Home means something different for everyone, but it’s especially important for the members of the Vanguard. For many, it’s the place they settle down and protect. For others, it’s the people that they’ve come to love. Regardless, the home of a samurai creates a sort of bubble for humanity around it, a safe place where theoretically, they should be free of worry.
It makes it all the more devastating when that bubble pops.
* From the documentary ‘Gehenna Gulf’, released mid-2057
***
I sit on the top of one of my big guns, trying and failing to catch my breath from a particularly intense bit of movement. Turns out, I don’t have the required stamina to fight against an endless horde of Antithesis. I mean, I never really expected for them to run out of fodder in the first place, but this is sort of absurd. At least my girls are doing a really good job of keeping them off of me and the sub.
I soon perk up when I hear Prism say my name, her anxious voice a nice change in the mixed cacophony of war.
[“E-Emme, since we’ve gotten a floor out now, I’m leaving the SADS on watch up here so that I can come help you out for a bit.”]
I chuckle, shaking my head at how warm her being like this makes me feel. “Don’t rush yourself, Prism. We’ll probably be fine for a few more minutes, I’m on a break anyways.”
Nyvi clears her throat, then asks, [“Actually, while you’re free, could you go a bit more into detail on the ship idea you have? We need them to get an accurate point total for tracking purposes.”]
I grin, then lean back on my arms as the guns fire beneath me, a surprising lack of vibration following afterwards. Thank you grav platforms.
“Yeah sure! I think it’d be best to get the ship and engine first, we can work on the weapons later.” I pause, then pat the top of my current ride. “Hell, we can take these guns and stick them onto the ship itself right?”
Achys sighs, then shoots off to pierce a stray Model One. [“Keeping the weaponry of the ship modular is a real option, but I think it’d be prudent to get some stationary point defence guns as well. If you’ve learned anything from this situation, that is.”]
I tilt my head for a moment, then whack a Model One away. Lissa is the next to chime in, still sounding as exhausted as she did twenty minutes earlier:
[“Also, make sure there are places for the guns to shoot out the side and bottom of the ship as well.”]
Nodding in agreement, I state, “Both are fair, but keep the PDCs replaceable if we need to swap them out.”
To my surprise (and slight delight), Prism then murmurs, [“U-Um, would it be possible for it to have comfortable individual living spaces on the ship?”]
[“Honestly, would have expected one of the sisters to add that one to the list,”] Achys replies as she flutters through the mob, [“But that’s actually surprisingly cheap to implement. Housing is a necessity for crew afterall.”]
Lissa asks with a curious tone, [“How are we going to keep this ship up and running anyways? Hiring sailors sounds annoying.”]
“Good question…” I mutter as I grimace, imagining a bunch of muscular men in stereotypical sailor outfits. “Can we just get a bunch of my drones to do it for us?”
[“I suppose so,”] Nyvi replies, [“it’d be the cheapest option as well, plus they could work on the exterior regardless of safety concerns. May I ask how big you want it? That would heavily affect the price of both the PDCs and required crew.”]
Taken aback by that question, I murmur, “Shit, I have no clue what would be right here.”
Prism hums a bit in though, then slowly replies, [“Probably best to keep it about the size of a destroyer, so we don’t have to spend too many points on extra stuff? We can always upscale later right?”]
Achys flutters back beside me as she says, [“If that’s what you all agree upon, I am happy to say you’ll have enough points to get it…”]
Rolling my eyes as the bird starts tapping the top of the gun like a drumroll, I poke her on the head. “Don’t tease us, how long do we need to-”
The guns fire, sending a line of explosions across the ocean floor, and Achys does a little spin as her eyes flash. [“Right now! Without the gravity engine yet, of course, but that’s not too far off.”]
I blink, looking down in surprise at my AI.
“Wait, really?”
Achys giggles as she nods. “Yup! You have a lot of points gained per minute right now, so your total has built up fast.”
As I open my mouth to speak, Prism slithers up beside me, a big smile on her face as she coils herself up. “I-It almost feels a little anticlimactic to get this without fighting some big boss or something.”
I roll my eyes, reaching over to playfully push her shoulder. “Don’t jinx it, dork.”
Prism looks away from me, her ears scarlet, as she grumbles, “I-I was just saying what I thought, b-but I suppose you’re right.”
Lissa clears her throat, then says, [“We’re nearing the separate dredge station Nyvi is sending us to, so it’s perfect timing. I don’t know how much longer we’re going to hold up.”]
“Are you…” I bite my lip, preventing myself from worrying aloud. “Never mind. Achys, let’s get the ship.”
The bird throws up her wing as she chirps:
[“Big ship, coming right up!”]
New Purchase!
‘Otter’ Class Warship x1: 4000 Points
‘Bevy’ PDC x4: 1000 Points
‘Seadog’ crew drones x150: 1500 points
Total Cost:
6500 Points
Final Total:
204 Points
After an intense flash of light, the ship appears in its full glory just a bit above me, and when I see it, I can’t help but whisper:
“Wow.”
Stretching what has to be five hundred feet, our new warship’s hull is somewhere between classical and modern, curved to a point at the bow and nearly flat at the stern, as well as a huge rectangular bridge stuck smack dab in the middle of the deck. However, it’s made mostly of some kind of off white wood, all of which is framed with beautiful silver metal details and fixings. The really standout part though, is the slight bioluminescent glow that is being emitted from every inch of the wood, which makes the ship stick out like a sore thumb in these dark depths.
You could maybe describe it as nearly elvish in design, at least at first glance, but the fantasy aspect of the ship is sort of ruined by the two huge gatling guns flanking the bridge and the obviously mechanized panels built into the sides of the hull, where two more of the PDCs sit. After one final shot, all three of my big cannons start to float over, so Prism and I scoot over to get a better look at the deck. It’s then I realize what sort of drones Achys got for us.
Absolutely delighted, I can’t help but giggle as I say, “Achys, that’s a lot of dogs.”
The bird smugly grins, putting her wings on her hips. [“I knew that’s what you’d want”.]
As the gun we’re riding on gets right onto the deck, I watch a dog push a lever, which causes a huge mechanical hatch to open in the deck. I grab Prism’s hand, then pull her behind me as I leap down. After we land, we watch two of the guns disappear below the deck, only for the hatch to close and the final one to click into place on the deck’s surface. A glance back at the horde sees my ten fighting dogs retreating towards us, a thick stream of plant aliens behind them. I swim over to the edge of the ship just in time to see the barrels of my big guns emerge out and aim.
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Then, all the guns on the ship fire at once.
The horde is split by a breathtaking percussion symphony, the slow bangs of the artillery pieces mixing with the deafening Brrrrr of the gatling guns to wipe out a huge chunk before they can even get close.
I can’t help but grin for a moment, but my joy immediately evaporates when I turn to see Prism. Covering her ears with her hands, her deep distress at the noise is blatant. I quickly swim over, pulling the mermaid into my arms before I head towards the entrance to the bridge.
Now a bit disconcerted, I intone, ‘The interior better be soundproofed.’
Don’t worry, I thought ahead on a few things. It’ll be fine.
The door opens and closes for us, and as the airlock begins to hiss, I end up freezing as Nyvi says, [“By the way, this is going to be distinctly uncomfortable, if what happened to Prism is any indication.”]
“What do you-”
As the water disappears from around us, a deep, innate terror begins to fill me, as if I was drowning. I fall to my knees, barely managing to put Prism, who is seemingly going through the same thing, onto the ground before I drop her.
[“Um,” Lissa mutters, obviously a bit worried, “You two… okay?”
After a few seconds, I manage to say, “Fuckin-” I cough twice more. “We’re fine, I think, don’t worry. You coulda’ warned me sooner though!”
[“I could have, yes. Was it funnier like this? Maybe.”] The AI Orca flails a bit closer to her mermaid, and Prism reaches down to pick her up.
As I stand up, wiping my mouth, I tilt my head at the girl beside me. “Actually, how do you move out of the water with that tail? Like a snake?”
Prism shakes her head, but doesn’t respond, sinking her face into Nyvi’s head.
[“Sorry, she's still a little shaken at the moment. I don’t think she was prepared for the gatling guns to be so loud.”] Nyvi says with a small tilt of her head back at me, then adds, [“As for her movement, it doesn’t seem to be possible at the moment, would you mind carrying her?”]
I nod as my heart pangs, then reach down to pick Prism up. She barely even responds to the touch, but does end up leaning into me a bit as the door inside opens. As I look up at the entrance into our new ship though, I end up blinking as I mutter:
“This is… not what I expected.”
There is a small locker room right at the entrance to the airlock, probably for EVA suits for anyone that doesn’t have the capability of breathing underwater, but past the blast door? It almost seems like a normal home. The walls are made of wood that, in comparison to the wood on the exterior, is very dark, and with the warm lighting it creates quite a comfy atmosphere. The room is set up as an open plan common space; One side is obviously designed to be a living room, with a long wrap around couch placed in front of a huge holo-screen while the other side is a surprisingly large kitchen with a dining table set up beside it.
Walking inside, I look down and breathe in relief at the sight of my friend looking around in awe at the sight. Achys takes the lead, clearing her throat before she leaps out to hover in front of us.
[“Why don’t you two get comfy for a moment, while we get the ship moving to get the rest of the family?”]
I shrug as I stumble over and plop down onto the couch, then let Prism wiggle out onto the couch beside me. We both let out a deep groan of contentment in unison, then look at each other and giggle. I lean my head back and close my eyes as I mutter:
“What are the chances I’m going to have to get up to do something?”
Achys hops onto the small coffee table in front of the couch. [“Not too high, unless Prism needs to move around before we get a solution to her movement issue.”]
I glance over at the mermaid, who at this point is coiling her tail up underneath her. She looks up at me, turns a bit pink, then looks towards the holo-tv. “I-I should be fine. A-Are there exterior views we can put up there to keep watch?”
Achys throws up a wing towards it, and the screen swaps to a view of the battle outside. The dogs are doing their best to keep the swarm off the shelter, assisted in clearing the smaller models by the ridiculous rate of fire our PDCS have. To my surprise though, it also highlights something I didn’t even realize was happening.
“Are we moving right now?”
Achy snickers, doing little spins as she paces along the table. [“Indeed! This vessel is designed both for combat AND comfort after all! If you could feel the movement as it happened, it certainly wouldn’t be to Protector standards.”]
“H-Huh…” Prism wiggles a bit, then squeezes Nyvi as she yawns. “M-My tail feels like jelly.”
[“Out of curiosity, sorry if it’s a bit insensitive”] Lissa abruptly chimes in, [“Prism, is your stuttering because you’re nervous, or is it because you have a speech impediment? I know you were able to talk without it during the speech by slowing down your words.”]
I guffaw, completely taken aback by the audacity of this girl. “Lissa, that’s rude!”
Still, I watch enthralled as the adorable girl in front of me tucks her face into her squishy AI as she whispers, “A-A-A bit of both? P-Probably? I-I’ve never actually looked into it. I-I have a mixed array of neurological problems that we’ve never really looked into.”
My sister chuckles, obviously ignoring my chastisement. [“Was just curious, and uh, sort of the same for us?”]
I blink. “Us? I don’t think I have-”
[“Okay, to be fair, I was talking about my own situation, which is complicated and I don’t want to get into at the moment,”] Lissa interrupts, [“But Emme, you do know you have issues too right?”]
Legitimately confused, I tilt my head. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about.”
[“Sis, you’ve got all the signs of ADHD and then some.”]
“I…” I put a hand on my forehead. “I don’t know how to react to that.”
“S-Sounds like we all need a bit of therapy…”
Nyvi wiggles around in Prism’s arm, reaching up with a fin to pat her on the head. [“Don’t worry, we have plenty of options for mental health assistance you can all use in the future. For now, just relax, and if we need your help with combat or decisions, we’ll tell you.”]
I share a look with Prism, who timidly nods. “I guess so, feels weird to not be fighting after so long. How long is it till sunrise anyways? Tonight feels like it’s gone on forever.”
[“Everything comes to a head soon, not even half an hour. The arrival of the high number Model , the finishing of the evacuation, and the sunrise. The end is imminent, and I’m on the edge of… the table waiting for it.” ] Achys snickers as she reaches the end of the table, then turns like a toy soldier. [“Still, we shouldn’t let our guards down, it’s possible they will try to overwhelm us with one last rush.”]
I glance towards the screen, frowning at how thin the numbers seem. “Yeah, I think I get what you mean. That’s not nearly as thick as it was before, even with the PDCs having such a big effect.”
Anxiously, Prism’s tail starts tapping against the side of the couch. “L-Let’s hope that the Model Twenty-Seven doesn’t deem it necessary. T-They’ve essentially already won anyways.”
I bite on my thumb a bit as I mumble, “Been meaning to ask, where is that thing anyways? Shouldn’t it be coming at us super hard?”
Nyvi hums before she explains, [“As far as I’m aware, it’s a new variant, so its exact capabilities are unknown. However, there are a few things that all versions of the Twenty-Seven have in common. First, they’re actually typically split into multiple bodies, none of which ever seem to be combat focused beyond baseline abilities.”]
Achys picks up where her fellow AI left off. [“Each of the bodies has a specific purpose, like a specialized factory for creating more individual models, such as what Prism witnessed, or a sort of central brain that utilizes the same abilities that the Antithesis use to invade through rifts in space to connect to and command multiple other Models directly.”]
Lissa sighs in exasperation. [“That explains the weird way the Antithesis were grouping on this floor, I just don’t get why they decided to gather like moths around a light.”]
It’s a bit surprising when Raya is the one to speak next. [“You might not think it’s smart, but light is considered safe by many humans. If they aren’t careful, they might walk up thinking it’s a normal crowd, just to get mauled. It’s a pretty low effort way to ensure a captured civilian or two.”]
Achys gets the smuggest of grins, and I immediately know exactly what’s going to happen next. [“Aw, Nyvi, she’s learning! I think we-”]
Reaching really far over, I pinch the bird’s beak shut. “Nope, stopping you there. I’m way too tired to listen to another set of bickering, though it is fun.”
Boo, that’s not fun. But in the end, I suppose you’re right.
I pull my feet below me, shutting my eyes for a moment, until Lissa’s voice once again enters my ears.
[“Hey, do we have a name for the ship?”]
I flutter my eyes open, then look towards Prism, who just shrugs. I think for a moment, then get a small smile on my face.
“How about… The Starchaser Widow?”
There’s a collective silence for a moment, until Prism says, “I-I like it but… W-Why widow? I-It’s not like this is the second time we’ve gotten a ship.”
Lissa pops in before I can say anything. [“I’m with her on this, Widow seems a bit overkill.”]
I roll my eyes and put my arms up on the edge of the couch.
“Fine, fine, how about just ‘The Starchaser’ then?”
“M-Makes sense to me, with how everything seems to be lining up tonight. I-It’s fitting.”
Lissa sounds exasperated as she says, [“I have to ask, Emme, did you end up singing that one song, and that’s what brought this on?”]
My face heats up a bit as I look away. “Maybe, but it’s a good song so neither of you can complain!”
[“Sis, I literally wasn’t, it was entirely curiosity.”]
I stick my tongue out though I know she can’t see it. “Still judging me for it.”
Prism giggles before she asks, “D-Didn’t you just say you were too tired to bicker?”
“Et tu, Miss Mermaid?!”
Achys snickers while covering her beak with her wing. “Technically, you used that wrong.”
A bit riled up, I jump to my feet, pointing at the birb.
“As of this moment I declare myself captain of this ship, and my first rule is no bullying!” I pause, then grin as I add, “That I’m not the perpetrator of or am in support of!”
[“Prism, I think we need to do a mutiny if that rule isn’t amended.”]
Prism nods, but looks up at me with a smile. “I-I suppose so? I’m fine with her being captain though…”
My sister responds quickly to that. [“Oh yeah, it makes total sense, but we can’t let her just be a tyrant.”]
I flop back down onto the, then mutter, “Fugh, fine. Gimme a second.”
After a quick moment of thinking, I smile as I put a finger in the air, loudly declaring:
“As Captain of the Starchaser, I hereby declare the first rule of the ship to be thus! As this is to be our home, we must treat it with respect! As such, shoes are not allowed past the entrance to the ship!”
[‘Aye Captain!’] “A-Aye Captain!”
Everyone in the call breaks into giggles, and a small warmth of comfort fills my body.
I love these people so much.