anyone touching any of it.”
Yoshi poked at her arm. “No, I said not to mess with the partner machine stand,” he argued back. “You know… the thing I put away?” he added while using his hand to imitate him putting an object into his pocket.
“Well there you go. Nice work.”
Yvonna walked over to the other side so she could look at the rest of the selection. As Yoshi followed behind, he raised a finger and bounced it in the air.
“One hundred meseta says that I can go into your room and find it to be a great big mess.”
Yvonna glanced beside herself and punched him in the shoulder. “You go into my room and I will stab you,” she said, now filtering through a ring of clothes.
“Must you be so violent?”
“Would you stop saying idiotic things all the time?”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/VVnqF_YFDdg)
Yoshi raised his arms in defeat and spun away. Looking outside the mall, he saw a familiar newmen travel alongside a familiar partner machine. Walking over from faraway on the other side of the path; beyond the black bench, flower bed, and in front of a watch store; was Sia in her Marisa guise and his daughter, Arethusa, in her blue hair Inanna disguise. By chance of Arethusa’s interest in the shirts, the two noticed a teal hair man of tan skin flail his arms about in a ridiculous manner. Originally called for help before Yoshi entered the mall, Sia and Arethusa arrived as soon as they could with the intent of rescuing him from Yvonna strange methods of isolation. Sharing in Yoshi’s unamused feelings, also having her hands also stuffed in her pockets, she leaned to the side as soon as Arethusa pointed into the nearby store.
“Well,” she said with a slightly surprised look on her face. “That explains where he’s at. Think you can get anything out of him?”
“I don’t know,” replied the more enthusiastic Arethusa. Holding a finger in the air to let her father know that she needed a moment, she turned around and continued, “Let me climb on your back so I can use our super ultra secret sign language of awesomeness.”
“Heh, I’m not letting you climb on my back.”
Arethusa pointed a finger at Sia’s head and grumbled, “Do you want to know or not?”
“Fine, fine,” she replied with a sigh. “Of course only you could communicate with him.”
Sia bended down a little, lifted the tan girl of the floor and placed her legs around the back of her neck. Stumbling under the sudden weight of the girl, she watched as the two swung their arms around in the same ridiculous manner in their effort to communicate. After a minute or two of conversation, most of it broken up to make sure Yvonna didn’t notice, Arethusa petted Sia on the head so she could let her down.
“So what did he have to say?” asked Sia as she placed the little girl back on the floor.
“Not a clue,” cheered Arethusa.
Hearing this, Sia folded her arms and spun in frustration. “Of course, what else did I expect?”
“But, judging by the situation, I’d say Yvonna is either abusing her authority to get some alone time with him or is in a really dangerous situation and that he really doesn’t want to be there.”
Sia turned back around and stared into the isles of clothes. At first her she waited and bounced her foot around slowly, but soon it tapped faster and faster, up until the point where she couldn’t tap it any faster. “Okay, this has gone on for long enough,” she grumbled. “This ends now.”
At that moment, walking out of a crowd of passing shoppers, a tall CAST painted in black stood in the way of the slightly jealous newmen and said, “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Marisa. Under orders of the commander, no one is allowed to intervene with their mission.”
“Stats, now is not a good time to playing game. What mission is so important that not even their own teammates can come and go as they please?”
“Yvonna has made it very clear that there is to be no distractions in such a high priority mission.”
Arethusa knotted her arms and looked at the baffled newmen with a smug expression on her face. “I told you she was using her power for this,” she said, doing her best in acting like a simple minded partner machine.
Sia moved around the child and replied, “Bullshit, I’m going to see what’s going on.”
But before she could move any further, Stamato firmly grasped the newmen by her arm and held her still. “No can do. You are not to intervene.”
“Let go of me, right now.”
Arethusa hopped in between the two and hung off of the CAST’s cold metal arm. “Don’t worry,” she intervened, first winking at Sia and then smiling at Stamato. “Mr. CAST, how was this mission assigned?”
“This mission was issued by Yvonna in person,” the CAST responded, standing completely still despite his hostage’s constant struggling.
“Could you kindly use the ARKs database to cross reference Yvonna’s mission with the team’s official assignments and objectives?”
“Of course, one moment please.”
It only took a second for the towering metal robot to process the information needed. After examining the data requested, he let go of newmen woman and place the hand he used on his angular chin. “Odd,” he said to himself. “If it is not considered an official mission, then it must be one either dangerous in nature, or a sad misuse of our trust.”
“Which is what I’m going to find out,” said Sia, swaying her arms towards the direction of the clothing store. “So if you’ll excuse me.”
“Hold on, I am coming to. I too would like to know what is going on.”
And so they did. Walking as a group from one end of the rainbow tinted path to the other, three figures of various sizes pushed through a flowing stream of bodies and entered into the spacious entrance way of the unknown clothing store. Choosing to ignore all the shirts and jeans that may have tempted them on the way, they collectively dove deep into the inner depths of the store until they reached the back end of the room. Where by the time the trio found where Yvonna could be seen, all of them could be spot Yoshi trying out miscellaneous hats on a wall with varying displays of disinterest.
“Yoshi?” called Sia as she marched towards him. “What is going on and where’s Yvonna.”
Like a child on Christmas morning, Yoshi eyes lit up like firework. Jogging up to Sia, he said with a smile as wide as his face, “Hello. Yvonna’s in the stalls over there, trying on some clothes.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/ZiV4GuzRYEM)
Before anyone could say another word, the dressing room stall door flew open. Wondering out, Yvonna twirled outside saying, “Yoshi, what do you think?” But as soon as she stopped spinning to look at Yoshi, her joyous expression soon vanished once she noticed everyone else standing beside him. “Stamato?” she raised her voice. “What did I tell you about future interruptions?”
Sia stormed up to the black hair newmen and stood toe to toe with her. “What I’d like to know is what you’re doing abusing your power like this.” As they glared into each other’s eyes, Sia found it very hard not to roll up her sleeves and tear Yvonna a new one. The urge to stab her was especially there. While she struggled to remain calm and keep an open minded, hands constantly balling and unraveling, Sia continued, “Stupid actions like that get people in trouble. So you better have a good reason for risking Yoshi’s job or so help me—”
“You want to know why I did it?” Yvonna interrupted. “It’s because knowing him, as soon as something interesting pops up, he’s going to allow himself to be whisked away and have nothing accomplished by the end of the day. It’s because knowing him, he’s going to call you here so you can give him reason to avoid his job.”
“Excuse me, by avoid his job do mean avoiding our job? Because if I remember correctly, we were of the few people who used the B-01 airships right. So in case you didn’t know, you don’t get a complement like that by slacking off. Stamato, get him out of here while I… deal with our commander.”
Doing as he was told, the large CAST nodded at Sia, picked up Yoshi with one arm and threw him over his shoulder. Walking away as fast as he could get away with, Yoshi’s arms shot in the air as he asked, “Dude, can I at least walk?”
In response, Stamato looked behind him to see Sia holding Yvonna back. “Walking would only slow us down,” he replied, exiting the area. “Let me handle your transportation.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/K6QmG9V_7DM)
As the man carrying robot moved further outside, two of their pilots leaned against an onyx rail and gazed down from second floor. As a man in his later years in life, on the left James spent most of his time kneeling by a child in a stroller with a stuffed bear in his hand. Standing next to him was Elm; a man dressed long exotic clothing with his hands kept on top of the rails.
“How long has it been now?” asked James as he played with the child.
“Five minutes.”
James let the kid hold onto the bear and stoop upright. “Five minutes since she got here and already they’re causing a huge commotion” He sighed and shook his head in disappointment. “How long do you think until the mall cops arrive?”
Elm leaned all of his weight onto his two arms. “That is only a question time can answer,” he responded, leaning over the rails to get a better view of the ongoing chase “Do you believe we should stay here and wait it out?”
James gave the exotic man a large grin and replied, “Only if you’re afraid of a few cameras.” Two hands gripped the handle of the stroller. “Come on, champ,” he continued, looking down at the child. “We’re going on an adventure.”
Back with Sia, the newmen woman stood at a crossroad and frantically looked left and right for Stamato and Yoshi. In her search for the surprisingly elusive CAST, her attention shifted towards the sound of a nearby ping echoing to the left of her. Watching the two stain glass doors slide open, hoping Yoshi and Stamato stood inside, walking out of it was instead Elm and a grinning James.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/y136RCXTYCI)
“You two are here too?” cried Sia. “Was I the only person not informed of all of this?”
Elm and James walked to Sia and stopped in front of her.
“Well to be fair,” said James with a shrugged. “We were kind of forced to be here. Normally I would be back home looking after my grandchild here, but I figured hey, the mall shouldn’t be so bad. By coming here, I can have both my bonding time and not have the commander busting my ass later on.”
“Not the wording I would have used but I agree,” calmly added Elm with a bow of greeting. “Unlike James however, I had to cancel my yoga class for this.”
“So could you please explain what the hell is going on? And you two better not plan to stop me.”
“Don’t worry about it. We just wanted to see how the whole thing unfolded. Anywho, answering your question, remember that time Yvonna sent a message to everyone asking if they wanted to spend time together?” asked James.
“You ignored her message, didn’t you?” tamely added Elm.
“Sure, whatever, what about it?”
James picked up a dropped bear and looked up at Sia.
“Well, nobody wanted to go.”
“It’s likely that because of it, she had a knee jerk reaction that caused her to punish everyone. As to why she’s dragging Yoshi around, he didn’t look like he was having the time of his life. I hope that makes you feel better about the situation.”
“Anyways,” James intervened. “We came down to help out and to keep everyone out of trouble. The last thing we need is to be banned from a lovely place such as this. So, let’s split into groups shall we? I’ll go with you and take one route. Elm will go alone and take a different route. Does that sound okay with you?”
“Good luck,” said Elm, already walking off in a random direction. “Keep in mind, James. Yoshi doesn’t have his line shield. So you can’t track him via mini map.”
“Yeah, I know. You stay out of trouble now.”
“I will.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/MvhCGWamrws)
Meanwhile, over on Yoshi’s end, the both the CAST and the human stopped at a café shop in the corner of the mall before finally setting the human down on the ground. Scanning in all directions, Stamato pointed at Yoshi and commanded, “Stay here.” After that, he walked away into the river of bodies without saying another word.
“Where are you going?” Yoshi shouted. The CAST didn’t answer. “I hope he knows I don’t have my line shield on me.”
Left alone front of the café, slightly embarrassed by the people who saw him being man handled by a large robot, Yoshi ducked his head low and headed inside. Just as he was about to go through its rotating ice cube glass doors, the pale hand of a panting woman latched onto him to keep him from going any farther.
“I… finally… found you,” said an exhausted Yvonna.
“How did you find me so easily?”
“Woman’s intuition. Don’t worry about it. Let’s just go inside. I’m thirsty.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/pMADH8FUYco)
Unsure what to say about the situation, Yoshi accepted the suggestion and led the way. It wasn’t very large place, despite what the outside made it seem it was like. In reality, it was a cozy little place with a very distinct look from the many other shops in the stain glass zone. Unlike the rest of the shops which tried to blend in or imitate the look of stain glass and churches, this shop came with paneled walls made of rich wood. From the chairs, to the tables, to the counters; everything came in a similar color and held one unified look to give it the more refined aura it desired. After walking through the rotating door, the human of teal took the two to a booth furthest from everyone else and sat down.
“An interesting place,” commented Yoshi. “I wonder if this place has always been here.”
“Who cares,” replied Yvonna, reaching for a menu. “I just want to know what they serve around here.”
“Coffee and coffee accessories,” said Yoshi, shuffling to the edge of his seat. “Let me know when you’re ready to order so I can grab it.”
“Oh no you don’t,” shot Yvonna. She slapped her menu onto the table so she could point a finger at the man sitting across from her. “I just got here. There’s no way I’m letting you walk away just like that again.”
Yoshi raised both of his hands and replied, “Look, all I’m going to do is order the drinks.”
“Yeah, sure you are. I’m watching you. For now just get me a glass of water.”
“Alright, one glass of water coming right up.”
On that, Yoshi got out of the booth and walked towards the cashier. While he walked away, Yvonna kept an eye on him from behind a foldable menu. Just as he got in line, she noticed him look away in the opposite direction and bend down a little. Unsure what he was doing at the moment, she watched him start walking toward the exit and out the store. Once his head vanished from behind the rotating glass door, she could feel the weight of the world begin to weigh down on her. Burying a head into the menu, a tear slid down her cheek. She began to silently cry all alone in the secluded booth.
On the opposite end of the door, holding onto the man’s hand, a little girl lead Yoshi out of the café and back into the mall. Just as soon as she was going to take him deeper into the place, towards the steampunk zone of the mall, Elm magically emerged from a nearby elevator and strolled for them.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/JafB61F8bDs)
“You’re here to stop us. Aren’t you?” asked Arethusa, now standing between him and her father.
“Yes, I am,” replied Elm as he clasped two hands together in front of him. “However, you look like a smart girl. So it may be wise to stay a while and listen to what I have to say.”
Though reluctant at first, as she found great irritation when people get in the way of progress, Arethusa slowly nodded and allowed him to continue; clearly unhappy about the whole situation.
“Yoshi,” he began. “You’re probably wondering why you of all people are dragged alone into this mess? Think for a moment. Do you know why she has done so?”
“It would be nice to know,” said Yoshi cautiously.
“Look at it this way. She looks like you and I but is a foreigner, lost and alone in an alien environment very unlike her own. Do you know what it feels like to be in such a scenario?”
Yoshi stared into the sky and thought for a moment. Thinking back to the day where he was an orphan landing a job in a mercenary group, he looked back at Elm with a wise frown of understanding.
“And who is the one person, out of everyone on the team, did she meet first? Who, out of everyone in this team, does she actively call her friend? It is not Stamato, and it is not Arron. It is you. She needs a friend in these strange times, Yoshi. She needs you.”
“Platonically of course,” added Arethusa.
“Yes, of course. If not for her sake, then do it for us. By spending the day with her, you will be doing everyone else a favor. So please, I am asking you, please reconsider your actions.”
In unison, both Yoshi and Arethusa placed a hand on their chin and paced around.
“I don’t like it, but spiritual man has a point,” said Arethusa. Though she wanted to argue against the argument brought up by Elm, at the same time she realized that she never paid attention to the team’s interactions as well. At best, it was always Arron bugging Yvonna all the time while Stamato only followed orders; a CAST who was in the process of discovering his place in life.
“Yeah,” Yoshi agreed. “He does. Alright, fine. But how—”
“Don’t worry about her,” said his now peppy daughter. “Spiritual man and I will form a plan, right?”
“Right,” Elm warmly replied, slowly nodding in agreement.
“By the way, how did you find us so easily anyways?”
Elm waved a hand with his fingers curled. “I am afraid that would be a trade secret. Now go before the situation gets any worse.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/-7jK_nutumA)
So Yoshi did. A few minutes outside the Café, he came back and sat down next to Yvonna with all sorts of food and drinks in his arms. Juggling the pretzels he had around, he grabbed one of them with one hand and offered it to the newmen next to him.
“Sorry for the wait,” he said with an uneasy smile. “Figured you wanted a pretzel before we left the place.”
Slowly did Yvonna turn her head to glare at him. She set the menu down and pounded her fists against his arm with all her anger.
“You stupid… inconsiderate… brainless…. idiot,” she hissed, trying not to create too big a commotion in the room.
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Keep it up and the pretzel is going to get cold. Also, I figured the line was going to take too long. So I got you a bottle of water.”
Yvonna grabbed a napkin and wiped her tears away. “Humph,” she grunted, now snatching the bottle of water off the table.
“Now you know how I feel when someone makes decisions against my will. But hey, what can we do? I guess that’s why we suck at making friends, huh?”
“I am totally better at making friends. I bet I can make more friends in a day than you could in a month,” the newmen cried. Yoshi reclined in his chair with laughter. In the next second he panicked and kept the pretzels from falling over. Once he recovered and leaned back into the booth, Yvonna rested her head on his shoulder and added, “Thank you… for not running away, Bitol.”
Yoshi grabbed a pastry and bit into it. Chewing away at his salted meal, he looked at her and nodded with a, “Mmph.”

[/spoiler-box]

[stukasa]

Velarium:
[spoiler-box]Seems like Yoshi is the center of the group. Without him, everyone else feels a bit lost. Like, "Sure is quiet around here without Yoshi~" That type of feeling.

I... sorta forgot the reason why Kerri was mad, a.k.a. the thing Yoshi agreed to. I vaguely recall something like that, but since it hasn't been mentioned for a few chapters I don't remember the details. ^^;

I also forgot about Elm. The others I still remember, but Elm... not as much.

What? Neona is calling Shiomi "mom" now? Your characters have a lot of strange relationships, I'll say that. xD It's not a bad thing at all, just funny.

I liked how Stats and Elm were following the two Newearl sisters, and EVERYONE knew they were there but didn't bother mentioning it until the end, lol.[/spoiler-box]

[yoshiblue]

@Stukasa[SPOILER-BOX]Two sides of one coin. The foreshadowing.

What I did with Kerri I did on purpose, but Elm not so much. He just doesn't get enough coverage I guess. [/SPOILER-BOX]

[Zorafim]

Reading through some chapters (I'm only two weeks behind now!), I was having trouble keeping up with all the characters in each scene. Have you thought of doing what Stukasa does and adding a portrait to each scene to catch readers up?

[yoshiblue]

I did think about adding portraits and have decided against it.


- A Mission of a Different Kind: Part I -[SPOILER-BOX]
(Optional Music) (https://youtu.be/0v6cQNYq3r8)
Despite the lofty attitude Sia displayed during Yoshi’s reassignment, in truth, no one was more worried about the whole situation than she was. As she walked through a windowless corridor the day after, alongside the much peppier humans Yoshiblue and Arethusa, her small partner couldn’t help but stare at the dark bags under her eyes throughout the morning. From the moment the two woke up, Arethusa knew Sia hasn’t gotten any rest all night. What she didn’t know however, was that it wasn’t due to the mysterious intruder. Right after their sudden chase that day, Sia had easily put him out of her mind thanks to her sister’s advice. What truly kept her in her sheets with eyes wide open with fear was actually Yvonna, their squad leader.
Since Yoshi’s disappearance the day before, she had spent that entire day thinking about what her leader’s motivations were and what she wanted with Yoshi. Is she trying to use him? Is it for personal gain or protection? Who is he to her, a friend or a meat shield? Is she actually interested in him? If so, would it be wise to kill her now, or later? Is she even a threat at all? Pondering over these things even now made her squeeze the hilt of her flickering weapon. With every sweeping glow of the passageway, a thumb flicked at a golden guard and back.
“So yeah,” said a grinning Yoshi, hands circling about due to the coffee he just finished. “That’s what happened. After that she surprisingly didn’t come out of her room all day. No yelling, no angry glare. Which was nice for me,” he added with his head tilted towards the drained newmen. “Because then I was allowed to do what wanted for the rest of the day. Got some maintenance done on my gear, readjust the HUD on my new glasses; seeing as they broke during yesterday’s shenanigans; and I finally got some news on the B-01 after bugging a few people. Mainly Reinhardt of course, but I have called Kazamir and my mom a few times here and there too.”
Half interested, but also half dead inside, Sia lopped her head over so it could look at Yoshi. “So what’s the news on it?” asked the done in newmen.
“They couldn’t find anything to use on the hull. Not without resorting to the stripping of other vessel’s at least. So during that time, I was asked if I wanted a replacement vessel instead. Well, not by Reinhardt himself though. He had a few people I never seen before with him as well. Anyways, I ask if there were any new experimental materials they haven’t had the chance to use yet.”
“So we’re getting a new ship?”
Yoshi moved both of his hand over each other rapidly. “Oh no, they haven’t made molds for anything yet. So they said yeah and gave me the rundown of their problems. After I agreed to it,” suddenly Yoshi flinched and cringed a little. “Er, eh, sorry for making the decision without telling you.” Yoshi’s shoulders dropped. Sia didn’t seem to care. Seeing as he was going to get a scolding from her, he lifted his hands in excitement again and continued, “Where was I? Oh yeah, they said that the custom mold should free, because it will help them figure out how they’re going to go about making it in the first place, and because they now have a vehicle big enough to get accurate results on. Just think of our ship as a live test dummy. Mainly because it’s bigger than the usual vessel and it would allow them to better spot all the defects. You know, kind of like shooting a missile at a wall rather than small stall and being able to see what happens to it.”
A thick gray door slid open and allowed a great deal of light to flood inside.
“I see,” said Sia, who squinted as she transferred into the other room. “I hope they don’t break it beyond repair.”
Yoshi lightly tapped his palm with a balled fist.
“Speaking of repair, that reminds me. We should go glasses shopping sometime soon.”
Sia rested her eyes and used a good deal of effort not to slouch forward. “I don’t see why. You just replaced yours and hers,” she replied, patting the head of the small girl hugging her leg.
Yoshi gave the newmen a teeth filled smile and said, “Not for me, silly.” He pointed at the weary newmen and continued, “For you. Don’t worry though, I got it all covered. I get a second pair for free.”
Sia placed two fingers on the frame of her glasses and gently lifted them off her face. “I don’t think it works that ways,” she responded, opening her eyes. “But a new pair would be nice.” Smiling at the man now, she gladly gazed at Yoshi. “We can go on our off day then?”
Yoshi gave her a thumbs up and said with approval, “Sure thing.”

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/wNqim1aZgpI)
“Yoshi,” a faraway Yvonna shouted.
Sia turned her head and almost broke into a leer. “You,” she uttered under her breath.
Jogging all the way from a sleeping B-02 in the distance, a newmen of natural black hair waved and stopped in front of the humans and her fellow newmen comrade. Once she got there and regained her posture, she smiled at all of them and said, “And Marisa,” before redirecting her attention onto Yoshi.
“Since you haven’t been on the ground for a good while now, today is going to be an easy mission. I want to see results but don’t overdo it too much out there, okay?” Yvonna shifted her eyes onto Sia and began to tap her fingers together one by one. “And Marisa, be sure to talk to James. I want to make sure we have everything sorted out before we depart, okay?”
Sia crossed her arms and scoffed with her head turned. “Yeah, yeah,” she carelessly responded.
In that moment, a large shadow loomed over Yvonna. “Yoshi, Marisa, Yvonna,” said a metallic male voice from behind. Judging by the shifting of the shadow, the person looked down at something. “And Inanna,” the shadow added before changing its shape again.
Yoshi and Sia took a step sideways to let the object move in-between them.
“Ah, Stats,” said Yoshi with open arms. “How’s your morning going?”
“It goes well, Enigma, and I am glad you are here. I have something for you. Something I found during one of our missions.”
“Oh?”
A reflective metal hand snapped two fingers together. From the mist of blue squares and triangles, a coral and white gunslash like object appeared on a slightly buffered hand and hovered forward, offering it to the human of teal hair.
“It is a Neidaryl,” informed the CAST. “I am told it will help your techniques as well as give you the option to shoot at targets. I know you have a deep interest for gunslashes, so I figured I should hold on to it until the day I could give it to you.”
Yoshi eagerly welcomed the object into his hands. Immediately he flicked it towards the floor and activated its blade. As a hot pink photon blade lit up the floor under it, Yoshi turned the hot glowing blade back off and looked back up at the expressionless CAST.
“Thanks,” he squeaked. “It’s a bit too pink for my tastes, but I like it. Thank you, stats.”
“I am pleased to hear your approval. May it serve you well in the coming missions.”
“Nice,” interrupted Sia. The tired newmen gave everyone a quick nod, a pat on Stamato’s shoulder and twisted her body away. “Well Stats, be sure to take care of yourself. If you need me, I’ll be by the ship.”
Just as Sia left the group, Stamato bowed to everyone and left as well. While the two broke away, Yoshi watched his daughter trail behind and say something he couldn’t hear to the taller newmen.
“Yoshi, Yoshi,” said an eager Yvonna, quickly hopping in place so that she could better draw his attention back onto her. “Check it out.” Yoshi stared in the Yvonna’s eyes. With Yoshi now giving her his full attention, the newmen joyously clapped her hands together and summoned a black leather case. Opening it to reveal a fuzzy peach colored interior, she plucked a black frame from it and put around her face. “Tada,” she said with jazzy hands around her cheeks, accidently dropping the case in the process. “What do you think?”
Yoshi placed a hand around his chin and gave her a nod of approval. “Looks good,” he said while the newmen picked up her case. Right when she stood back up, Yoshi flicked a finger in her direction and continued, “Did you already mess around with the display windows yet?”
“Not yet,” the newmen smiled. “I just wanted your second opinion, that’s all. I’m still getting use to them.”
“If they start to bug you, you don’t have to wear them you know.”
The happy newmen patted at Yoshi’s shoulder. “No, no. It’s fine.”
“Yvonna,” shouted a man approaching from the distance. “The pilots say they’re still waiting from someone. What’s the hold up?”
Appearing from behind Yvonna, a human of jet black hair stood beside the newmen and grunt at the sight of his ally. “Yoshi,” said Arron with a hint of loathing in voice.
“Arron,” Yoshi responded, equally displease with Arron’s appearance.
“Let’s get this straight, just because you’re back doesn’t change anything back to the way things were before. You’re not second in command again, so don’t even think about bossing me around. You got that?”
“Arron!”
Yoshi mimicked Arron’s smug posture. “That’s some big talk coming from you,” he replied, smirking at the man’s arrogance. “You scared of something, Arron?”
“Please, try not fall on your butt out there. I don’t want to have to carry you to safety all the time now. But I realize that you haven’t been on the field for a while, so I’ll cut you some slack. It’s alright to feel inferior to me you know.”
Yoshi chuckled and looked at Yvonna. “This guy,” he said, pointing at the smug looking human. With a hand now on Arron’s shoulder, Yoshi continued, “You must have been pretty comfortable being able to act all tough by yourself. Don’t worry, my friend. I’ll try not to embarrass you too much,” and started to drift away, but not before Arron could smack his hand away and growl,
“Get over yourself. Keep it up and—,”
“Arron?” interrupted an irritable Yvonna. “We need a serious talk, right now. You too, Yoshi. You’re not off the hook.”
“Just give me a moment. I need to speak to pilots real quickly,” Yoshi lied.
In truth, he wanted to check up on Sia. For some reason, her leaving like she did bothered him and lucky for him, Yvonna had some choice words meant for Arron alone. Thanks to this, he was allowed to freely walk onto James’s B-02 and into his sleepy co-pilot.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/ipRV2b1RzUw)
“Sia,” he said with a wave of his hand. Is everything alright?”
Dark eyes shot up. The newmen stormed up to him with great haste and stared into his soul. In response, Yoshi peered back at her with a look of concern on his face.
“You better keep a close eye on Yvonna, Yoshi,” she said with grim caution in her voice. “I don’t know what she’s up to, but I know she’s up to something.”
“Sia?”
“And I want your channel to be open at all times. I don’t want any secret agent nonsense, alright?”
“Sia, relax,” said Yoshi, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“How do I know you won’t, hmm? Hmm?!”
Yoshi leaned backwards and looked around. Seeing that no one was in sight, he tightened his grip and pulled the newmen closer. Right behind them, on the bench of the B-02, Arethusa dropped a bar of chocolate and stared at the two in a sort of baffled daze. Ending as soon as it happened, Sia’s face shimmered in a brilliant red and took a step backwards. With a hand over her face, she started to stammer.
“I…uh…I-I’m just going to make sure James knows how to activate the turrets, alright? Alright, okay. So you take care and…uh…bye.”
In a flash, she sped into the other room and disappeared without saying another word.
“Are you serious?” complained Arethusa with her palm in the air. “He didn’t prov—,” the door slammed shut. Arethusa’s hand surfed over to her father. “You didn’t do anything,” she continued. “Are you— da— oh, I am so mad right now. You can not understand how mad I am right now. Mister, I don’t want to fall in love. Love turns people into great big super stupid idiots.” Her eyes widened in revelation as she stared at her father. “Why aren’t you even acting dumb?” she cried. “Is it because you’re—,”
Yoshi bent down to pick his daughter up.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/4vd5WcdQU2A)
“No, not the noggies,” Arethusa cried with her hand covering her head.
“I will not have you say that I’m an idiot twenty four seven.”
Right as Yoshi was about to put his daughter back down, Elm whizzed onto the ramp of the transport to say, “I saw that,” and vanish behind the other side of the vessel’s grey armored hull. Feeling the need to chase after him and explain the situation, Yoshi sped outside after him and noticed two newmens in dark fancy attire stop in front of his leader.
“Oh, no,” said Yoshi worriedly.

(*optional music*) (https://youtu.be/jnEBRueqGYw)
Under the assumption that they were sent by Dimitri, he zoomed across the room to come to Yvonna’s aid. Already he didn’t trust these people, but something seemed off. These people didn’t seem like the kind he was used to meeting. They seemed more understanding somehow, almost welcoming even. Judging from their attire, they must be of a different division. Unlike the usual white uniforms Dimirti’s people wore, these newmens wore darker sliver lined clothes; and despite the lack of fancy gold patterns, they still give off a sense of power and uniformity.
To Yvonna’s left, he could see a woman of auburn hair chatter up a storm with a smile on her face. Unlike the grumpy blond male that stood next to her, this newmen actually seemed happy to be there. Just as he was about to regroup with his commander, she turned her attention onto him smiled.
“Yoshiblue I presume?” asked the dark hair newmen woman with an aura of radiance.
This threw Yoshi off guard. He wasn’t expecting someone so extravagant to greet him in such a friendly manner.
“Er, yeah, pleased to meet you,” Yoshi nervously replied, rubbing the back of his head without thinking. He offered his hand for a handshake and asked, “How can I help you?”
“The pleasure is mine. Due to your previous accomplishments, our leader has been keeping a close eye on you, sir.” Pausing for a moment, the newmen women turned her strangely pleasant gaze onto Yvonna and back. “You have quite a history with our people. Some say you even get along with our criminals as well.”
Yoshi scratched at his head harder now. “Is that so,” he replied, nervously shuffling in place at the same time.
“How else could you have established an unauthorized colony for the natives of Lillipa… with our materials no less. A shame that so much went to waste, as it was abandoned shortly after the invasion of the darkers.”
That would explain why Lilliman and his people are nomadic, thought Yoshi. “I assume you’re not here for that though.”
“No,” the newmen replied, smiling at her blond hair companion. “Your punishment has already been issued. What we have truly come all this way for is to take you from your team.”
“I beg your pardon?” Yvonna cut in.
“Momentarily of course,” said the newmen quickly. “We would have taken Mr. Blue far earlier. However we could not, as there were orders not to prevent any pilot testing experimental ARKs vessel from collecting valuable data. That said, thanks to your reassignment, we are now allowed to temporarily acquire Mr. Blue for our purposes.”
Yvonna took a step forward. “He just got back on the ground.”
“We are well aware of that and do not plan to throw into harm’s way anytime soon.”
“What is the nature of his mission then?”
“That is classified.”
“If you’re taking him, then I demand to go as well.”
“I’m sorry, but we can not comply with that.”
“Why not?”
“Lady Boga, please calm yourself. Though we are not allowed to bring anyone else along with him, we did bring his partner along. Yoshiblue,” the newmen said, turning to the human with a hand in front of the man next to her. “This is Mr. Hern. Charles, Mr. Blue.”
The blond newmen crossed his arms and grunted in acknowledgement.
“Now don’t be that way, Mr. Hern. He is a newmen of Melchior decent.”
Both Yoshi and Yvonna’s eyes shot open with surprise. “Is that so?” Yvonna asked.
“Indeed. The newmens of teal are people close to nature. Seeing as Yoshi is in ARKs with a similar power, and considering the fact that Dimitri hasn’t issued an execution order on him yet, then it must be known that Mr. Blue is in fact related to one of us and not Diga in origin. So Mr. Hern, please treat Mr. Blue as an equal, not as a human.”
“We shall see,” scowled the blond man. “I don’t know how you avoided Demitri for so long, human, but I will be the judge of your linage.”
On that he gave Yvonna a short bow and walked away. As the door opened and closed again, Yoshi turned to his commander and asked,
“So what does that mean for me?”
Pondering on it, Yvonna placed a finger on her lip and looked into the sky. “Well, if this is true, you would no longer be executed on sight. Though to be honest, I’m not really sure what would happen to you if they did choose to take you in. I would mention all the horrible things they could do to you, but that’s just me saying thing based on what my grandfather has told me. I don’t remember them having earthly powers though.”
“To be honest,” interrupted the other newmen. “I lied. To make sure this mission goes as smoothly as possible, I had to say that Mr. Blue was of Melchior decent. My apologies, lady Boga.”
Yoshi sighed with relief. “Oh, but I wanted to ask. Are you usually this friendly with the other races? It’s kind of surprising.”
“It’s to be expected. Besides being ordered to be friendly with you, by someone related to your commander here no less, I also have to be this way as the voice of our group. But enough about me,” she continued, directing her arms towards the door behind her. “This way please.”

(Optional End Note) (https://youtu.be/X4AavdOzEbU)
Yoshi let off a shrug of indifference and grinned at Yvonna. “Well, I don’t want to cause any trouble, so I guess that scolding will have to wait some other time. I’ll make sure to get the job done, commander.”
“Make me proud, Yoshi.”
“You betcha.”



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