Chapter 68 - Calm Before the Storm

3 Days Later

– Mondia, Skydiath 29, 8034 –

“Neticen — the Primary Citan Fortress World. It is, quite literally, the most heavily fortified and technologically advanced planet in the entirety of CSA, Nimalian, and Black Suns space.”

“…Uh,” Davídrius responded confusedly, “…what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means that, if Siionkagh or Gu’Dan had been as heavily fortified as Neticen, then the Oriciid’kas and Tau’cen Kii systems wouldn’t be nearly as close to complete loss as they are currently,” Nikéyin stated. “Neticen’s planetary shields are several orders of magnitude stronger than Siionkagh and Gu’Dan’s combined, and its shield array contains far more redundancy, so the loss of a single polar generator won’t have a significant impact on the overall shield strength. There are also over a thousand planetside anti-orbital installations, with an additional several thousand anti-ship satellites in orbit. Neticen could fend off nearly five whole CSA fleets without its own fleet support; that’s just how advanced the Citans are. And that’s not even taking into account the planet’s manufacturing capabilities. Neticen and its moons could produce an entire thousands-strong Citan fleet within a month; hell, the Neticen system is one of the only three systems in CSA space with the proper facilities to produce Supercapital ships.”

“That’s… impressive,” Kaoné responded slowly.

The Commander nodded. “It is. Which makes the fact that the Citans are willing to sacrifice the planet for the sake of stopping Morcii all the more powerful a statement. The CSA is saying that they’re so desperate for a victory against the Nanocreatures that they will literally sacrifice their lifeline. Neticen is their last untouched major military installation — if they lose it, they lose the war. And if the CSA loses, we all lose. They are, effectively, staking the entire galaxy’s fate on this one plan.”

“That’s great an’ all, but I got a question…” Davídrius frowned. “If Neticen is really as powerful as you’re sayin’ it is, then why haven’t the Nanocreatures attacked it yet?”

“We still don’t know what the Nanocreatures’ plans are,” Nikéyin replied, “Morcii made claims related to these ‘Morikai’ when he first appeared nearly a month ago, but we have no idea what his plans are regarding that goal, or how he would even achieve as much. The only thing we know is that the Nanocreatures, so far, have only attacked Transpace Worlds in a clear attempt to segregate the galaxy — and it’s working. The Siion fleets and our own fleets are stuck fighting the Nanocreatures at Siionleh and Egdonikon with no way of reaching or reinforcing Citan or Dra’kis space, and while the CSA has managed to hold on to the Tau’cen Kii system for now, the situation has significantly deteriorated since you left, and it’s only a matter of days before fleets can no longer safely travel between the Dra’kis World Coalition and the Citan Republic. So, to answer your question, I can only assume that the Nanocreatures would have attacked Neticen eventually — they simply prioritized the Transpace Worlds first.”

“This is great speculation,” Wilkas spoke up impatiently, “but, uh, what’s the actual plan?”

“Watch your tongue, Lieutenant.” The Commander gave the Forcetechnic a reproachful glance. “…But the plan is simple. The reason the Citans are using Neticen is because it’s a high-value target that they hope will lure in Morcii, while also having enough defenses to give us time to react to an attack. But if they want to be sure to lure him in, they have to use what he’s actually looking for… which only we have.”

“Of course…” Kevérin sighed warily. “You mean the Ayas.”

Nikéyin nodded. “That’s exactly it. We have five of the Ayas, including the Master Ayas. Morcii has the other four and has made it clear that he wants the rest. The Citans want to use this fact to lure Morcii in by bringing all of our Ayas to Neticen, which would be sure to draw attention.”

“With the distinct risk of losing them all to Morcii,” Kievkenalis pointed out.

“I don’t get it…” Davídrius scowled. “If havin’ all the Ayas in one place would attract Morcii, then why hasn’t he attacked us yet? As in the Nimalian Territories?”

“Because we don’t have the Ayas in one place,” Nikéyin explained. “The three that I hadn’t authorized for combat use are on a daily planetary rotation — none of them are on the same planet as the others, and none of them remain on a single planet for longer than one day. Presumably, they’re moving enough that they can’t be easily tracked, and that’s why Morcii hasn’t tried to get them yet. The question is whether or not we’re willing to sacrifice this security to go all-in with the CSA on this plan of theirs — and the way I see it, there isn’t any real choice. We have to bet on them.”

“…No choice, huh?” Kevérin sighed again. “I feel like we haven’t had a choice in anything as of late…”

“I should note that my decision is based on my experience alone,” Nikéyin stated, leaning forward in her chair expectantly as she rested her elbows on the briefing room table. “The Nimalian Territories won’t last nearly as long against the Nanocreatures as the CSA has, and at the current rate of CSA loss, there’s no way we’ll be able to whip up any kind of weapon or technological advantage based around the Ayas, so hanging on to them without using them is pointless.” She glanced around at the five present members of Hero Machina as she continued, “however, the five of you have had more experience both with using the Ayas and fighting Morcii than anyone else in this galaxy. I want to hear your opinions and, if you have any, suggestions.”

“…Holy shit, are you countin’ on us to save the galaxy?” Davídrius stared back at Nikéyin, dumbfounded.

“I hesitate to use such, er… hyperbolic language,” Nikéyin responded warily, “…but effectively… maybe.”

“Well, I have one thing to say,” Kevérin commented, “and that’s that we can’t allow the Ayas to simply sit around on Neticen by themselves. The only way to keep them safe from Morcii is to keep them occupied by a Chaos State, and based on our experience back on Tau’cen Dii, the First Tier won’t cut it.”

“But can the Ayas be sensed while they’re occupied by the Chaos State?” Kievkenalis questioned. “I admit I’m not all that great at sensing Ayas myself, but all you can sense from the Chaos State is a massive amount of Chaos Energy. There’s no guarantee that Morcii would be able to tell that the Ayas are on Neticen if someone’s in the Chaos State.”

“So, what, do we just park the Ayas on Neticen until Morcii appears and then have someone use the Chaos State?” Davídrius snorted. “We all know how well that works. Morcii’s too fast; near as I can tell, I’ve been the only one to activate the state faster than he can move.”

“Should you be the one to use the State, then?” Kaoné questioned.

“Uh, no offense, Davídrius, but I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Kevérin stated. “Even the Second Tier was too fast and powerful for any non-Chaos State Chaotic to keep up with, but Morcii was still matching it, mostly. Whoever uses the Chaos State will inevitably end up fighting Morcii on their own, and because of that, I would recommend someone with more offensive power be used to activate the State, to give them even more of an edge.”

“What? I got plenty of offensive power,” Davídrius retorted.

“Yeah, we all know that,” Wilkas snorted.

“Back on topic,” Nikéyin interrupted, and then turned to face the Transfer Captain. “So what, exactly, are you suggesting?”

“…I’m not entirely sure myself,” Kevérin responded with an uneasy frown, “but, if you don’t mind, I’d like to bring up the fact that we don’t actually know much at all about the Chaos State. I mean, Arcán’s told us a lot, but we have no idea how much of what he’s said is true or not. The only way to find out would be to see for ourselves.”

“Are you saying that you want to use this opportunity to test the limits of the Chaos State?”

“Well… yes. I mean, if we have all the Ayas in one place, then why not?”

“Testin’ just sounds like a way for us to get caught with our pants down when Morcii shows up,” Davídrius countered.

Kevérin shook his head. “I disagree. This is a chance to figure out what the actual limits of the Chaos State are. If we know those, then we can fight Morcii more effectively — additionally, if we’re actually testing the State then the Ayas will be out and in and out of the Chaos State, so Morcii will, hopefully, be able to sense them — and then there’s a chance that, when he shows up, someone’s already in the Chaos State and ready to fight him.”

“Do you really think it’s safe?” Nikéyin questioned.

“I mean, yes, there’s definitely some risk involved…” Kevérin shrugged. “But isn’t there already tons of risk all over this plan? I say the more we know about the Chaos State before going into battle with Morcii, the better.”

“What about the, uh, ‘corrupting tendencies’ of the Ayas?” Davídrius refuted, “are we gonna risk usin’ the Dark Ayas with the Chaos State?”

“I think Arcán said once that their influence doesn’t actually apply to the Chaos State,” Kevérin commented, “he said that the State actually heals the Chaotic that uses it, and that it’s an overall boon.”

“Heals them, huh?…”

“I can check with him one more time before we leave, and try to get as much information out of him as possible.” The Transfer Captain turned back to Nikéyin. “Then we can use that information to test the State.”

The Commander nodded once slowly, as if in thought, before glancing toward the other members of Hero Machina. “Do any of you have anything else to add? Any objections?”

“How will we decide who fights Morcii, or who’s the one to ‘test’ the Chaos State?” Davídrius questioned.

“The Citans might be better to ask, but if you have suggestions, come to me later,” Nikéyin replied. “The Ayas will be gathered at an off-world site within the next day; come tomorrow at four hours past noon, I expect you all to be geared up and ready to go. You have until then to rest or do whatever else you need to do here on Nimalia; don’t do anything stupid, because the mission you all are about to embark on is, quite literally, one of the most important missions a Nimalian Commander has ever given out.” She stood up, prompting the members of Hero Machina to do the same. “Good luck to all of you. Dismissed.”

“So you finally decide to visit me, huh?”

“’Finally?’ That, I, uh… I didn’t mean…”

“No, no… it’s fine.” Rebehka shook her head warily before turning back to the double-paned window, on the other side of which sat Kaoné. The window shimmered slightly, the only sign of the energy shielding that covered Rebehka’s entire side. “I don’t blame you at all,” the Cryotechnic continued, “based on what I’ve heard… everyone must be busy.”

“Yeah, but…” Kaoné looked down as she kneaded her fingers uneasily. “I feel bad for just leaving you here…”

“What are you going to do, break me out?” Rebehka replied flippantly, “it’s just military detainment, not prison.”

“That doesn’t sound much better…”

“Look, don’t worry about me, okay? I’m doing just fine. I can’t blame anyone but me for my situation, anyways; it is a pretty bad offense to use the Gate without authorization, and even more, to an unclaimed planet…”

“But Davídrius didn’t get in trouble!”

“He at least acknowledged the enforcement officers before charging through the Gate, and even then, I…” Rebehka pursed her lips and glanced away. “I wasn’t exactly acting with the… technically correct frame of mind, you know? Letting personal feelings get in the way of duty and all that…”

“I know, I know, but… still…”

“Relax, don’t worry about me.” The Cryotechnic forced a smile as she turned back to look Kaoné in the eye. “What about you? How have things been, lately?”

“Uh…” Kaoné looked down again. “…Not good.”

“Ah, right… how bad is it?”

“…Only three of the CSA Transpace Worlds haven’t been attacked, and most of the ones that have, have, well… fallen.”

“To the Nanocreatures?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“We’re about to… well…” Kaoné glanced up at the security camera staring at her from her side of the glass. “…I’m not sure I can tell you that much.”

“What, about your next mission? …That makes sense, I guess.” Rebehka leaned back and rubbed her temples warily. “No one knows if I’m corrupted, so. Yeah. Understandable.”

The Materiatechnic looked back at her friend sheepishly. “Sorry.”

“No no, it’s fine, I understand,” Rebehka responded airily, “so long as you find a way to stop Morcii… so long as you do that, it’ll have been worth it. As long as someone can avenge Siyuakén… it’ll have been worth it.”

“Vengeance?” Kaoné echoed uneasily, “but, she’s… uh, right, yeah. I’ll, uh, I’ll tell Davídrius you said that.”

Rebehka stared at the Materiatechnic as she fidgeted uneasily. “You aren’t telling me something.”

“I, I don’t know if I can—”

“Siyuakén’s still alive, isn’t she.”

Kaoné paused with her mouth half-open before looking down again.

“…Damn it.” Rebehka sighed as she looked around her small room in frustration. “…I should’ve known. I should’ve known that what Davídrius did wasn’t enough…”

“You… you know that she’s corrupted…?”

“It’s the only answer, isn’t it? If she were still alive, and not corrupted, then you wouldn’t have tried to hide it from me. Hell…” The Cryotechnic smirked forlornly. “She definitely would’ve visited me herself.”

Kaoné forced a smile. “Ye…yeah, you’re right.”

Silence ensued for several moments as Rebehka stared at the ceiling and sighed again. “Siyuakén…”

“…”

“Hey, Kaoné… can you do something for me? Tell everyone else, too.”

“…What is it?”

“If you run into Siyuakén again… don’t hold back. Kill her as quickly as possible.”

“What?!”

“She isn’t herself anymore,” Rebehka declared. “…I already tried to save her once, and I almost got both Davídrius and myself killed. And now she’s stuck obeying Morcii… it’s terrible. This whole situation is horrible, and if I’d only seen it sooner…” She shook her head. “It’s what she wants. No one wants to be forced to fight their friends… you know?”

“But that’s what you’re telling us to do, isn’t it?”

“It’s not the same. You aren’t just stopping her from killing her friends, you’re also stopping her from being controlled. If we can’t save her… the only way to help her, is to kill her. It’s the only release.”

“…Are you sure?”

“I’ve had several long weeks of isolation and boredom to think about it, so… yes. Unless something’s changed, but if it hasn’t… please, Kaoné. For Siyuakén’s sake.”

“…If… if it’s really what you want…”

“Thanks.” Rebehka smiled, just as a buzzer went off behind her. “…Looks like our time’s up.”

“Yeah…” Kaoné nodded, standing up as two automatons entered the room behind Rebehka. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of Morcii for sure!”

“Ha, you better,” the Cryotechnic responded. “I’m counting on you, Kaoné. You and all of Hero Machina. Don’t let me down!”

“YOU RETURN AGAIN, TRANSFER CAPTAIN. NO DOUBT IN PURSUIT OF NEW INFORMATION, DESPITE CONSIDERING THAT I HAVE ALREADY TOLD YOU ALL OF MY RELEVANT KNOWLEDGE?”

“You know it,” Kevérin replied as he sat himself in front of Arcán’s console and opened up a variety of logs on his Glasses. “Though part of why I’m here is just to confirm things you’ve already said, or things we’ve found out.”

“YOU ALDREDANOIDS ARE AS THIRSTY FOR KNOWLEDGE AS YOUR ANCESTORS. I SUPPOSE I SHOULDN’T BE SURPRISED… VERY WELL, I SHALL INDULGE YOU ONCE MORE.”

“Good.” Kevérin nodded pleasantly. “Alright, let’s start with the Ayas. Just how powerful are they?”

“LIMITLESS.”

“C’mon, that’s not true. If each Ayas held limitless power then the First Tier Chaos State would’ve been able to crush Morcii.”

“YOU MISCONSTRUE THE POWER OF THE AYAS WITH THE POWER OF THE CHAOS STATE. THE POWER OF EACH VARIES GREATLY BASED ON USAGE, BOTH IN WHO IS USING THEM AND HOW THEY ARE BEING USED. IF I HAVE JUDGED THIS GALAXY CORRECTLY, YOU HAVE YET TO POSSESS THE MEANS TO UNDERSTAND OR EVEN UTILIZE THE FULL POWER OF EACH AYAS INDIVIDUALLY, AND TOGETHER, THEY ONLY TRULY MANIFEST THEIR MAXIMUM POWER POTENTIAL WHEN USED IN THE HIGHER TIER CHAOS STATES.”

“You did say that the final tier could destroy galaxies…”

“AND THAT IS MERELY A POTENTIAL. IN THE HANDS OF THE RIGHT CHAOTIC, THE FINAL TIER COULD DO EVEN MORE… OR LESS.”

“I have a question about Chaos State tiering, actually…” Kevérin paused a moment to read through a couple logs presented by his Glasses. “…When Kevken and I talked with you back on the seventeenth, you said that the final tier could destroy galaxies, the eighth could destroy solar systems, and the fourth could destroy planets. Isn’t that a bit of a jump from the eighth to the final, when there’s only one Ayas to add?”

“WHEN THAT ONE AYAS IS THE AYAS SYN, NO, IT IS NOT. REMEMBER THAT THE AYAS SYN — KNOWN TO YOU AS THE ‘MASTER AYAS’ — IS NOT TREATED IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE OTHER AYAS. TO USE IT WITH THE CHAOS STATE, INSTEAD OF INCLUDING IT IN THE AYAS COUNT, YOU MUST APPEND THE TERM ‘MASTER’ IN BETWEEN ‘TIER’ AND THE ORDINAL NUMBER. FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU HAD FOUR AYAS AND THE MASTER — AS YOU DO — TO USE THEM ALL, YOU WOULD USE THE KEYWORDS ‘CHAOS STATE: MASTER FOURTH TIER.’”

“Yeah, you told me that a month ago. But how much more powerful than the regular Fourth Tier would that be?”

“AS I SAID BEFORE, THERE IS NO EXACT LIMIT ON THE AYAS OR THE CHAOS STATE. BUT WERE I BE FORCED TO QUANTIFY THE VALUE OF THE MASTER KEYWORD, I WOULD APPROXIMATE IT AS BUMPING THE EFFECTIVE POWER OF THE CHAOS STATE UP TWO TIERS. FURTHERMORE, NO MATTER THE TIER IT IS USED AT, THE MASTER KEYWORD GRANTS THE ABILITIES OF UNAIDED FLIGHT AND VACUUM SURVIVAL.”

“Can the Master Ayas be used to engage the Chaos State without any of the other Ayas?”

“IT CAN, IN WHICH CASE YOU WOULD USE THE ORDINAL TERM ‘ZEROTH.’”

“Interesting, interesting…” The Transfer Captain nodded as he quickly took down several notes. “…Alright, another question about the Chaos State. Aside from the power boost, what can it actually do?”

“I ASSUME YOU ASK BEYOND FLIGHT AND VACUUM SURVIVAL?”

“Well, yeah.”

“HMM… …THERE IS AN INSTANT HEALING FACTOR UPON ENGAGING THE STATE, BUT I WOULD NOT COUNT ON SUCH A FACTOR TO SAVE A LIFE. THE STATE ITSELF ALSO INCREASES THE USER’S DURABILITY SUCH THAT THEY CAN WITHSTAND SIMILAR LEVELS OF FORCE TO THAT WHICH THEY ARE OUTPUTTING, AND IT ALSO INCREASES THEIR SPEED AND REACTION TIMES ACCORDINGLY. ASIDE FROM THAT… THERE SHOULD BE NO ADDITIONAL FACTOR TO THE CHAOS STATE.”

“And you think the Chaos State is the key to defeating Morcii?”

“I DO.”

“But, about a month ago…” Kevérin glanced through another log. “…You said that you didn’t know how to stop Morcii.”

“I DO NOT. BUT IN LIEU OF THAT INFORMATION, THE CHAOS STATE IS THE ONLY OPTION.”

“Is it, though? Morcii mentioned something about being ‘anchored’ when he first showed up. And if you don’t even know how to defeat Morcii, then will pure force really be enough?”

“DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE STATE’S POWER. WHILE AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF DEFEATING MORCII MAY BE DESIRABLE, THE RAW POWER OF THE CHAOS STATE SHOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO END HIM. NO ONE CAN SURVIVE HAVING EVERY PARTICLE OF THEIR BEING DESTROYED.”

“I guess that answers that, then, huh.” Kevérin nodded absentmindedly. “Hmm… okay. I have one more question, then.”

“YES?”

“Mystryth explained who the Morikai were — basically, a super-advanced race that appeared out of nowhere and practically destroyed both the Drakkars and the Aldredas before disappearing. Except, Morcii said something about freeing them, and you readily accepted that he was working for them. Is ‘freeing’ them possible? What does that even mean? And what kind of threat do they pose to the galaxy?”

“THESE QUESTIONS ARE DIFFICULT TO ANSWER, IN PART BECAUSE OF HOW LITTLE I KNOW… AND BECAUSE OF THE INFORMATION I HAVE LOST. I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW MORCII PLANS TO FREE THEM, OR WHAT HE MEANS BY THAT, BESIDES REITERATING MY ADVICE TO NOT TAKE HIS CLAIMS AT FACE VALUE. HOWEVER, I CAN SAY THIS: SHOULD THEY RETURN, IT WILL BE THE END OF THE GALAXY AS YOU KNOW IT. THERE WILL BE NO CHANCE TO RESIST, NOT IF YOU CAN BARELY STAND UP TO EVEN THE NANOCREATURES. THE ENTIRE GALAXY WOULD BE CONQUERED WITHIN WEEKS, POSSIBLY EVEN DAYS — AND THAT ESTIMATE INCLUDES THE HUNDREDS OF NON-TRANSPACE SYSTEMS.”

“I guess that’s just more incentive to stop Morcii, then, huh…”

“INDEED IT IS.”

“Right.” Kevérin nodded again as he took some final notes. “Well… I believe that’s it for now. Thanks for all the help, Arcán. Now it’s time to put it all to the test…”

“HMM?”

“The next we speak, we’ll have beaten Morcii.”

“…THAT SOUNDS LIKE A STATEMENT MADE IN UNFOUNDED CONFIDENCE, ALDREDANOID.”

“No, I’d say it’s pretty factual,” the Transfer Captain replied as he stood up from the console and turned toward the exit. “Because, with the mission we’re about to go on… if we don’t defeat Morcii, well. There won’t be a ‘next we speak.’”

“Oh, Wilkas… you’re here.”

“…Hn,” the Forcetechnic grunted, glancing over his shoulder just long enough to identify Kievkenalis before turning his attention back to the valley and Nimaliaka Central below.

The Chaostechnic quietly approached and leaned on the guardrail next to Wilkas atop the roof of the base’s highest tower. He looked out over the sprawling city that was Nimaliaka’s capital, the mountains surrounding it to the south and west, and the vast sea to the east. “…Pretty amazing, huh?”

“Ha,” Wilkas snorted derisively. “There’s not even a half-decent river for kilometers. Only thing here is mountains. No real forest, either. It’s not Riverana at all.”

“Riverana? You weren’t thinking about your home planet or anything?”

The Forcetechnic gave Kievkenalis a level stare before turning away again. “You’re here to talk about Vélunis, aren’t you.”

“What? I— …how did you know?”

“You never ask either of us about our home planet unless you’re trying to start a conversation about the other. Dunno why, either, since that’s a stupid topic to segue from.”

“…I guess.”

Silence followed as the two Chaotics looked out over the city valley.

“…When’s the service?”

“Huh? Oh. Uh…” Kievkenalis sighed. “…Not for another week at least, if he even gets one. Everyone’s busy fighting the Nanocreatures, and as much as I hate to say it, Vélunis is just one of many…”

Wilkas pursed his lips in frustration. “One of many to die, sure. But did you see what was left? His brain was literally splattered against the wall. You think anyone deserves that?”

“No, of course not…”

“At least he didn’t end up like, uh… whatsherface. The girl we were fighting.”

“Siyuakén.”

“Yeah, her. At least he got taken out instead of getting corrupted or whatever that is.”

“…I guess you’re right.” Kievkenalis sighed again as he leaned his head back to look up at the evening sky. “Though I have to say… out of the three of us, I never imagined he’d die first…”

“When he could summon whatever weapon he wanted out of nowhere? Yeah, you’d think. Why the hell did he even go fight in close quarters? That was stupid. And so was going down into the crevice. What the hell were you guys thinking?”

“I know, I know, we screwed up.” Kievkenalis furrowed his brow in frustration. “…We thought we had the upper hand. We thought we could stop Morcii, but apparently… we couldn’t.”

“’Apparently?’”

“Don’t tell me you’re blaming all this on me.”

“No…” Wilkas closed his eyes and sighed irately before looking down at Nimaliaka Central again. “…No. I know it’s not your fault. It’s just… hmph. Morcii needs to pay.”

“Well, that is what we intend to do on Neticen.”

“Yeah, but chances are I won’t be the one who gets to use the Chaos State. I hope I can at least get in a few good shots…”

“Trust me, you aren’t the only one who wants Morcii dead,” Kievkenalis remarked. “…We’ll beat him, one way or another. For Vélunis, for Siyuakén — for everyone. You can count on that.”

Holy fucking shit am I bored.

Christeané stared at the ceiling irately as the morning sun shone through the window in his hospital room. He slowly turned his head toward the clock above the door, grimacing in pain as he caught a glimpse of the time. 8:24… ow, ow, ow… damn it… He pursed his lips as he returned to staring at the ceiling, as he had done each day for the past month.

At least I can move my body now… He wiggled his fingers slightly, but stopped promptly as pain shot up his arms. Now if only the damn pain would go away… gah, I’m going to go fucking insane before I ever recover from this—

The Forcetechnic’s thoughts were interrupted as the door to his room slammed open. He looked up in surprise as Davídrius barged in with a surprisingly amused smirk on his face.

“Davídrius…?” Christeané questioned warily, “what are you doing?”

“Sorry, but we don’t got time to chat,” the Velocitechnic replied as he grabbed a nearby chair and pulled it up next to the hospital bed, taking a seat on it backwards and leaning forward on the chair’s back. “I’ve got a question for ya.”

“…What?”

Davídrius grinned. “How’d you like to kick some Nanocreature ass?”