Zavier's Magic Workshop
The mechanoids line up obediently, waiting to be checked by Zavier, while Nanami hums a tune nearby as she plasters her new frame with all sorts of random stickers.
All done! Everything's working fine! Next time I'll probably get a new electron beam cannon!
Hey there, The Star! Didn't see you there! Are you sure you don't want the new laser visor? It's Zavier's latest special model!
L-laser visor?
Uuuurrrrggghhh—
Oh come on, don't be mad! It's fine if you don't want it... Look! It's just a tiny bit of corruption residue, nothing a quick cleanup won't fix.
And... uh, Cervantes? I see you're hurt. That's perfect, I've been wanting to modify your weapon system for ages—
I'm not hurt. I'm here to see Sage.
Like a ghost, the silver-haired mechanoid stands at the back of the line.
Cervantes? You're back!
Yes, Sage. I headed back to the Church of Machina right after hearing from Arcana.
How are things out there now?
Not good. We haven't figured out the composition of the Red Tide, and I saw streams of them corrupting every piece of land they touched on my way here.
Oh, that's terrible news... But things aren't different down south. Saw the same red muck everywhere I went.
The Red Tide this time is different from how it was before... in that it actively devours everything around it... Ugh.
The workshop door creaks softly as Haicma and Arcana enter.
Haicma! How are the humans doing?
They're temporarily housed on the other side of the Church. The mechanoids don't have clearance to approach them.
According to the humans, the mutated Red Tide has almost completely taken over the outer ruins.
Looks like this place isn't safe anymore, either.
All the mechanoids' gazes converge on Nanami.
If it's not safe here, we might as well find somewhere else to stay for now.
I spent some time near the ARU before. The concentration of the Punishing Virus there isn't very high...
Hey, let's just move the entire Church of Machina!
Nanami's eyes sparkle with excitement as she clenches her fist and hops off the table.
Arcana told me you've got all the starship modification materials ready. How's that coming along?
Of course! All good to go!
Mm-hmm! I can take over Schulz's role in reconstructing the Gray Tower's program with Cervantes' and Haicma's help...
That should do it! Let's take the Church of Machina with us!
Allllright! Time for Zavier to shine!
Following Nanami's command, all mechanoids spring into action and file out of the workshop.
After a prolonged period of fighting and devastation from the virus, the awakened machines have gradually received revelations from Sage.
Slowly, they gather together, acting in secret on Earth as the "Church of Machina".
Sagemachina will return to the Church, guiding us away from this broken earth to the end of stars.
Sagemachina will obtain the key to the Punishing Virus and enter the door it opens.
Back then, the mechanoids used an abandoned starship as the foundation and gradually built upon it
until it became the Church of Machina today.
Under Zavier's direction, the core structure of the Church of Machina has methodically transformed into a flying fortress.
The mutated Red Tide appears to have ceased its active invasions. According to data collected around the Church of Machina, they have become significantly less aggressive lately.
Our brethren have witnessed a humanoid girl rising from within the Red Tide...
Well...
...Sage?
I'm listening. I'm listening...
Nanami hunches over her terminal as she types away.
...Nanami?
Only when she hears displeasure in Arcana's voice does Nanami lift her head from behind her notebook, her pen between her teeth.
Seeing how distracted Nanami clearly is, Arcana decides to put away the data report altogether.
It's about those humans, isn't it?
The situation on Earth grows more dire by the day, Sage.
Humans wage endless wars and seize resources without restraint. Sooner or later, they will come into conflict with mechanoids. Keeping these humans here isn't a wise decision.
When the starship construction began, Nanami told the human refugees at the Church that they would help those who wished to leave to contact the nearest conservation area. Those who wanted to stay could remain and help with the construction.
Some humans, fearful of mechanoids, chose to leave, while others decided to stay.
In a world like this, life would be the same no matter where they went. They didn't want to risk another arduous journey to yet another safe zone.
Hmm... I was just thinking about ways to make life more comfortable for humans aboard the starship...
Nanami stares at the screen with a distant look in her eyes.
Why do you insist on treating humans this way?
A common enemy can unite former foes for a while, but we can't expect an alliance like this to last forever.
That's not true, Arcana.
Struck by an idea, Nanami quickly jots something down in her notebook.
Are you sure all of this will stop disasters from hitting us?
Don't keep asking questions like that, Arcana.
You can ask me that same question as many times as you want, but my answer will always be the same...
Hey, I'm just gonna leave this barrel right here—
Be careful with that! Premium hydraulic oil is hard to come by—!
Who cares about your—Hey! Watch out! Get back!
Ah! I'm sorry.
Hmph.
What's wrong now, Lazer? Didn't Sage just tell you the other day to be nice to humans?
Be nice? When they've already taken a quarter of our people's living space and are clearly looking to grab even more?
Washing those filthy rags, making campfires—campfires! What's the point of having something that can burn you around?
Hey, humans need that to survive, right?
Why should I care? All that water trickling everywhere has already made so many of our little ones rust!
...I'm sorry, we didn't mean to...
Hmph!!
Trailblazer ignores her and quickly walks away, dragging a cart of materials.
Ah, forget it. This isn't going anywhere... Hey! Human over there!
Could you help deliver this cart to The Star? She's inside the Church, reinforcing the interior partitions—
No problem! Leave it to me!
Inside the church, The Star and Aya are working with several semi-awakened machines to move some partition panels.
...Hello, The Star? Zavier asked me to bring these over...
Oh—okay, alright! Can you leave them over there?
The Star, I was just thinking...
Urgh! Uuurrrgghh—!
A Medic Bot crashes in from the side, aggressively forcing The Star and the hooded girl apart.
Ah—Aya! Don't be rude!
S-sorry, Aya didn't mean it...
Uurrrgghh—!
It's okay, I just...
I-I-I...
S-sorry! I-I'm kind of allergic to humans waaaaahhh—
Urgh! Uuurrrgghh—!
Excuse me, I'm... Is this distance okay?
C-can I help you...?
Could you take me to see your leader? It's about... some recent tensions between humans and mechanoids.
They all chose me to help them get in touch with your leader...
Our leader?
Uurrrgghh—!
Ohh... you mean Sage, right?
Well, then you probably have to keep a good distance from me...
Keeping a considerably safe distance, Star sniffles and pitter-patters up to the cabin upstairs.
Knock, knock, knock—
Come in!
Sage—
Having clearly exhausted all her courage in guiding the human girl here, The Star, with tears in her eyes, scurries behind Nanami for protection.
I apologize for the intrusion, but... I was hoping to meet the owner of this starship.
Strictly speaking, I'm not the owner... But what can I help you with?
I'm here to apologize.
Apologize? For what?
I mean... we understand that, as humans, we might be causing mechanoids to feel uncomfortable in many ways...
For instance, some water droplets from our laundry fell onto passing mechanoids just the other day, and their joints started to rust without immediate maintenance.
I did urge the others to leave the starship when they need to use water, but I'm sure there are more issues than meets the eye...
And some people don't even treat Aya as their equal! They just order Aya around without so much as a thank you!
I'm sorry, but many of them still don't understand what mechanoids really are...
Do allow me to apologize to Aya on their behalf.
The human girl bows deeply to the small mechanoid.
We escaped from the conservation area closest to the mutated Red Tide.
Most of us are elderly and children. All the able-bodied adults have left, which has left just a few of us to take care of them.
After some minor conflicts, our leader gathered all the able-bodied adults and claimed they couldn't coexist with these "strange-looking" mechanoids. They left this place—and they left all the injured, elderly, and children behind too.
We'll try not to be too much trouble, but the elderly and the kids... They can't endure any more hardship...
She turns around and bows deeply to Nanami once again.
Thank you for taking us in. I came here to apologize. If there's anything we can help with, please let me know, and I'll make the arrangements.
Hey, we're totally cool! Nanami honestly didn't expect things to turn out this way...
Mechanoids and humans are different by nature. It would have been strange had they gotten along right off the bat.
If you have any concerns later on, you can come to me or Haicma... Oh, look! There she is! Haicma—!
A hooded female mechanoid quietly enters from behind the door.
...Thank you.
The human girl, who has been tense all this time, finally breathes a sigh of relief.
Also... this is for you, from Kacy.
The human girl reaches into her pocket and takes out a small, gleaming stone, apparently having gone through intense polishing.
Kacy?
Kacy... is the little girl you helped before.
She wanted to give you her "star." She spent a long time polishing it to make it just right.
Woah, please do thank her for me!
Nanami happily accepts this small but precious gift.
I'll take my leave then. My name is Berna, and please feel free to come to me if you need anything.
Berna bows to Nanami one last time before leaving the room.
See? That's why.
...
You can ask me why I treat humanity this way as many times as you want, but my answer will always be the same...
Nanami was born from love, so it only makes sense to me to give that love back to humanity.
I don't understand complicated philosophies. Nanami's way of thinking is simple—I'll be kind to those who are kind to me.
Humans have warred with humans, and mechanoids will have conflicts with mechanoids. Does that mean we should eliminate those who might disagree with us just because conflicts might arise in the future?
It's the same now—Nanami won't stop helping humans just because there might be wars in the future, and Nanami won't give up on the hope we have now just because disasters might come later.
Nanami will lead the mechanoid brethren through this catastrophe, and <phonetic=I>Nanami</phonetic> won't give up on saving <phonetic=Nanami>Commandant</phonetic> or finding a new singularity.
The central screen bathes the room in a soft, ethereal glow as Nanami presses the final key.
All done! Finished reconstructing the Gray Tower's core control system. Oh, and I took the liberty of cleaning out those backdoors Schulz left behind. You're welcome!
She casually picks up the starship's blueprints and resumes her scribbling of notes and sketches.
Amidst the bustling commotion, the starship gradually takes shape.
Though minor friction between humans and mechanoids persists, everything seems to be going in a positive direction.
Outside the starship, Zavier directs a group of humans and mechanoids as they work together to raise a set of pillars.
By the window sits Nanami, wearing an unusually dejected expression on her face.
Sage... Nanami?
Detecting emotional fluctuations in Nanami's readings...
Alright, alright.
I am feeling a little upset.
You never wanted to leave Earth. But now...
Why did you start overseeing the starship's construction, and why are you now installing space-worthy materials to it?
...
With her smile quietly disappearing, Nanami now looks obviously dejected.
Nanami never wanted to build the starship, and Nanami never wanted to lead our people away from Earth.
But...
Her finger traces lightly across the porthole. Outside, Zavier gestures enthusiastically as he directs the work with Spooner, who has finally returned to help with the starship's construction.
The mutated Red Tide has bred a new "will"... The girl rising from the Red Tide.
I believe you mentioned her before. Cradle, if my memory serves me correctly?
No, not her... This one... I can't even be sure if it's really something born out of the Red Tide.
I first saw her near the Hetero Tower. I suspect she might have escaped from there, but when I looked into the future, I...
I tried to focus my predictions around Commandant, but I couldn't see anything more.
Never, never, never have I seen this "will." I've never encountered her.
Countless absurd "futures" intertwine, mocking her powerlessness.
Something must have happened to <phonetic=Nanami>Commandant</phonetic>, but <phonetic=I>Nanami</phonetic> doesn't know how to help <phonetic=Nanami>Commandant</phonetic>.
Starfarer's frame was almost completely wrecked. She went through the bizarre tower again and again but never found traces of the commandant.
Upon returning to the Church of Machina, she saw that the mutated Red Tide had nearly submerged all the surrounding land. With no choice left, she decided to modify the starship—hoping to at least evacuate everyone from this dangerous place.
Gravity grows stronger as the countdown keeps ticking away.
Nanami doesn't want to leave Earth... but what else can Nanami do?
She furrows her brow in confusion.
...
Unable to calculate an answer, Haicma quietly places her hand on Nanami's shoulder.
What if we eliminate... that "will" within the Red Tide?
You've set out many times to chase the Red Tide... Have you found that "will"?
No, not yet.
She always seems to be in a daze and just move with the ebb and flow of the mutated Red Tide.
Sometimes she vanishes without a trace, and sometimes she unconsciously follows the mutated Red Tide as it invades the conservation areas around...
According to previous analysis, the Red Tide devours humans and mechanoids for sustenance. Would your actions be interpreted by that "will" as a declaration of war against her?
I'm worried about your safety.
...
There's nothing to worry about, Haicma.
Nanami nimbly hops off the window and lands before Haicma.
That is when Haicma notices that Nanami seems to have grown a few centimeters taller...
There is a momentary pause in Haicma's programming.
She knows well that all of this happened gradually through frame iterations—she even witnessed Nanami's frame modifications in their entirety, but... she still cannot shake this strange feeling.
...When did Nanami grow so tall?
Nanami is invincible! Don't worry, and don't be afraid of what's happening.
The mechanoids will be fine, and so will the humans.
The knight will clear away everything that stands in the way. The dragon will be defeated, and everything that belongs to us will eventually come back to us.
Nanami might not know what to do now... but Nanami is not a kid anymore! I know I'll definitely be able to figure something out!
She awkwardly pats Haicma on the shoulder.
This is meant to be a "comforting" gesture.
Thanks to Zavier's long-term secret modifications to the Church of Machina's internal systems, starting up the starship takes less time than previously thought.
...Hey, human, step back! These materials are corrosive—humans can't touch them. Let me handle this.
Oh, is that so? Ahaha, I missed this morning's safety briefing... Thanks for looking out for me!
Hmph.
Without refusing the human's gratitude, Trailblazer hoists up the materials from the ground and strides away with a swagger.
Urgh—!
Hey, Trailblazer, you're stepping on Aya—
What's she doing here—oh, Zavier's calling me. I'll just drop these materials off with him and be right back—
Oh n-no, this was Aya's favorite part... And Zavier's too busy to help these days...
May I help?
Huh... Wait, what?
I've been teaching myself mechanical maintenance lately. Maybe I could give it a try...
With lingering doubt, The Star takes a few steps back. She watches as Berna pulls out tools from her pocket and begins tinkering away.
Rrrgghh...
It's... actually fixed?
Urgh!
As long as Aya is happy... Thank you, Berna.
...Don't mention it. If you need anything else, feel free to ask me anytime.
As the starship's reconstruction nears completion, Nanami makes several trips outside to rescue numerous mechanoids and wandering humans who are approaching their coordinates.
Perhaps drawn by the growing concentration of life forms nearby, the mutated Red Tide surges forth, gradually closing in on their position.
...
She frowns, sensing the flow of energy beyond the porthole.
The concentration of the Punishing Virus... Something's off...
...
The crimson girl slowly opens her eyes in a city the Red Tide has corrupted.
