"Giant Whale" is the twenty first Story chapter of Goddess of Victory: Nikke.
The story is about the Protagonist and Counters squad who must capture a giant Tyrant-class Rapture known as "Mother Whale" in order to synthesize Vapaus.
Synopsis[]
The protagonist is blessed to learn that his very blood is the key to his goal of freeing the Nikkes of the Ark. Save for the small detail of needing to kill a Tyrant-class Rapture in order to get the material to forge the bullets...
Whale in the Sky: A[]
Counters looks into the sky as they see their target, which at this distance is little more than a whale-like speck. Anis asks the protagonist the plan, then asks him to clarify how they're going to bring down the target. Neon and Rapi report that they lack the ability to engage targets at the altitude theirs is flying at.
While the protagonist mulls over the how of the plan, Neon realizes she doesn't actually know what their target is. Rapi explains that it's a Tyrant-class transport Rapture dating back to the First Invasion, codename "Mother Whale". The Commando squad discusses various matters for a time, mostly pertaining to Mother Whale's existence and how many of them may still exist in the skies of the surface...
Eventually, the conversation turns back to how and why the protagonist intends to bring it down. The entire point of this journey was to find Vapaus and bring it back to the Ark, even though Neon recalls the one bullet they had was wasted on "that big red meanie." So what are they doing hunting down an old relic of a Rapture that's nowhere near a threat to anyone? The protagonist goes silent as he has a flashback...
Two days prior in Eden, the protagonist asked Cecil if she knew of a way to infuse his blood into bullets loaded with Vapaus, as he was of the Rh X blood type that's the basis of the substance. The scientist told him it was theoretically possible, but warned him that once he did so, he'd open a door he could never close again. He would be hounded day and night by people who would seek to acquire Vapaus from him. It would be one thing if he never used the Vapaus or wasn't aligned with the Ark, but he planned for the former, and was of the latter.
Despite Cecil's dissuasion attempts, the protagonist remained resolute. The scientist sighed, and decided that if nothing else, she would relish the opportunity to create a Vapaus bullet. However, she told the man that he'd need something else if he wanted his bullets. A Rapture by the name of Mother Whale...
Back in the present, the protagonist snaps out of his flashback and simply bids Counters to follow him, promising to explain later. The squad sighs at the secrecy, but obliges. Of course, he still hasn't explained how he'll bring down Mother Whale, to which he answers that the key lies in meeting Johan, who's waiting up ahead. Anis wonders where Dorothy and Papillon are, and is exasperated to hear the latter is ostensibly down with a "cold".
Harran appears from nowhere and comments that Dorothy is probably tired after the Nihilister debacle. Rapi expresses her concern about what may occur if two connivers remain in close proximity to each other, but the witch of Inherit assures them that those two are at an impasse, and neither will be going anywhere...
Whale in the Sky: B[]
Back in Eden, Cecil explained to the protagonist that she previously tried using his blood to make Vapaus-infused gear, such as bullets or armor. Sadly, they all failed as Vapaus' components disintegrated in contact with metal for reasons unknown. Conventional materials, Goddessium, Rapture parts, she threw everything at the wall and none of it stuck. The best she could manage were Vapaus-less bullets containing the protagonist's blood, the use of which is...questionable. In short, Vapaus bullets couldn't be made, at least not with anything readily-sourced. This came as a surprise to the protagonist, given how he'd run the last bullet he had through a scanner, which indicated that bullet was otherwise ordinary aside from the Vapaus.[1]
Cecil concluded that he used a military-grade scanner, which can only read materials the military uses. In other words, the Vapaus bullets use nonstandard materials that the military doesn't. Cecil even noted that the main component wasn't something that's really "used", and at the protagonist's insistence, revealed it to him. The main component of Vapaus bullets...is human cells.
At the time, Cecil only had a theory. So to test that theory, she infused the protagonist's blood with human cells. The end result was something that contained Vapaus, but could only charitably be called a "bullet". As for where she got the human cells from...she used her own, and teasingly asked the protagonist if he wanted to know which part of her body she got the cells from, though he declined an answer...
Getting back on topic, Cecil explained that this "bullet" was pretty much worthless for its intended purpose. The "bullet" was so weak that the simple act of firing it out of a gun would destroy it. Even if reinforced with materials like plastics, such a bullet would fail to even punch a hole in an ordinary Nikke, let alone a Heretic. So she needed Mother Whale. As for how Mother Whale tied into this...
Cecil explained that back in the First Invasion, Raptures did not have semi-permanent power sources like they do now. They had batteries that needed to be recharged on a regular basis. And the fuel they used for that...was organic material. In other words, humans and other animals...
New Hope: A[]
The protagonist was in disbelief at the idea of Raptures using humans as fuel, but Cecil asserted that was how things were. Though the initial stages of the invasion were ruthless and left nothing standing, at some point Raptures shifted their priority towards capturing humans, presumably to use as a fuel source. It can also be presumed that the process was incredibly unpleasant and fatal to the humans involved.
Cecil noted that there was one upside to this whole man-eating Raptures debacle. Shortly after mankind holed up in the Ark, the Raptures switched to their current power sources, which don't use people as fuel. Whether due to scarcity of "ingredients" or efficiency, the Raptures ceased their human biofuel operations rather quickly. In fact, the whole affair was only about 10 years in length, which while horrible, was an eyeblink when considering the century that passed since humanity's defeat. No modern Raptures ever exhibited the same power sources or behavior as those of long ago, and even the holdovers of that era will soon run out of reserve power and shut down.
All this tied into the urgency to acquire a Mother Whale specimen ASAP. While the Tyrant had a reputation for fuel efficiency, the fact remained it was a holdover of the earliest days of the war. It's power was not infinite, and it would have had to come down to the surface to refuel. That meant a chance for human cells to be present within Mother Whale's core. Cecil simplified the explanation for the protagonist; he gets her Mother Whale's core, she makes him Vapaus bullets.
Back in the presence, Rapi snaps the protagonist out of his fugue. Counters assures the man that if he has a secret, he is not obligated to disclose it to them. The squad banters a little longer about the early days, before Rapi reports they're nearing the rendezvous point...
New Hope: B[]
Johan notes the Counters' early arrival, and is about to set off, only to pause as the protagonist talks formally and...calls him "Big J"? The Inherit commander seems to have a mild conniption at that nickname and expresses his distaste for it. Anis and Neon pipe curiously about this sudden bout of familiarity on the protagonist's part. He reveals that Johan is apparently very famous in the military academy as the top graduate of his class, touted as the second coming of the Legendary Commander. He's even credited as the pioneer for the guerilla tactics taught at the academy. Rapi perks up at the mention of "guerilla tactics" and freezes as she realizes. Johan is the commander once exalted by the Ark as "New Hope".
Joan seems disgruntled at being reminded of his old reputation. Anis breaks into a fangirling spree as she asks the man for his autograph. Neon seems unfamiliar with New Hope's legend, but upon hearing that he's a senior to her "Master" (the protagonist), asks to call him "Mega Master". Even Rapi, silent as she is, can't seem to hide her adulation at seeing such a renowned figure in the flesh. Johan finally manages to find his voice again, bitingly telling everyone to shut up, and that calling him by any nickname is now prohibited. Hearing Neon continue to suggest nicknames, he decides the self-proclaimed spy's talking privileges will be revoked, much to her dismay.
Inherit tells Johan it's all harmless respect on Counters' part, though it's unclear how much of it is genuine and how much of it is a joke at their commander's expense. Johan suddenly turns serious as his eyes and voice turn stony, muttering about how his all of his accomplishments as New Hope, as a soldier for humanity, are now nothing more than dust. He claims such a person is unworthy of anyone's respect...
After getting over that, Rapi notes that Johan doesn't seem to fit the profile of New Hope, given how that man participated in the Second Surface Reclamation Campaign. A war that occurred 60 years ago from now. New Hope is also recorded as charged with treason and imprisoned in a rehabilitation center, where he died of gunshot wounds during an escape attempt. Johan scoffs at the idea of "official records" of the Central Government containing something so "inconvenient" as the truth. While disinclined to explain the minutia, Johan affirms that he is New Hope, and no one can take that away from him. The Eden commander then strides on ahead, leaving Anis and Neon to realize he called himself "New Hope" after banning that with the other nicknames.
The protagonist wonders where they're going, which Harran explains is just a matter of following Inherit. Anis is skeptical of another test incoming, but the witch assures that is not the case. Counters and their commander have already passed Eden's trial, and fought beside them against a common foe. They are guests and allies of Eden, though Noah seems to snort at the last bit, calling the Ark squad nothing more than Inherit's "backup". The shield-bearer's goading remarks seem to strike a nerve with Anis, who asks if she wants to tussle without any weapons. Intimidated Uninterested in "sparring with weaklings", Noah runs away tromps ahead.
Harran notices something about Isabel, and asks what's bothering her. The flier seems to be in a bit of a frenzy, muttering about how much she wants to soak in the presence of her "darling" as she levels bedroom eyes an intense gaze towards the protagonist, much to his discomfort. Harran decides she's free to do so, and that Johan doesn't really care what she gets up to in her spare time. With no further compunctions, Isabel wastes no time sidling up to the protagonist and fawning over him. Even when he declines her offer to carry him, the yandere flier remains behind him to "guard" the rear, even though at her distance (close enough that he can hear and feel every pant and sigh that exits her lips), it seems any rear-watching Isabel does is going to be his won't be too productive...
First Encounter with a Colleague: A[]
Meeting with Johan, the protagonist sees a massive gun mounted on a turret base. Johan explains this anti-aircraft gun was used back in the Second Surface Reclamation Campaign. A behemoth that was made in the Ark, disassembled, then shipped to the front. Putting it back together required two months. While not read in or caring about the details, Johan asserts that these guns are indispensable for hunting Mother Whale.
Anis snarks at how old the gun is, and asks New Hope Johan if it even works. He denies it, and comments that it will need repairs before it can fire. The squad doesn't have anyone with technical skills, but rather than do something like call Mighty Tools, Johan claims...they'll fix it themselves? First things first, they need to clear out the Raptures barring the path to the gun.
First Encounter with a Colleague: B[]
Coming up to the gun, Johan explains that while he does have the knowledge to repair the gun, he will not be the one to actually perform the repairs. That task is being left to the protagonist while he provides instructions. The Nikkes of Counters volunteer their support, only for Johan to issue a standby order. The Nikkes will only be called on for tasks that are literally impossible for a human. Everything else, the protagonist can only rely on his elbow grease and learning ability to get the job done. Though Anis argues that it's inefficient to have just one human work on a gun this big, the protagonist agrees to it without complaint, asking Counters to do what Johan says. Catching a wrench that New Hope the Eden commander lobs at him, the protagonist quickly goes to work...
Two hours later, the work continues apace. As he said he would, Johan is instructing the protagonist on how to repair the gun, offering advice and pointing out mistakes in the process. After another hour passes, Johan appears satisfied with the protagonist's learning, electing to watch as the latter finishes the last repairs. Yet another hour later, Johan approves of the repairs to the outer parts of the gun, moving on to the internals and circuitry...
Anis yawns as she bemoans how boring it is to stand around and do nothing but guard. Neon seems uncharacteristically quiet, which causes Anis to worry...until she finds that the self-proclaimed spy has fallen asleep standing. Upon hearing that not even Rapi can tell when the repairs will finish, anis begins groaning aloud. Her hollering about boredom elicits a chiding from Harran, who asks her what she sees when she looks at the protagonist and Johan. To Anis, it looks like an overbearing dad and a suffering son. To Harran, though, it looks like two kindred spirits who are excited to meet but uncertain how to process this encounter...
After another hour, Johan confirms the repairs are complete before they proceed to the next. He reveals that this cannon is but one of three they'll need to hunt Mother Whale. Meaning the protagonist has to do this whole thing two more times.
Secret and Truth: A[]
Along the way to the second cannon, the protagonist asks Johan what they're doing while Nihilister is still out there. Johan grumbles that even with Vapaus, they failed to neutralize the Fire Dragon permanently. On the upside, the damage she sustained in combat should keep her laying low for the time being while she recuperates. Moreover, with the flight speeds that Nihilister's armor can achieve, any attempts to track her movements, let alone pursue her, would end in failure.
That's not to say that helping the protagonist with Mother Whale is simply to kill time. As a cargo hauler first and foremost, Mother Whale's armament is rudimentary, especially for Tyrants. Bringing that thing down would be a major boon of resources. Resources that could be put to use for Eden. Johan explains that Eden's architecture is composed primarily of parts and technology derived from Raptures. Mother Whale's supplies and salvage would go a long way in keeping Eden running in tip-top shape. The protagonist is amazed to hear Eden's design and construction are largely credited to Cecil, and Johan admits he too is impressed. Cecil herself decides now is an appropriate time to chime in via comms, fishing for some extra praise from the two commanders. Johan instead asks about something he requested, which Cecil reports will be finished by the time the cannons are all repaired. According to Johan, it's a "bullet" that will serve them well in hunting Mother Whale.
Hearing that, the protagonist asks Johan if he really isn't curious about his motives to hunt Mother Whale. The New Hope Eden commander reveals that while not having the full picture, he deduced that it had something to do with Vapaus. He takes this moment to advise the protagonist to learn to be a little more sneaky, especially if he's going to stay in a foxhole like the Ark.
All this talk of Vapaus reminds Johan of something else he wanted to ask. It regards how the protagonist used Vapaus to return a Heretic to the side of humanity.[2] The protagonist reveals that he missed with that bullet, which sounds a little too convenient to Johan, given how reports indicate the Heretic's immobilization by Vapaus. Fortunately, Cecil manages to cover for the protagonist, fabricating an observation that Vapaus may exhibit different effect depending on various factors. With that in mind, and knowing that the Heretics are composed of nanomachines, Johan (mistakenly?) concludes that the Vapaus bullet attained from the research center was a lower-grade product.
With this knowledge in mind, Johan makes his plans to the protagonist clear. If the Vapaus acquired from felling Mother Whale is better than the bullet they used against Nihilister, he will take it himself. If not, then he will leave it be. The protagonist asserts that nothing short of death would make him relinquish the Vapaus. Both Johan and Cecil seem to hope things will not escalate in that direction...
Secret and Truth: B[]
Cecil opens a private line to the protagonist so they can discuss. He bluntly asks if the scientist revealed his blood to Johan, though she denies such. If she did tell Johan, the Eden commander would've wasted no time popping him open like a juice box full of Vapaus. That would serve no one's purpose, least of all hers. In fact, keeping his blood a secret gives him a chance to make a deal with Johan...
Cecil explains that they'll extract as much blood as possible. Paired with Mother Whale's core, they'll have the material to make two Vapaus bullets. The scientist assures that she's run the calculations multiple times to ensure the results would be accurate. She also assures the protagonist that the process will be safe and nonlethal. With the blood and the core, two Vapaus bullets can be made, some or all can be given to Johan, and more will be made over the course of several months. While they've no data on what a Vapaus bullet made with the protagonist's blood will do, Cecil is confident that even having the bullets at all will allow him to strike a bargain.
Cecil assures this is not deceiving Johan. Merely...omitting certain details he is not required to know. All things aside, Cecil agrees with points made both by the protagonist and by Johan. Both killing Heretics and freeing Nikkes are appealing outcomes to her, as she sees both Heretics and NIMPH as equal threats. Cecil tables further discussion as the protagonist is about to arrive at the second cannon, and closes the line.
A Commander's Responsibility[]
Cecil reports the second cannon will not require much repairs, though Counters seems to chafe as Johan issues another standby order. Anis questions the point of making one human do all the work when he has so many Nikkes around, but Rapi seems of a different mindset. The Counters leader posits that Johan is doing this so the protagonist can learn and develop new skills, which will increase his field capabilities slightly. Even the most seemingly random and useless ability might come in handy someday. Johan interjects with a clarification; doing this will pose a massive expansion to the protagonist's abilities.
Johan explains that the Second Surface Reclamation Campaign boasted a resource use 100 times greater than the previous. Not just because there were more Nikkes, but more weapons were made and deployed. Following the failure of the campaign, most of those weapons were abandoned on the surface, left to lay fallow in their positions. Despite some being damaged beyond the point of saving, many platforms can still be reactivated after some repairs. Anis wondered about the efficacy of decades-old weaponry in taking down Raptures, to which Johan decides to clarify again.
A commander's responsibility is not to personally defeat Raptures. Their role is to use anything and everything to assist their Nikkes in defeating Raptures. Even something as basic as watching the Raptures for weaknesses and openings can improve the tide of battle. While Anis concedes the point, Johan turns to the protagonist and offers him some advice. The New Hope Eden commander urges him to never stop thinking and analyzing, training his mind to quickly and calmly judge the situation. Expanding one's skillset also expands their sense of judgement. Anyone can kick back and brainlessly throw Nikkes into the meatgrinder. A commander is supposed to command.
Johan accepts the protagonist's acknowledgement, and declares that they'll carry on once the second cannon is repaired.
Value of Treachery[]
With the second cannon fixed, Johan comments on a hunger pang that's hitting him right now. The protagonist offers some rations, but the New Hope Eden commander instead decides this is a good opportunity to show his junior the other commander how to forage for food on the surface. Watching the two head off, Anis comments on how jovial the atmosphere seems. Isabel muses that this is the first time she's seen this kind of behavior from Johan. Anis ponders on the questionable safety of letting both their commanders go off on their own, but Isabel assures that Johan can handle most anything that comes his way. Having a moment to themselves, Anis decides now is the appropriate time to ask some questions she has. Mainly, do any of the Pilgrims have an interest in returning to the Ark?
As one, Inherit's expressions turn stormy. Noah doesn't even make a snarky comment, opting for a flat look towards the Tetra Nikke. Anis snarks that she must've cast a silence spell for Inherit to suddenly cease talking, prompting Neon to briefly act like an idiot try to cast the "spell" herself. Isabel decides to speak for everyone and makes it clear she and the others despise the Ark, and politely requests that the place not be mentioned. The flier refuses to elaborate despite Anis' pestering, merely stating that everyone in Eden, even Johan and Cecil, are sickened by the Ark and refuse to entertain the notion of going back. Harran decides to step in, and while she doesn't elaborate, she reveals that everyone who fled to Eden is someone who was betrayed by the Ark...
Anis insensitively ponders on that reasoning for the Akr being a taboo topic. She wonders if there exists anyone who hasn't been shafted by the Ark and its society in some fashion. Harran simply notes that emotional impact is largely subjective. What Anis sees as no big deal might have been earth-shattering to someone else, and to those of Eden, what the Ark did to them was unforgivable. Finally getting her foot out of her mouth reading the room, Anis backs off and apologizes for her insensitivity. Isabel accepts and makes her own apology for overreacting. With the air cleared, Neon decides to ask one of her own questions, mainly about Eden's relationship to other Pilgrims, such as Pioneer...
Inherit's faces turn just as stormy as when Anis asked about the Ark, prompting a reversal of Anis and Neon's previous situation. Still looking quite bothered, Isabel explains that...the other Pilgrims have previously been guests of Eden. But due to ideological differences, it was deemed that fully-amicable relations were impossible, and they decided to go their separate ways. Rapi pondered on what differences could've caused a schism between the Pilgrims. Isabel doesn't specify, but explains that...they both wanted the same things, but couldn't agree on how they would attain them. Accepting the answer, Rapi notes the return of their commanders and urges everyone to proceed.
Time Bomb in Brains: A[]
With the last cannon in spitting distance, Cecil reports that the "bullets" are ready. Johan orders Inherit to split up and standby near each of the cannons. Noah seems to balk at the idea of going to Cannon No. 1 all by herself, so Isabel volunteers to go instead after she ferries the ammunition. Isabel stops to soothe Noah and bid "Darling" farewell, before flying off at Johan's command.
While Harran is assigned to Cannon No. 2, Johan tells the protagonist to fix Cannon No. 3 while he confirms Mother Whale's flight path. Anis mentally sputters at how Johan is just going off without explaining the plan. The Eden commander saddles the protagonist with the briefing, even though he also hasn't been read in on the plan. Sighing, Johan bids the protagonist look at the three cannons and their positions, and extrapolate the plan from there.
The protagonist's answer of using the cannons to shoot down Mother Whale elicits a glare from Johan. After several moments of hot-cold guessing based on New Hope's the senior commander's expression (much to Anis' annoyance), the protagonist finally arrives at the plan. These "cannons" are in fact hookshots, meant to pin Mother Whale and bring it crashing to the ground. Even if that doesn't happen, the lines should be able to pull it low enough to target with conventional weaponry and with any luck, finish it off.
Johan commends the protagonist with a satisfied expression. He explains that Mother Whale maintains a fixed flight route, and based on his calculations, the Tyrant will fly right into shooting distance of all three cannons soon. With that, the protagonist's task becomes clear. He has less than two hours to repair the final cannon, or they'll miss their window to hit Mother Whale. With the clock ticking, Johan urges him to hurry...
Time Bomb in Brains: B[]
An hour later, Isabel reports the completion of ammo delivery. The "bullets" for these cannons are more like arrowheads on the ends of thick wire bundles. The yandere flier goes into a small tizzy as the protagonist commends her for a job well done, Anis quietly snarking that Johan did the same mere seconds prior. As Inherit's recon specialist flies off again, Johan tasks the Nikkes of Counters with loading the ammo, who're eager to finally get up and do something after standing around for the past hour. Johan tells the protagonist to take a break in the meantime, as this task is one that demands more brute force than technical precision.
With Johan and the Nikkes busy with the ammo, Cecil reopens the private line to continue their previous conversation, which ended off on Cecil's palpable distaste for NIMPH. The protagonist's confusion regarding NIMPH's dangers prompts Cecil to groan that he too is unaware. The scientist explains how NIMPH is injected into very would-be Nikke's brain, making a backup copy of human memories. Then a majority of those memories are erased, replaced by the information preinstalled in the NIMPH. Despite that, Nikkes retain a number of holdovers from their human life, such as personality, preferences, even some memories, with the latter ranging from one moment to entire years. There are even some cases where Nikkes remember everything. It's been proven and restated over and over again that NIMPH is inconsistent, unstable even, when it comes to information processing in a Nikke. Even the code embedded into the NIMPH is unstable. Said code includes a "prime directive" that's supposed to prevent Nikkes from harming humans, but the protagonist has seen (and experienced) firsthand just how "binding" that "prime directive" is.
The protagonist pauses as he recalls how every Nikke he's met has been different in some fashion. Cecil explains that NIMPH's inconsistency is the reason for that, though as far as force goes, she's yet to find a case where a Nikke could deliberately take actions that will directly kill a human. Taking that into account, while there's no proof of an overarching "will" to NIMPH, it is possible for NIMPH's functions and limits to be "modified" or "overridden" by an individual Nikke. If the same input can have wildly different outputs, then NIMPH cannot be considered stable by most metrics, least of all Cecil's.
Seeing the protagonist's continued confusion, Cecil tries a metaphor. Say that she has a bicycle. She can freely swap out parts for the tires and the light to change and improve it however she wants or needs because she has the knowledge of how they operate. But if the seat is broken, she cannot repair or replace it. Despite conceptually understanding a bicycle and what parts compose it, she lacks in-depth knowledge of every single part of the bicycle. NIMPH is basically the same thing.
The protagonist wonders why no one seems to comprehend NIMPH, to which Cecil admits they just don't know. There's no information about NIMPH's composition, its origins, its creator, its internal mechanisms, possible side effects. No living memory or record of any of those things exists. Going back to the bicycle metaphor, Cecil could copy-paste simple fixes and make small modifications, but if she wants anything more involved than that, she can't do anything. That applies to all of humanity, as NIMPH is in the brains of essentially every Nikke ever made.
The protagonist's silence tells Cecil he too is understanding the terrible implications of what she's saying. They know next to nothing about NIMPH, but humans eschew triyng to uncover its secrets or replace it because NIMPH is "convenient" and readily available. She compares it to putting a "ticking time bomb" in people's brains, and that their excessive use of it may extract a terrible price down the line. In that sense, both she and Johan are actually onboard with the idea of de-NIMPH-ing all the Nikkes. The latter of the two just puts other things as higher priority compared to that.
The protagonist asks Cecil why she's telling him this. The scientist states she wanted to let him know that there are in fact people who agree with what he's trying to do. Even if their motives are different, they too believe that NIMPH is something that has to go. Seeing that the others are almost finshed loading the cannons, Cecil leaves a final suggestion for the protagonist to try and reach a compromise with Johan after he has the Vapaus. They both want to use it to change the world for the better. That doesn't mean they have to butt heads over it...
With the loading completed, Rapi asks Johan if these cannons were exclusively made for Mother Whale. They weren't, but were modified to do so. Johan makes it clear to the Counters leader that Eden has their own reasons to down Mother Whale, but will not disclose them. He turns to Noah and orders her to wait at this cannon for the firing signal, her defensive abilities making her able to hold her own should the situation demand. Seeing Noah continue to be reticent and whiny, Johan nearly breaks into a temper about insubordination before Neon volunteers to remain as well. With a plan established to rendezvous once all three anchors are fired, the protagonist orders Neon to say here with Noah while the others take their positions, despite warnings from both Rapi and Anis that things may not go as planned...
Aim for the Sky: A[]
Arriving at the rendezvous point, Johan passes the protagonist a flare gun, leaving it to him to commence the operation when Mother Whale passes the ideal spot. The New Hope Eden commander confidently assures the protagonist he has the skills to do it, but if he's still feeling nervous, he can always teach him the quadratic equation to calculate the Tyrant's position. Class is cut short as Cecil reports Mother Whale's imminent arrival.
The protagonist's ears are assaulted by a loud droning roar, and the rendezvous point is suddenly bathed in shadow. Mother Whale is just so enormous that even from that high up, its girth is blotting the sun entirely. The protagonist fires the flare gun right as Cecil reports its presence in the convergence point.
One hook finds purchase in Mother Whale's hide, then another. A moment of tension ensues as Cannon No. 3 (where Neon and Noah are stationed) is late on firing. Fortunately, Cecil reports the hook en route, and it slams right into Mother Whale's underbelly. With Mother Whale fully hooked, Cecil retracts the lines to drag the Tyrant down to earth. The protagonist is struck by how massive the Mother Whale truly is as it descends. Even a Rapture can cut a majestic figure, it seems...
Eventually, the wires all shudder to a stop as Mother Whale refuses to fall any further. In fact, Cecil reports that the Tyrant is activating a reverse injection system to fight the pull of the anchors. With Mother Whale still out of gun range, Johan suggests patching through to Isabel so she can intercept and bring it lower. Sadly, that's rendered a non-option as a rear hatch opens on Mother Whale. Judging by the sheer tidal wave of Raptures plunging down from the beast's belly, it would seem the Mother Whale plans to destroy them, the cannons hooking it, or both. Cecil warns everyone to get ready as the first wave arrives...
Aim for the Sky: B[]
The Raptures are defeated, but Cecil reports Mother Whale has begun to accelerate and is en route towards the nearest cannon...which just so happens to be Cannon No. 3. Rapi urges Cecil to contact Neon and Noah, but the operator reports that the two are not present. Fraught with worry, the protagonist orders everyone to converge on Cannon No. 3...
Scramble on the Sky: A[]
That day, Noah met her greatest friend enemy; an idiot who wouldn't be fazed by her smack talk
Peering around Cannon No. 3, Neon and Noah are nowhere to be found, and Anis attempts to call the former get no response. The protagonist pulls out the flare gun to try and signal them, only for Johan to slap his arm down. The New Hope Eden commander points out to the distance, where the protagonist can see something. Is that...Neon and Noah? Are they...climbing the wire? TOWARDS Mother Whale?!
Meanwhile on the wire, Noah is wondering what madness possessed her to think this was a good idea. Neon is unable to hear her due to the wind, and mistakes her whining for spirited encouragement...
Flashback to 10 minutes before this insanity all began. Neon observed that Mother Whale was beelining for their position, causing Noah to panic and suggest they rendezvous with the commanders, as they were supposed to if the plan suffered a setback. Neon, however, seemed notice something else. Noah blustered that she needed to be with the others to protect those other "weaklings" in Counters. It definitely wasn't because she got lonely easily.
In a sudden and uncharacteristic bout of insight, Neon deduced that Noah (to the latter's surprise) was the last member to join her respective squad, same as herself. However much the shieldbearer of Inherit blustered, Neon voiced her sympathies about how sometimes, it felt like everyone else was in on something and locked you out of the loop, even as you tried your best to not cause conflict. That your comparative newness to the squad meant you didn't have the same kind of shared experiences that everyone else had with each other. An inadvertent isolation that filled you with loneliness...
The Nikkes above are professionals(?). Do not try to hunt giant robot whales at home.
Despite Noah's attempts to cut her off, Neon kept up her monologue, going off about how they couldn't change the memories their seniors made beforehand, so they best they could do is make their own memories that they could be proud of. As part of that declaration, Neon made a proposal; the two of them would personally defeat Mother Whale, and in doing so make a memory they could be proud of. Neon figured they could climb the wires, get inside the Tyrant, and start wreaking havoc in its guts. Noah decried Neon as an idiot for spouting nonsense, but after some goading on the self-proclaimed firepower master's part, agreed to the plan...
Back in the present, the two have managed to reach Mother Whale. Neon blasts open a hole, and Noah steps into the front. Two whale hunters in the making Nikkes boldly marched into the bowels of Mother Whale...
Scramble on the Sky: B[]
An explosion leaves a gaping hole in Mother's Whale anterior, from which Neon and Noah dive out of the Tyrant. Noah tries to cushion their fall with her shields, but fortunately, Isabel swoops in and grabs them out of the air. The three come to a landing on front of Counters and co. in front of Cannon No. 3. Neon seems to be okay, while Noah appears to be trying to get over the...excitement of her skydive. Johan compliments(?) the protagonist for having such an eccentric subordinate.
Rapi and Anis are fretting over Neon, who aside from some cosmetic damage to her glasses is unharmed. Cecil has more good news to give, as she reports Mother Whale is losing altitude. It would seem Neon and Noah's shenanigans conveniently damaged Mother Whale's propulsion systems, and now the Tyrant is about to make a crash landing. The scientist is already calculating the impact zone, and will contact Harran so she can rendezvous with the rest. Johan looks to Noah, who he distinctly recalls giving orders to wait and regroup if anything went wrong. Johan raises his hand and...pats Noah on the shoulder? The New Hope Eden commander commends Noah for exercising her own judgement in response to an unexpected setback in the plan, and wishes she'd do so more often. While Noah quickly reforms her egotistic front. Neon fishes for some praise of her own from the protagonist, giggling and smiling when she gets it.
My Strength: A[]
Cecil reports that Mother Whale has activated its hover systems in a desperate bid to avoid crashing. Anis balks at the sheer size of the Tyrant up close, though she declines Neon's suggestion of going in its mouth and destroying it from the inside. Rapi tells the protagonist that all preparations are complete, and at his order, moves to finally bag the Mother Whale...
My Strength: B[]
Cecil confirms Mother Whale's termination as Inherit tries to get Neon and Noah to reveal their method to downing Mother Whale. Sadly, the two are keen on milking this secret for all it's worth, and Harran's attempt to pry it from the protagonist fares little better. With Johan and Inherit taking their leave, Counters and the protagonist are left to salvage Mother Whale's core. Anis extracts a promise from the protagonist to explain why they were hunting the Tyrant once they're done. The process of carrying the core is...rough, what with the sheer size of the cargo and the fact that they've only three Nikkes and no other equipment...
Returning to Eden, Cecil delivers the protagonist the two Vapaus bullets derived from his blood, the deep-red tips looking more like rubies than part of a bullet. Cecil explains that Mother Whale's core did have human cells in it, and allowed for the Vapaus to be infused in the bullets without any loss. As far as current technology and resources go, they cannot get any better than this when it comes to Vapaus bullets.
Blood-red bullets bearing the name of freedom. Death to Heretics. Salvation to Nikkes. Is it one? Is it both? Is it neither?
Cecil advises the protagonist that Johan is waiting outside. The ball is in the protagonist's court now, whether he wants to covet the Vapaus even if it means coming to blows with Johan, or compromising and relinquishing at least some of it. Before letting him go, Cecil has something to tell him. She compared the Vapaus in these bullets to the one from the research lab and noticed a massive difference in Vapaus concentration, saying that the lab's bullet is a 10 whereas these bullets are 100 at minimum. While unable to make any conclusions without empirical data, she theorized that Vapaus this powerful could instantly kill a Heretic or give a Nikke full autonomy. On that note, she advised the protagonist against exposing Nikkes to his blood, as the effects, while potentially beneficial, are at this time unpredictable. The protagonist thanks Cecil for her work, and takes his leave.
Outside Cecil's lab, the protagonist sees Johan by the door. He shows the two Vapaus bullets to New Hope the Eden commander, and offers one of them. Johan put forth the possibility he may demand the other, but by this point, the protagonist has a good measure of his senior's characters, and states that won't happen. Johan seems to concede the point, and asks about the next course of action.
The protagonist intends to return to the Ark, seeking a way to mass-produce Vapaus. Johan comments that Eden would be a far better choice if that's his goal, but the protagonist insists that the Vapaus must be produced in the Ark. It's the only way he can leverage it for himself. Johan comments that it sounds like he just wants to lord it over the Ark, but the protagonist is resolute in having Vapaus as a personal power of his.
While Johan comments on the unexpected ambitions of the protagonist, the latter's mind is still thinking about Marian. He lacked the power to protect her before, and that's why he was forced to let her go. He wants to bring her back to the Ark, to bring her home. But to do that without putting her or any of his squad in danger, he has to accrue power. That's why he needs to establish himself as another source of Vapaus.
Shaking off his reverie, the protagonist asks Johan if he's going to keep tracking the Heretics. He is, but with Nihilister now firmly set on running and hiding, they won't be able to find her right away. With a final exchange of pleasantries, Johan turns and walks away...
Later, in Eden's lobby. Counters reports their final preparations for the journey back to the Ark are complete. The Nikkes lament that they've come all the way out here only to return empty-handed...until the protagonist shows them the Vapaus bullet. Anis grumbles that their commander has no intention of telling them where and how exactly he got the bullet, but they will not complain about accomplishing their original objective, belated as it is.
Counters is about to head back, only for Inherit to stop them for one last goodbye. Isabel seems loathe to part ways with her "Darling", but settles for waiting until he returns, though Noah reveals the yandere flier is always stalking him whenever she has a moment. The protagonist confirms to Harran that he got what he came for, and thanks Inherit for helping him do so. With a final piece of advice to find Papillon, Counters parts ways with Inherit, with Noah in particular seeming subtly eager to meet Neon again...
Trade in Eden[]
Dorothy declares to Counters that Papillon has "decided" to remain in Eden for the time being. Despite both of them insisting this is purely an agreement made without duress, it's clear to everyone (except Neon as usual) that something fishy is going on. Papillon tells Rapi to notify Burningum she's busy with an operation. The Counters leader warns the protagonist that right now, Papillon is Eden's hostage. If they push any further or reveal Eden to unrelated parties, there's no guarantee that she'd remain safe. Though Dorothy's ransom is yet to be revealed, it's likely to be some kind of information pertaining to the Ark. Until Dorothy gets what she wants, she will probably at least try to keep Papillon safe, and until Counters returns to the Ark, they cannot formulate a plan or take any actions to try and overturn the situation.
Asking Johan or Cecil to intervene is not an option. Papillon is known for her direct connections to the Central Government. They'd see Dorothy's actions as reasonable to maintain Eden's secrecy. With little recourse, Counters has to turn back to the Ark sans their unexpected tagalong...
Watching the Ark squad leave, Dorothy comments how nice they are, worrying about someone like Papillon. The Nikke in question admits they are good people. The kind of people who shouldn't associate with connivers like herself or Dorothy. With that, the two resume their "negotiations". Dorothy asks to be brought to the Ark and welcomed as a guest of honor. Papillon would gain renown in the Central Government for "bringing back" a "wayward Pilgrim". As for what the Ark gains from Dorothy's return, the Inherit leader claims she will give them everything Eden can offer...
An Ominous Premonition[]
Back at the Outpost, Anis groans in relief to finally be back in familiar territory and within easy access to soda, chugging down a can in ecstasy. Neon complains that Anis is disrupting her studies, which apparently are related to a broadcast on new weapons that's occurring today. Neon tunes into the channel, but finds the TV isn't working. Anis suggest some percussive maintenance while setting herself up to watch some Tetra Connect...only to find she can't get a signal either. Finally, Rapi reports that she attempted to contact Shifty to report their operation results...and failed to connect.
Rapi explains that she tried every line and then some, but nothing is able to connect to the Ark. Fearing that something may be going on, Counters rushes to the Ark to find out why they can't connect...
What Should Have Happened Earlier[]
Inside the Ark, Poli and Miranda of A.C.P.U. are just about to wrap up their patrol. It's another sunny day, and nothing of note happened, but before they clock out, Poli reluctantly obliges Miranda's request to grab fish sticks...
On the way, Miranda notes how quiet the streets have been today. Poli explains that everyone was gathered to celebrate a major victory that occurred, so of course the streets are going to be devoid of people. Miranda cheers over how their patrols are easier when less people are here, but Poli is of a different opinion. Times like these where the streets are empty and most people are gathered in one place is prime time for some types of criminals, and complains that all of Miranda's hollering will tip them off to A.C.P.U.'s presence.
Miranda misinterprets the sentence as her scaring off criminals, and belts out a louder shout in an attempt to do so. Rather than get silence or a response, the two hear...an explosion?
More explosions rock the surroundings as Poli frantically reports an emergency. Raptures have invaded the Ark.
Character appearances[]