Story Reader / Palette Clash / Travel with Karenina / Story
Travel with Karenina - 4
Windmill Square, in front of a graffiti-filled wall.
Mechanoids who have surrounded the area have blocked all the paths. It appears that all three Schools have formed an alliance and successfully ambushed your group.
So the Masters from the Mechanical Schools also know how to lure the enemies in, huh?
Karenina's blast hammer sends a Graffiti Pioneer to Mark's feet.
I told you we have recovered data from broken tactical modules before! Aargh!
Mark first dodges the mechanoid who was sent his way before evading spray paint aiming for him.
Why is all the aggression targeting me? Where's Dulcinea? Is she slacking off? Come and keep them under control!
Mark turns to look at Dulcinea to make sure she is not slacking off. Dulcinea is taking down the paintings from the easels as you have planned.
But no mechanoids are stopping her despite what she is doing.
Catch this wanted traitor first! We'll deal with the rest later!
Why?! Your work is being taken away!
Is it ready yet, Commandant?
Alright, then! Prepare for detonation! Stay away from the graffiti wall!
Mark dashes around, trying to escape his pursuers. Because of that, all the mechanoids are led further and further away from the wall.
Can I use that retrieval device as well? I don't think I can last long enough to rendezvous with you.
I'm an awakened machine! I'll be fine!
Most of the mechanoids are pretty far away now, having been chasing after Mark for a while. The ones behind you have followed you to a safe area, and you take one last look to confirm Dulcinea's location...
Commandant!
You hear Karenina clicking a button through the comms.
BOOM!
The explosion stops the mechanoids from their pursuit. Turning around, they find the part of the foam-covered wall without any graffiti in the bottom being split in half.
Two more explosions happen on both sides of the wall where you installed the devices.
Two balloons quickly inflate on the two sides of the wall, slowly lifting the foam-covered wall into the air.
This is Pequod of the Engineering Force. We can confirm that the target has lifted off. Initiating mid-air retrieval.
So that's how the device works? Wait a minute... I have one on my head...
A crisp "Pop!" interrupts him. You can see another balloon flying up on the other side of the road.
Since Mark is so much lighter than the wall, he quickly disappears into the air after the acceleration device kicks in.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH...
...
Range exceeded. Comms disconnected.
At dusk, the lighting system of Constellia begins to turn on. All areas save for a small one are more or less repaired with the help of the Engineering Force.
Coincidentally, your group has finally escaped your pursuers and returned to your camp.
These awakened machines are so stubborn! They chased us across the whole city.
Thanks for your hard work.
Teddy greets you while working on her terminal in her seat, not bothering to turn around.
Seeing Teddy inputting commands nonstop, Karenina peeks at Teddy's screen as she unloads her gear.
Messages from the Parliament?
This has been quite a costly operation, not to mention the 80 or so drones we launched. The "protective foam launchers" given to the Archaeological Team had less than a 50% retrieval rate.
Although WGAA technically owns the launchers, they are still valuable properties of Babylonia. There is a very vocal opposition in the Parliament.
Although this is a joint operation of the Diplomatic Court, General Staff, and WGAA, it is led by Liszt, a rising star in Kurono. Therefore, it has caught the attention of many councilmen.
Given what Kurono has done in the past, Commander Nikola is forced to stand in opposition.
The Punishing Virus has quieted down, but the humans just won't shut up...
And the Ascendants and agents are still alive and kicking. I feel like we're greeting our new neighbor while sitting on a bunch of dynamites...
Teddy keeps peeking at Dulcinea while she speaks.
It's Liszt... but Commander Nikola also agreed... They said they wanted to further interact with the awakened machines through her...
What are you two whispering?
"Nothing," says both of you at the same time while paying close attention to any changes in Dulcinea's mood.
Unfortunately, what works on humans does not seem to work on her. Dulcinea is still standing in the corner, expressionless.
What do humans want the mechanoids in Constellia to do?
Nothing in particular yet... It's the Diplomatic Court's decision, after all...
?
Calling it a complaint is an obvious lie. And neither the supporters nor the opposition has the right to declare "what humans want" yet.
Some people simply think we're spending too much resources and want us to stop.
Some people?
Some think this will end well, and some don't. The rest of them idiots think we should do nothing.
So humans also form different Schools... I thought they would be more united.
Sometimes they are. We'd be dead for a long time otherwise. But sometimes they aren't. We wouldn't have ended up here if they had been more united.
If you forced everyone to go in the same direction, no engineers would have designed the steam engine, not to mention the zero-point engine.
...
Do the mechanoids in Constellia feel the same? Is it better to be more like humans?
I don't get to answer that. You awakened machines get to decide for yourselves. We outsiders have done our best to help.
Your best?
Dulcinea's confusion is answered when Teddy turns on the projector and presents her with a renovated and grand art gallery.
This gallery is greatly expanded compared to the past.
This building...
It's renovated by all the awakened machines in the city who wouldn't participate in the Palette Clash. All the artwork that was disrupting the infrastructure was removed and transferred there.
They were more or less intact with the help of the "protective foam launchers."
Why would you do that?
A lot of effort was spent on those artworks. It'd be a shame if we just destroyed them.
You had no idea what you were looking at.
I had ideas! I... can tell if they look nice or not.
Something is still bothering Dulcinea. She decides to ask her question anyway.
Haven't humans always preferred violence? Why the sudden change?
Because there are more people who think this is a better way. Hm... This is going to be very hard to explain.
Maybe I should phrase it this way—after the apprehension in the Parliament subsided, they decided that humans should take the first step backward.
The first step... backward?
Just like how I was drawn to my captain's silliness, but then I had to learn to accept more of her silliness.
Teddy!
I was just being honest. I thought that's what we're doing here.
Unlike the bickering two, Dulcinea silently reconsiders a new possibility.
Acceptance...
She knows it is easier said than done. Even the "flaws" you mentioned could just be pride stemming from ignorance.
But humans have been trying to do better where they can. Perhaps Constellia needs to do the same, too.
Until that...
There seems to be smoke coming out of the southeast corner of the exhibition hall...
...
Units near the exhibition hall, please respond to this message. I repeat, units near the exhibition hall, please respond to this message.
This is Group A from Section C at the exhibition hall.
What happened?
The awakened machines that got here are now... fighting one another, it seems.
Unsure if she heard that right, Karenina asks the WGAA member to repeat what he just said—and hears the same thing.
Aren't any of you going to stop them?
I thought you wanted us to stay out of the Palette Clash, no?
But don't you see that things are getting out of hand? And what triggered them in the first place anyway?
The Impressionists said the Fauvists' exhibition space was much bigger than theirs, then the Cubists came along and said that all of the Impressionists' works hog the best spots, and that was when the Fauvists started giving the Cubists a piece of their mind...
...
Oh boy... that sounds like a handful to deal with.
Hang in there. We're on our way now.
Hanging up, Karenina picks up the tools again with one hand—and Teddy with the other, who seems ready to wave goodbye.
We're short on hands here and can really use your help.
Okay, I heard it. Can you please just stop dragging me?!
And c'mon, you know that we aren't going for a grocery shopping, right? Probably not a good idea for all of us to go in there together.
Right... I say we split into two groups and get them from both ends.
Sounds great. Now, rock, paper...
Teddy puts the software to work as she readies herself for a round of rock paper scissors—but stops in her tracks when Karenina starts speaking.
Teddy, you'll go in from the back with Mark. I'll be working with the commandant.
...And why's that?
Why? Because Commandant and I have been working together for the entire day and I say we make a very awesome team.
...Well, Mark was there the entire time, too, lest you forget...
Oblivious to Teddy's murmur, Karenina turns around and shoves some of the tools into your hands.
Right then, she grabs you by the arm with the other hand.
Let's go, Commandant.
Surveying the area, you see countless mechanoids head toward the exhibition hall with all sorts of tools in hand, most of whom seem destined for the place from which smokes are soaring into the skies.
It would seem that, at present, mutual acceptance is still out of the question.
