-Katie "Airspace" Janet, reporter for New Phoenix 24/7 Live, 2057
“For those gathered here today, I thank you for being here to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect humanity. These four individuals gave their all in the assault, fighting tooth and nail with their comrades at their sides, all to see that humanity can, once more, see another day.
Dusty Devil and Angel Wings were new Samurai, both Awakening four months ago in Williams and Tucson respectively. From what I have seen of their past records, they were well loved by their community, and fiercely protective of humanity.”
“Weapons Locker and Blizzard have been with us for many years, and have helped dozens of Samurai rise in power, guided them towards more constructive paths, and have saved millions of lives in the process.
“They all answered the call for assistance, knowing full well of the dangers that we would face diving into the desert. It is a fact of our lives that every encounter with the enemy could be our last. It is also a fact that those four chose to fight the enemy at every turn. And while I am sure that they hoped that they would make it out alive, they were unable to beat the odds this time. Yet I am certain that if they had to do it over again, they would still descend into those tunnels and slaughter the enemy without hesitation, rather than to run for greener pastures.”
“And so I ask all of you here this. To remember the four Samurai who gave their lives fighting to the bitter end, and to think of the lives they saved in doing so. And to remember their deaths not as victims, but as heroes who stood at the gates of hell and fought like demons to kill just one more of the enemy.”
She bows her head in silence, as we all do the same.
After a moment, Doma speaks up, “I would open the floor to anyone who wishes to say something.”
Doma takes a step back, standing next to the altar.
Surprisingly, Herlock Sholms takes the stand. He clears his throat, “Good evening, everyone,” his time was serious, a far cry from his normal flippant shamelessness. “During this assault, I had the privilege of working with Samurai Blizzard, yet this is not the first connection we had. In the recent past, I left a negative impression of myself with her close family, yet I was unaware of this fact until the hour before our dive. Yet, instead of demanding I move to another team, or keeping me in the back, she helped me keep pace with the others, offering me access to her catalogs, her advice, her kindness. For all her icy tech, she was one of the warmest Samurai I have ever met, and the world will be colder without her in it.”
He walks back to his seat quickly.
A few others take the opportunity to speak. A few for Dust Devil and Angel Wings, people who came with them, and Heracles holding it together to praise Weapons Locker.
When no one else stepped forward, Doma retook the center. “I will, once again, thank everyone for being here today, and for either speaking such kind words about the fallen, or honoring them with your presence. I understand that a majority of you have been away from home for longer than you may have planned, so we will understand if you simply wish to rest at home as soon as you can.”
The people in the room all stood up and began to move. Some congregated in groups, while a majority of them left, including Herlock, who more or less flees. Laser Lasso and Red Menace stood up and, after giving me a small sad smile, also left.
I asked Outsider to move me to the altar, where I stare at Blizzard's, Tsubuki's picture. She had long black hair and a soft smile in this picture. I feel a hand rest on my shoulder.
“Vicky's right, you know,” I hear Heracles say, “Once you do this for long enough, you simply accept that any fight you enter could be your last. While there are those who specialize in body doubles and clones, even they are not safe from all harm.” I turn my head to look at him, but I am unable to contort myself to see anything other than his hand, the forced break and the hover chair working in tandem there.
“Yet it was my plan that killed her,” I say, though Outsider delayed repeating it, the concern from her palpable in the network.
I feel his hand tense a bit, then relax, “Kid, Tsubu was a smart woman. If she thought there was a better plan, she would have pushed it through instead. I… I have spent a long time reviewing the battle, going at every angle to see what could have been done differently. The Thirty Threes were a massive wrench in everything, as they are hunters, not defenders, so we should have seen them attack in the tunnels if they were acting normally. But they weren't, and my best friend-!” He catches himself, taking a deep breath. “Those toad bastards were new, Hyra confirmed that for me. We have speculated other abilities it may have had, but of the two it showed, the thorn was something that we could not predict. There were no signs, no evidence, nothing.”
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He kneels in front of me, holding my eyes in his, “And you killed them before they did more harm. You avenged Tsubu, kid.” He places his massive hand on my head. It's softer than I would have expected.
He tousled my hair, “I'm not going to ask you to forgive yourself, because that would be hypocritical of me. But I am going to ask that you channel that anger and loathing you feel towards action, towards doing as much good as you can to make sure this feeling you have, as few people as possible ever have to experience it.”
He removes his hand from my head and pokes my chest, “You're a Samurai, a Vanguard of humanity, an Aegis of hope, and a spear of righteous fury.” He smiles as I see a few more tears spill from his eyes.
I give a small nod, and he gets up to leave.
Heraclese's words ring in my head on the drive back. He lost someone as well, someone who he has known and fought with for far longer that I had with Blizzard. And if his words the let slip are his real thoughts, then he is struggling with the same thing I am. And that thought was sickeningly comforting.
The huge, impossibly strong golden Samurai, was struggling with guilt, with the what ifs and maybies. And yet he was honest with his feelings. He cried openly for his friend, and he did his best to give advice to the newer Samurai during the eulogy. And he made time to help me deal with my internal conflicts.
As I was lost in thought, in memories, we arrived back home. Outsider pushed me to the dining area where I saw Cody and Buddy eating. They waved me over, Buddy moving back to the kitchen to whip up something I could eat. Jill and Roger walked out of their rooms and the dining area grew lively.
Then it hit me. I was home, with my family. I survived and my family wasn't grieving me, but I could see their more forced actions. I knew that they were walking on eggshells around me, and I hated that they felt the need to do that.
“Stop treating me as if I'm damaged, you assholes. I'm drugged, not reclused. I'll be fine.”
I could see Roger and Jill share a look while Cody choked on his sandwich. Buddy just chuckled as he placed another smoothie on the table in front of me. “But you at least know why we are acting like this, yes?”
I roll my eyes, “Of course I do, Buddy. Because we're family, and we have always had each other's backs. That said, if you assholes ever use that fucking straw again, I will remodel your cars to look like pastel bubble frogs.” I say with the fiercest glare I could muster.
That got uproarious laughter out of everyone, and I could see their tensions fade.
***********************************
I hover into the DM Screen feeling considerably more stable than I had when I woke up this morning. While I was no longer stuck to the hoverchair, walking was still… uncomfortable. Morrigan assured me that the drug would be flushed out of my system by morning, but I had one final thing I wanted to do before bed.
Floating up to the command table, I looked over my commanders, seeing everyone was here.
“I have called you all here in order to both thank you all for your work during this last assault, as well as to reward you all for your efforts.”
I see some of them shift, their faces gaining a level of confusion and trepidation. “Before any of you say anything. Yes, you may have been simply doing your jobs, but you still fought and worked hard for me, and it would leave a terrible hole in me if I didn't reward you for it.” I move to stand, accepting Outsider's help in this manner. “Yes, you may be AI constructs that I bought, but that doesn't mean I will treat you as such. One of the best quirks of humanity is our ability to personify anything and everything if we have even the slightest emotional attachment to it.” I chuckle, “And I must say, I have grown quite attached to all of you.”
I see Baba Yaga and Morrigan smile, while Leman, Jim, Vulkan, and Rogal stand a bit straighter. “If I may, Sire-” Bahamut starts.
“No, Bahamut. Just because you did not actively participate in the assault, doesn't mean you will not be receiving a reward as well. Synaptic helped me review everyone's actions during this time, and I know for a fact you took remote control of the city's defenses, keeping casualties down. You were critical in keeping this city, and my family, safe.”
“Synaptic has helped me go over the unique upgrades for each of you, and I am fully capable of upgrading you to the peak of Class III War Swarm Hero Units. And, since I am on a forced break, I can upgrade all of you at once, since Roger and Jill will not allow me to leave this place for a bit.”
I can feel their excitement flow through the network. “Thankfully, I can pay for the materials required for the upgrades as well, so we don't have to scour the desert again, but it will take considerably longer than before. Estimates say the quickest of you will be done in twenty six hours, and the longest will be thirty eight hours. Please wrap up any projects you may have going on, as you will not be able to interact with them for the duration. Once you are ready, please let me know.” I quickly sat back down, as my legs had gone numb.
In seconds, I get confirmation pings from everyone, “Synaptic, please begin.”
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Rogal
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Morrigan
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Baba Yaga
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Leman
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Outsider
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Jim
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Vulkan
Purchased Class III War Swarm Hero Upgrade: Bahamut
Points reduced to 105670
It cost me more than half of what I earned, but I knew this would be worth it. Comprehensive structural upgrades, enhanced processing speeds, and each… person. Yes, person, would receive a unique ability to further enhance their prowess.
As each of them were wrapped in a cocoon of silver, I smiled, turning to leave them, excited for once they awoke.