Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rapi and Anis sat defeated in the Ark. Although what they pulled off was nothing short of amazing, the Commander still died. Pallas was a good man, but he was in over his head.

“You okay, Rapi?” Anis looked at her partner. She had been silent ever since they had returned.

“We failed,” Rapi pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Rapi, you know that what we did was akin to a suicide mission,” Anis put a hand on Rapi’s shoulder.

“That shouldn’t matter,” Rapi clenched her fists. “We had one job, and we failed. It should have been one of us.”

Anis sighed. To see a Commander sacrifice himself for a Nikkes was unheard of, so neither of them had expected it when Pallas pushed the two out of the way when the Blacksmith collapsed on them. Anis knew that what Marian had said deeply affected Rapi, and Pallas’s death had just cemented Rapi’s guilt.

“Look, we can’t keep moping about it forever. We’re eventually going to have to move on,” Anis said.

“I know,” Rapi sighed and looked up at the closed door of their quarters. “I just want to stay like this. Even if it’s just for now.”

“I understand,” Anis replied. The two sat in silence for a while after that.

Rapi didn’t know how much time had passed since they stopped talking, but the silence was broken when the door opened.

“Good, you’re both here,” The nondescript Ark employee said as he looked at the two. “The Vice Chief wants to see you too.”

“The Vice Chief?” Anis tilted her head. “What could someone like him want with us?”

“You’re being transferred to another department,” The Ark employee explained. “The Vice Chief wanted to introduce you to the department head personally.”

“Okay…” Anis stood up. She didn’t exactly believe that this meeting was standard protocol, but orders were orders. “Rapi, let’s go.”

“Hai,” Rapi blinked a couple times before standing up. Anis then followed the Ark employee out of the room with Rapi close behind. After what seemed like hours of endless hallways, the three stopped in front of a wooden door, which stood out in the metal hallway.

“We’re here,” The Ark employee opened the door for the two Nikkes and stepped aside. “Please come in.”

“Alright,” Anis took a deep breath, and the two entered the room.

“Ah, you made it,” Anis immediately recognized the Vice Chief. She had seen him around the Ark a few times. For someone of such high ranks, Vice Chief Andersen liked to spend his time socializing with the lower-class workers. On the other hand, the man Andersen was with was completely unfamiliar. He seemed to be a middle-aged man of eastern descent.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you two in person,” The man said as he offered his hand to shake. Anis and Rapi tentatively took turns shaking his hand. “My name is Motoaki Tanigo, but you can call me Yagoo. I’m the head of the new Holo department. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“I’m Anis. The pleasure’s all mine,” Anis smiled. Although she wasn’t one for human etiquette, she did study up on it so she could communicate with her commanders better.

“My name is Rapi,” Rapi introduced herself in a curt tone.

“It’s good to see you’re getting along,” Andersen said, bringing the direction to him. “I was thinking that you would make a fine addition to the Holo division, considering your accomplishments.”

“Yes, I’m excited to have you with us,” Yagoo said with a professional smile. “You see we are still building our squads, and although we have quite a few Nikkes, not all of them are experienced in live combat yet. We were hoping to get some Nikkes to have as their seniors.”

“Inexperienced Nikkes?” Anis tilted her head. Nikkes were practically built for combat, so how can Nikkes this day and age be inexperienced?

“COVER is still a rather young manufacturing company,” Yagoo explained, putting his hands behind his back. “Since I am also the CEO of COVER, I’ve been sourcing Holo’s Nikkes from my company. I am hoping to get Nikkes from other companies as well, which is also why I wanted to recruit you two.”

“I… see…” Rapi looked at Yagoo with uncertainty. “And our new Commander?”

“Rapi, you know they don’t assign Commanders until we get our missions,” Anis chided.

“No, it’s a perfectly logical question,” Yagoo shook his head. “We’re actually trying a few new procedures. One of them including permanent squad Commanders.”

That doesn’t sound like a horrible idea, Anis had to bite her tongue. Didn’t he know how badly things ended when Commanders had the same Nikkes more than once?

“Sounds good,” Rapi nodded in Yagoo’s direction. “I am willing to join your department.”

“Well, I’ll go wherever you go, Rapi,” Anis shrugged before smiling at Yagoo. “Count me in.”

“Wonderful,” The smile on Yagoo’s face widened. “Now, let me show you around your new department.”

Anis concluded that the Holo department was… weird. Everything was brightly colored, a stark contrast from the dull and gray environment that made the rest of the Ark. The COVER Nikkes were quite cheerful and optimistic and they all greeted Yagoo with a friendly wave, something Anis was really unfamiliar with. Sure, Tetra’s CEO was… eccentric, but Anis wasn’t outwardly friendly to him like the COVER Nikkes were to Yagoo.

The quarters were also a lot roomier than her previous ones. They looked like human quarters, with comfortable beds instead of sleeping bags and plenty of room to put things in.

“We also have a simulation room here,” Yagoo explained. They stood in front of a closed door with large letters reading “SIMULATION ROOM” above it. Gunshots could be heard from the other side of the door. “I would like for you to give it a spin, but as you can see, it’s currently occupied.”

The two then made their way to the cafeteria, which looked like a pre-war surface restaurant.

“This is our cafeteria,” Yagoo said as he scanned the room. “Both humans and Nikkes eat the same food here. We even have a Nikke as a chef.”

Sure enough, a woman with orange hair and two hats walked out of the back room to give one of the Nikkes a bowl of gyudon, which was the favored dish of the pilgrim Scarlet.

“Tenchou, I told you I would handle it!” Anis heard a young man shout from the back room.

“Hush, my Little Egg,” The woman responded with a smile. “Let your Mama Birb handle everything.”

“I’m not your Little Egg! I’m your Commander!” The man shouted back.

“Oh, semantics,” The woman smiled and shook her head before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“They seem to have a good relationship,” Anis muttered. The Nikke had seen her comrades executed for that kind of disobedience.

“We’re trying to encourage bonds between Commanders and Nikkes,” Yagoo explained. “They’re more efficient in combat when they enjoy working with each other.”

“I see,” Rapi spoke up for the first time since they left Andersen’s office. “That’s interesting.”

“I’m sure you’ll see for yourself once you meet your actual Commander,” Yagoo turned back to smile at Rapi. “Now, would you two like something to eat?”

“Damn, this is good!” Anis exclaimed as she bit into the fried chicken she was served. The food almost made Anis forget that she was in foreign territory. Almost.

“Why thank you,” The woman, who Anis now knew was Kiara, a COVER Nikke, smiled at Anis’s reaction to her cooking. “Well, my Little Egg helped me out a lot.”

“For the last time,” A young man grumbled as he stepped out of the back room. He had short, messy hair and wore a cooking apron over his hoodie and sweatpants. “You’re the new Nikkes, right? I’m Commander Ryan Shade and I work with the Holobirbs squad. Kiara chose the name. We’re the chefs of this department.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Rapi nodded to the Commander. “Where is the rest of your staff?

“Well Subaru is in the simulation room, Reine is in the library, Mumei is doing god knows what with the Council squad, and Kaela is off making weapons,” Ryan counted his squad members with his fingers. “Kiara and I like to cook so we work here, but all the Nikkes in Holo are allowed to work where they want to.”

“I see…” Rapi rubbed her chin while Anis leaned back in her chair.

This really doesn’t seem like a bad place, Anis thought to herself as she finished emptying her plate of fried chicken. What’s the catch?

Yagoo then flinched and took out his phone. He looked at it and his smile widened.

“It seems that your new Commander is done with the simulation room,” Yagoo said as he turned to the two Nikkes. “Let’s get you introduced, shall we?”

The two made it back to the simulation room just in time to see two women exit the room. The first woman was tall. She had lion ears and a tail. Anis noticed that a few of the Nikkes had animal features, but she didn’t think much of it. They were superhuman androids. Having animalistic features as a cosmetic feature didn’t seem too far-fetched to her.

The second woman was shorter. She had short, navy blue hair and wore glasses over her navy blue eyes.

“You’re doing a lot better,” The shorter woman showed a tablet to the taller one. “You even managed to clear the simulation in half an hour.”

“I guess,” The taller woman shrugged. She then looked up to see Yagoo and the Nikkes and a small smile grew on her lips. “Hey Shachou. Are these two the Nikkes I’ll be commanding?”

“Wait, she’s the Commander?!” Anis shot a look at Yagoo. “There has never been a female Commander before! How is this supposed to work?!”

“I understand you’re skepticism, but rest assured, she’s one of our best,” Yagoo walked over to stand next to Botan with a smile. “Rapi, Anis, I’d like you two to meet your new commander, Shishiro Botan.”

Chapter Text

“Please have a seat,” Botan said as they walked into a room with a conference table. The smaller lady, who introduced herself as A-chan, had led them to a conference room. As they sat down, Shifty joined in through a hologram device in Rapi’s earpiece.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” Shifty said as she adjusted her headset. “Andersen told me that I will be working with A-chan here as the Holo department’s new intelligence division.”

“A pleasure,” Botan nodded as she took a seat next to A-chan.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there!” Shifty’s eyes lit up as she saw Botan. “It’s an honor to meet you, Shishiro Botan. I’ve heard many good things about you.”

“Thank you,” Botan dipped her head respectfully. “Anyways, I would like to get to know your fighting style. What weapons do you use?”

“I use a Liberty’s Tail rocket launcher,” Anis put a hand on her trusty weapon. She did everything with her weapon. She trusted her grenade launcher more than Rapi.

“I use a Militaria assault rifle,” Rapi replied, showing her rifle as she spoke.

“Alright,” Botan nodded to herself as she took a pen and a notepad and started to write. “It looks like we’re going to be a sort of backup squad for now. We’ll be joining squads that go up on the surface.”

“Isn’t that what we usually do?” Anis asked.

“Sort of,” Botan looked up from her notepad. “Unlike normal squad work, I’ll be transferred with you as a Commander.”

“So there’ll be two Commanders?” Anis tilted her head. “That just sounds illogical.”

“Occasionally,” A-chan said as she typed in her tablet. “For your first mission, Botan here will be your only commander. You’ll be working with a couple other Nikkes, but you’ll be the main squad.”

“I see,” Anis nodded. She turned to Rapi, who had a hand on her chin and was staring at the desk intently.

“Rapi, are you okay?” Anis put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, who flinched at the contact.

“Yes. I understand,” Rapi replied. Even Botan’s brows furrowed at her reaction. Botan jotted down a few more notes on her notepad before turning to Rapi.

“Do you have any concerns?” Botan asked. Her tone wasn’t accusatory and her body language wasn’t hostile, which Anis found weird. Usually Commanders were very defensive.

“None,” Rapi shook her head. Botan obviously saw something Anis didn’t because her concerned expression didn’t change.

“If you say so,” Botan said before turning to A-chan and Shifty. “I trust that you two will communicate further?”

“Of course!” Shifty flashed a thumbs up through her monitor. “A-chan is a really insightful person. I don’t think we’ll have any problems.”

“Likewise,” A-chan nodded and pushed her glasses up with her finger. “I don’t see any problems working with you two in the near future.”

“Alright, that should be everything,” Botan closed her notebook and put it back in her pocket. “Let’s make our way to the simulation room.”

“Botan, you just got out of there,” A-chan’s face contorted with concern. “Are you sure you want to go back there?”

“I need to see how well we’ll fight as a unit,” Botan shook her head. “Can you watch our performance with Shifty? I expect a detailed report of our performance.”

“Of course. Shall I get Roboco as well?” A-chan heaved a sigh.

“If she’s free,” Botan stood up and made her way to the door. “I’ll see you there in five.”

Anis stood up and was about to walk off when she felt a hand grasp her wrist. She turned to see A-chan looking at her with worried eyes.

“Can you please do me a favor, Anis?” A-chan asked, the serious tone she had replaced with shaky apprehension.

“I’ll do what I can,” Anis offered a small smile.

“Just… make sure Botan doesn’t work herself too hard,” A-chan shook her head. “She’s been throwing herself into her work for the past couple months. I worry for her.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Anis said. She remembered Marian’s words about the importance of protecting her Commander. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t hurt herself.”

“Thank you,” A-chan smiled, although it was filled with uncertainty. “I’ll be counting on you.”

When they opened the door to the simulation room, another woman was waiting for them. She wore glasses and had a pixie cut, along with wearing a black camo jacket. Then she looked at her pants.

Man, I knew Nikkes were sexualized, but jeez, Anis thought. The woman’s pants was the exact same color as her skin.

“This is Roboco,” Botan introduced the woman. “She’s another member of the intelligence division. Along with the normal Nikke enhancements, she has an AI in her brain that helps her make quick calculations and analyze combat situations.”

“Hellobo~” The woman greeted cheerily. “It’s wonderful to meet you all!”

“Anis,” The Tetra Nikke introduced herself with a small smile. She expected someone with an AI in their brain to be less… animated, but it was a pleasant surprise.

“Rapi,” Rapi nodded to Roboco.

“Alright,” The sound of a pistol being chambered caught everyone’s attention. Botan was holding a pistol with a distant look in her eyes. “It’ll be just the three of us, but we should be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Anis asked as she shifted her weight. “Aren’t we supposed to do missions with a squad of five?”

“No need,” Botan looked up at Anis. Anis couldn’t describe what she saw in Botan’s eyes, but it unsettled her. “I’ve cleared this simulation by myself.”

The three ducked for cover as the simulated Raptures started to appear. Both Rapi and Anis immediately started to open fire, destroying any Rapture in sight.

“Cease fire!” Anis immediately heard. The two ducked behind cover to see Botan peeking over her cover.

“What are you doing, Commander?” Although Anis wasn’t used to stopping an attack, orders were orders.

“Don’t just go in guns blazing,” Botan reprimanded. “Analyze where each Rapture is and take them out accordingly.”

Botan then left her cover and unloaded her pistol. Fifteen rounds, fifteen kills. They were smaller Raptures, but the fact that she could kill them at all was impressive.

“How did you do that?!” Anis looked at Botan with wide eyes.

“Anis, take out that group thirty-seven degrees to your left,” Instead of answering, Botan started issuing commands as she reloaded her pistol. “Rapi, destroy any Rapture in a fifty meter radius from you.”

“Roger,” Rapi said as she started to fire. Anis sighed and loaded her Liberty’s Tail and launched a rocket at the group of Raptures that she was assigned to kill.

With Botan’s commands, the battle was a cakewalk. As soon as the leader was destroyed, Botan stood up.

“Alright, let’s clear the next objective,” Botan said coldly as she proceeded onwards, stepping over the bodies of simulated Raptures.

“Roger…” Anis stood up and looked at Botan as she continued to walk.

I really have my work cut out for me, huh? Anis thought as she remembered A-chan’s words. Well, whatever. I have a job to do.

As Botan predicted, the simulation was a cinch. They mowed through the Raptures with Botan’s orders, and although Botan was crass and direct with her orders, Anis found herself learning a lot. With the tactics that Botan used, killing Raptures was a lot easier.

“Alright, I think I have a good idea of where we stand,” Botan said as they exited the simulation room, Shifty, A-chan, and Roboco waiting for them. “How much do you have now?”

“I already have a report for you,” Roboco handed Botan a small stack of papers. “You did a good job, Botan.”

“Thanks, Roboco,” Botan said with a strained smile as she looked at the papers. “What about you, A-chan?”

“Shifty and I are working on one right now,” A-chan replied with a sigh. “It’ll be on your desk by tonight.”

“Good to hear,” Botan then turned to Anis and Rapi. “Alright, now it’s time for briefing.”

Anis tensed. With the way Botan acted in combat, she was expecting to be yelled at. She turned to look at Rapi to see a similar, tense expression.

“Well, it seems we have quite a bit to work on,” Botan said. None of her urgency was there. It was replaced by a calm, cold determination. “You two do well to follow orders, but I want to spend some time working on your analysis.”

“Analysis?” Rapi asked. Anis had a confused look on her face too.

“We won’t always have the intelligence division to support us during battle,” Botan explained, nodding to the three women who were conversing with each other. “I want you two to be able to analyze any combat situation and know which Raptures to take out when.”

“Isn’t that what you’re for?” Anis asked. “You’re supposed to command us what to do. We follow your orders.”

“I can’t be there to give you orders all the time during combat, especially since I’ll be fighting myself,” Botan shook her head in response. “I’ll be trusting you to deal with any given situations in the way you think is best.”

“That’s a lot of trust you’re putting on us, Commander,” Anis smiled, finding a small opportunity that she could use to tease her new Commander.

“Naturally,” Botan didn’t see the humor in Anis’s statement. “We’re responsible for each other’s lives. I have to put my trust in you.”

There was a tense silence after that. Even the intelligence division had stopped talking, noticing the atmosphere.

“Anyways, how were you able to kill those Raptures?” Rapi asked, quickly changing the subject. “That’s not the pistol used for executions.”

“Ah,” Botan looked down at her arm with a sad smile. “This prosthetic arm was from a Nikke who was a dear friend of mine. It was her last gift to me. As such, I am able to use weapons that other humans are not able to.”

“Huh, so that’s why you’re called the One-Armed Lion,” Everyone turned her attention to Shifty, who was looking at her computer monitor.

“Yeah,” Botan shook her head. “Anyways, you’re all dismissed for the day. You should already know where your quarters are.”

As Botan walked away, Anis could only contemplate that Botan’s answer left her with more question than answers.