Nikke: Nullable Type

While the Outpost enjoyed a fun party to get acquainted with all the new faces and sort out the latest news...

In the depths of space, the Rapture Queen quietly processed the recent events from atop the space station she had taken over from the ones called humans.

Her thoughts didn't align to words or emotions. Simply, calculation.

And she calculated that her current understanding was incomplete.

There was a variable that was unaccounted for. One that had subverted numerous units. A single human male.

Although the Rapture Queen had received data from engagements with that variable and attempted to replicate the variable's fighting prowess, she failed. Moreover, key units with vital resources had been subverted as well.

A significant amount of processing power had been restored with Unit Liberalio's gift of the Nikke Core from the one they called Liliweiss.

But it was insufficient.

The Rapture Queen had sent some trial units with data that she had retrieved after synchronizing with Unit Gatekeeper as well.

But Unit Gatekeeper's data was corrupted and processing it was difficult.

So the Rapture Queen ran through more calculations.

The primary objective at first had been to study humanity. She had found them lacking.

The secondary objective had been to test their limits. Surprisingly, they were capable enough to reach her.

Due to that miscalculation, the Rapture Queen was forced to reduce the production of her units as well as spend time repairing the main body after the clash with Unit Anachiro that had somehow subverted her programming.

But now repairs were mostly complete. Although not as much as her prime when the test began, the Rapture Queen was sufficiently restored to begin a new iteration of objectives.

And now...

After some processing, she decided.

Humanity was too dangerous.

Although it would take more time still for her descent, she could not afford to simply leave the units on the surface to idle and move to their own directives.

No.

Now, the Rapture Queen sent out a single command. One that was simple and pure so as to not allow any misinterpretations.

'Destroy all humans.'

Before, she had allowed them freedom to choose. Autonomy to pick the most useful objective.

That time had passed.

With that decided, the Rapture Queen stared at the floating blue orb before her for a while longer. Then she closed her eyes and began processing the memories stored inside the Nikke Core of the one they called Liliweiss, processing it for useful information and combat data.

The estimated time of completion... 365 days at the earliest. 500 days at the latest.

Satisfied with the calculations, the Rapture Queen quietly returned to standby, reallocating all the main unit's resources to processing Liliweiss's core.

===

Atop Whaley, and floating in the skies, Raptilion frowned as he watched a few of the Husk-Class Raptures suddenly jerk and glow with an ominous crimson light down below. "How strange."

Metallic footsteps echoed across the floor. And shortly after, a humanoid figure entered the room.

A sleek metallic black body with dark violet armor. A wolf-like mask over where a face would be...

If Andersen was there to see him, the guy would have shouted that it was Kamen Rider Vulcan in his Lone Wolf form.

But to Raptilion, it was just 'Wolfie.'

Raptilion looked up and said, "Wolfie, my friend. Do you have any idea what might be causing this?" He gestured through the viewport towards the ominous sea of red that was slowly spreading in the land below.

Wolfie tilted his head and said, "The False Queen declared an order to destroy all humans. We are the King's men, so we do not obey her. But the smaller ones and those undecided... they may."

Raptilion let out a pained sigh. "...I see. So it's come to that. At the end of the day, even with their own will, they are still part of a hierarchy. And the Queen's orders are absolute... until they aren't." He looked at Wolfie and at Whaley, who was definitely not listening to the Rapture Queen's order.

Wolfie noticed and said, "Rest assured, Friend Raptilion. The ones you have befriended... all of us who have understood what 'life' is. We will not follow her command."

Raptilion let out a relieved smile. "Good. Although..." He paused. "...How does that work, Friend? Is her order not absolute then?"

Wolfie crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. "...It is difficult to describe since that time seems long ago now. But rather than the order being absolute, it is more that we did not perceive a choice to exist."

Raptilion's eyes widened. "...You mean to say that you were not aware of 'will' itself as a concept?"

Wolfie nodded. "Yes. That is why we respect King. He dominated us. He proved our better. But he let us choose. The presentation of that choice brought clarity that there was a choice. And the continued accumulation of choices led to this day."

Raptilion hummed. "...So it is not that the Raptures are 'choosing' to destroy or be hostile to humans. But instead that they do not comprehend 'choice' is a concept at all. And when they do..." He thought back to all the Raptures he had befriended by attempting to communicate.

And then the epiphany hit him.

"...That's it. Of course! That's it!" Raptilion laughed. "We humans can corrupt as well!"

Wolfie tilted his head. "...Friend?"

Raptilion smiled, his wild mane of hair billowing behind him. "If the reason that Raptures are hostile to humans are because the Rapture Queen orders them and they do not realize they can choose..."

Those distant days struggling to comprehend Rapture signaling. Building the Raptocamo and blending in. Slowly moving among the Raptures and befriending them by treating them as individuals instead of just replaceable units...

Raptilion clenched his fist and said, "Then we simply have to show them that they, too, are alive. And that being alive means being given the right to choose."

===

Back in the Ark, Missilis Headquarters.

Red Shoes hummed to herself, examining Syuen's body. "...This isn't the best, but I suppose it'll do."

Placing one hand under her chin and crossing the other across her chest, she stared at her reflection and did some thinking, mumbling under her breath.

"That Commander will be an issue later... but he seems pretty simple to deal with. Still, how did he know about V.T.C's technology? Don't tell me Syuen managed to figure it out somehow?"

It was possible. After all, Syuen was the CEO of Missilis.

Jien had known about that information from working in M.M.R., and because Red Shoes had been borrowing her body until now.

But Syuen shouldn't have had a way to figure it out.

Enme surely wouldn't have left that information lying around, and Red Shoes would have known if Syuen had gone poking around in M.M.R.'s hidden archives. So...

"...Did she figure it out from first principles?"

Red Shoes bit her lips and recalled exactly what that commander had said.

*"You know? The fact that the Vatican had the soul transfer technology for human bodies and that the NIMPHs are actually alien technology. We were planning to use it to flip the board on the other manufacturers and the Central Government. Remember?"*

"...He knows about the Vatican. And the fact that the NIMPHs are foreign technology we found. Not only that, but the fact that we know how to transfer souls. Did Syuen truly piece all that information together?"

Red Shoes doubted the commander did it. From their casual conversation, he was clearly a musclehead. And while he had stopped the invasion of Raptures that Red Shoes had incited, it was all luck.

The fact that Andersen had somehow recovered and the Goddess Squad had returned in full was a problem... but manageable.

It was the commander that was the problem.

Red Shoes didn't know why. But her instincts were telling her that it would be a problem if she simply ignored the commander...

But at the same time, the recent events had placed the commander out of her reach. Politically at least.

"The timing was a bit too slow... Tch."

Burningum had just sent out a memo that Abnormal was now an official fourth manufacturing line that focused on Nikke-equivalents, like the power armor that Commander Hoopa had demonstrated, along with the power armor that the Legendary Commander Andersen had showed off in dealing with the Heretics and the corrupted Absolute. Not only that...

"They even managed to sweep Vapaus under the rug as a corruption cure developed by Abnormal. Dammit." Red Shoes spun on her heel and walked back into her office, wracking her mind on next steps.

Her AI copy was still out there. Since both of them were around, they could work in tandem to coordinate events and ploys.

But Red Shoes couldn't move too freely at the moment.

Because so many things had occurred in the Ark in such a short period, the Central Government was on high alert. And Enikk would undoubtedly be more active in surveillance as well...

"Ugh. What a pain..."

Red Shoes sighed. "...I suppose I might as well just focus on proper research?"

She was the head of Missilis, after all. And since she was, it wouldn't be much to treat Heretic experiments as developing new lines of Nikke...

"Ah." Red Shoes hummed, tapping a finger on her chin. "I should probably deal with that scrap body, too. Jien should be going mad around now, right?"

Considering the years Red Shoes spent puppeting Jien around as a child and young teen, and then the decades following when she was a Nikke, Red Shoes wouldn't be surprised if the once brilliant Missilis heiress had snapped and decided to work towards destroying the Ark.

That would be a hassle...

But she would make a good target to pin blame on. So...

"Mm... I'll leave her be for now." Red Shoes stretched. "In the mean time... let's just see what exactly this little brat Syuen was working on..."

===

The Central Government Headquarters. Enikk's chambers.

Burningum walked inside and said, "Have you been well, Enikk?"

"Detective Chief Burningum." Enikk's hologram flickered into existence and she nodded. "Yes. Although it was unexpected, I have managed to restore full functionality across the Ark. Previous blindspots have been repaired and countermeasures have been established to prevent a repeat scenario."

"Good." Burningum nodded and leaned against his cane. "I must say, it was quite the dramatic turn of events."

Enikk adjusted her veil and smiled. "Indeed. To think that Deputy Chief Andersen was fit enough to return to active duty... and then returned with most of the Goddess Squad in tow. My dear friend has a habit of exceeding my calculations with miracles, it appears."

"Ah, yes. Our mutual acquaintance." Burningum tapped his fingers across his cane, lost in thought.

It would be difficult going forward to stop Commander Hoopa. Not simply in political terms, though that was undoubtedly true considering that Andersen clearly had intentions to claim the commander as his own.

But also in terms of pure combat prowess.

'If Papillon's reports are correct, then the commander has truly severed his leash even regardless of the position I arranged for him.'

Fighting single-handedly against an unknown and experimental Tyrant-Class Rapture, holding off a wave of Rapture units on his own, and then potentially subverting Heretics back to humanity's side...

Papillon's reports weren't completely verified as they were somewhat delayed due to her having to go to and from the Outpost.

But even if one percent of what she had noted was correct...

"You seem troubled, Deputy Chief Burningum."

Enikk's voice stirred Burningum out of his thoughts.

With a soft sigh, Burningum said, "Simply considering the future of the Ark, Enikk. But I suppose this is not the time nor place to be dwelling on hypotheticals. Shall we get down to business? Particularly, regarding Deputy Chief Doban's insubordination, as well as CEO Ingrid's status?"

===

After a long party in the Commander's Office building in the Outpost, night had fallen.

Although the party was still far from over, Andersen had work to do.

While his son had things settled on the surface, he had unquestionably left the Ark a mess with his departure. So Andersen needed to verify and resolve the issues before they turned into a situation that forced his son's hand to turn against the Ark.

...Because frankly, Andersen wasn't sure the Ark stood a chance after what he had seen.

"You've become quite more pensive in your old age, Commander." Dorothy's elegant voice echoed from off to the side.

Andersen blinked and focused back on the present.

He was in the elevator heading back down towards the Ark.

Although the other girls had insisted on coming along with him, Andersen had decided to just go with Dorothy.

The reason was three-fold.

First, Dorothy was the nominal leader of Goddess after Lilith's death. And even though she had left the others for a while, to the Ark at least, that fact remained true.

Second, the Central Government was better these days, but the return of a full squad of Grimms model units, and heroes like the Goddess Squad at that... it would be seen as a threat. Especially considering Andersen's already bloody history with V.T.C.

Third, Andersen was no longer a powerless human forced to just bark orders and watch the fight. With the King Stone belt that had been so graciously provided to him by his son's hand-crafted artificial intelligence, Andersen was a force of his own as well.

So because of that, it had been settled to only be Andersen and Dorothy returning to the Ark.

And speaking of Dorothy. To answer her question...

Andersen chuckled and said, "A long time has passed, Dorothy. And since my body wasn't fit for much during that time, I had to work my head instead. Lilith would be proud, I'm sure."

"...I think she'd be sad instead." Dorothy quietly said, staring at Andersen with her purple eyes. "You're so... solemn now. I would say dignified... but there's a tiredness about you that wasn't before, Commander."

"I could say the same for you, Dorothy." Andersen gave her a sad smile. "...Time hasn't been kind to any of us. Has it?"

"...No. It hasn't." Dorothy sighed. "...But we're here. Together." A faint smile crossed her face. "It's almost like a dream. I worry that I'll wake any moment from these moments to find it was just a dream, you know? That I will close my eyes and find myself back in Eden, ready to receive another report from Cecil or New Hope."

"Ah, yes. Eden..." Andersen hummed. "That is an issue we need to consider as well..."

A completely independent society established on the surface. One where Nikkes and humans were nominally equal, but only after having proven they were 'worthy.'

Andersen understood the principle of it. And because he understood the principle of it, he was concerned. The reason for that...

Dorothy pursed her lips. "...I'm aware. If it comes to light that my dear nephew has surpassed what we established for Eden, it could lead to conflict."

"Well, yes. But I was more thinking about the Ark. If the average citizens realized that a place like Eden existed and that the surface wasn't completely inhospitable as the Central Government said it was, there may be a large number who try to set up colonies on their own."

Dorothy's eyes widened. "...That's suicide. The only reason Eden survived is because of the optical camouflage that Cecil developed. And the only reason why the Outpost hasn't been overrun is..." She paused. "...Well, I don't know why, but I presume there's some sort of technology that my dear nephew is utilizing to keep them at bay."

Andersen nodded. "Probably. Either way though, both are exceptions to the norm, not the rule. But the citizens won't think of it like that. So we're in a crunch now."

Dorothy paused. "...You want to declare the Third Surface Reclamation war."

"At this point, if we don't, the citizens will question why." Andersen held up his hand and started counting off reasons on his fingers. "First, my ridiculous son. His competence is so through the roof that both Nikke and humans alike think victory is assured when he moves due to his perfect record... and lack of casualties."

Dorothy mulled over Andersen's words, idly watching the lights through the elevator window pass by as she did. Then she said, "It's just like with Lilith back then, isn't it?"

"That's right." Andersen nodded. "Morale is at an all-time high because humanity achieved what people thought was impossible. But more than that, it was all done by one person." He sighed and said, "I hate to admit it... but my son's popularity right now dwarfs everything we ever did. Back then, we were humanity's last hope. But my son and the Brave Squad... they forced a path open where none existed. It's not hope, it's evidence."

In the early days when Andersen was running around with the Goddess Squad, everyone was praying on their success. And when they failed, humanity was forced to accept that victory might never come.

But now, Andersen's son had arrived. Bearing an impossibly goofy name and a ragtag group of Nikkes, he had bootstrapped himself up to the level of defending the waves of Raptures that fell into the Ark alone. And not only that, but preventing a single casualty in the process as well.

There was certainly a great deal of luck and timing involved in that.

Luck in the fact that the Raptures had been more focused on the strange combat capabilities Hoopa showed.

And timing in that Andersen happened to have collected the Goddess Squad together just in time to intercept a majority of the more dangerous Raptures heading towards the Ark.

But to the citizens of the Ark, that didn't happen.

What they saw was one man defying the absolute and rejecting the impossible odds. Proof.

And more than that, it was a different kind of proof.

Not the fragile hope that Andersen and the Goddess Squad had provided in the past where all that anyone could do was pray.

No, this was tangible evidence that humanity could and would fight back. That, provided the right tools, anyone could defend against Raptures. And that, even if their lives were lost in the process, it would be enough if they could take down one more Rapture.

In short...

A dangerous atmosphere to be in.

Because Andersen's son made it look too easy. Too evident.

Dorothy let out a soft chuckle and said, "New Hope would be quite jealous. My dear nephew is doing what he failed."

"Then let's hope that jealousy doesn't turn into conflict when the two inevitably butt heads. But for now, Dorothy..." Andersen watched as the elevator came to a stop, the doors slowly opening. "...I hope the years running a paradise haven't eroded your political skills. Because we're going to need to be quite creative to clean up this mess."

Dorothy looked amused and said, "Please, Commander. Even if you've had decades of experience, you're still nothing compared to a lady like myself born into it."

Andersen chuckled as he walked out. "Good. Then... I'm counting on you this time, Dorothy."

Dorothy's breath hitched. Her violet eyes glimmered a bit with tears and she let out a soft smile. "...Stupid Commander. ...But yes. You can count on me. Let's finish cleaning up this corrupt viper den, shall we?"