Frame Adaptation Room
Babylonia
Corona Gene...
Kamui mumbles the peculiar term, his expression momentarily growing distant and unfocused.
Huh? Oh, yeah! All good, Commandant.
With a reassuring flash of his characteristic smile toward you, Kamui hurries to catch up with Asimov, who's already making moves to leave.
Oh, hey, Asimov! So, uh, the M.I.N.D. turbulence I had during the adaptation... did they mess with my combat data at all?
Like before, as long as you remain conscious, the only side effects will be the usual M.I.N.D. pain. However...
Asimov stops in his tracks and turns to fix his gaze on Kamui.
Don't think your intentions are unclear to me, Kamui. You're operating under the assumption that as long as you don't hit your limit, you can simply push through.
Who, me? Nahhh... I wasn't thinking that at all...
Then let me warn you one more time. Acclimating to a new frame and stabilizing the Corona Gene adaptation both require time.
I have no interest in whatever phantoms appear in your false nightmares. But I also have no interest in watching a frame I meticulously engineered perform suboptimally because its operator refuses to acknowledge his own limits. So, drop the act.
Nightmares... huh?
Are they really just nightmares?
Ever since adapting to his new frame, he's lost count of how many times this has happened. The dreams are always largely the same, and... they almost always involve them.
He can't wake on his own. Only when [player name] establishes a connection does he surface.
The fallen warn those who follow, yet history repeats its sorrow.
A gentle tap on his shoulder returns him to the present.
Aw, don't sweat it! I'm still running on a full tank here! Time's ticking, so I gotta make every second count if I'm gonna crush my goals!
Hm? Oh, nothing like that! Don't go worrying about me now, [player name]! I've got this handled!
That won't do!! Look—big smile! Back to my usual handsome self, right?
Your words pull Kamui briefly from the heaviness pressing down on him, but...
It passes for easy conversation, your usual rhythm intact. But underneath, you both feel the charged silence between the lines, the things left unsaid.
Kamui is far from fine, but he's not ready to lay that raw, guarded part of himself bare. Not yet.
A soft creak interrupts the moment. The door swings open; Asimov, who'd only just left, has returned.
Urgent communication from Commander Nikola. The meeting scheduled for two hours from now has been moved up. You're both to attend immediately.
Asimov points to his terminal.
And, Chrome was asking me about Kamui's frame adaptation status. But if I recall correctly, those reports were to be forwarded directly to the team captain—
Uh, ahaha! Yeah, about that... didn't the Commander stress the whole "mission confidentiality" thing earlier?
Anyway! Sounds like an emergency, right? Let's roll! We should all head over together.
Kamui takes the lead, striding ahead of you and Asimov.
Conference Room
Babylonia
Babylonia - Conference Room
Nikola is already waiting in the conference room.
Everyone's here.
Nikola's eyes settle on Kamui first, examining him with an objective scrutiny that lingers on the frame: a relic of an era long past, now reborn.
In terms of appearance, it's identical to the frame design
As for the other adaptation parameters...
Silence hangs for a moment as Nikola considers. When he looks up again, his gaze finds Asimov.
Combat performance meets baseline standards. M.I.N.D. recovery, however, is progressing slowly.
...So the Corona Gene underperformed.
No. If anything, it overperformed.
I've since gathered substantial information regarding the Corona Gene, solar essence, and... the Ezette Military Base itself.
...
The Corona Gene was originally developed as a vaccine-class biological product. A genetic enhancer, technically. It was considered a failed project because its effects were narrowly limited to the human brain: enhancing consciousness without producing any other physiological benefits.
However, after the Punishing Virus outbreak, additional properties were discovered. According to the final files from Ezette, it could be refined...
...from individuals who had received the injection into a substance similar to what we now know as the immune serum. And that refined substance was designated "solar essence."
Its efficacy was notably inferior to modern serums. Hence, it was never pursued for mass implementation.
The Corona Gene was detected in Kamui's biological tissue upon his arrival at Babylonia, when he was still human.
In theory, the Corona Gene should have no effect on a Construct.
It's possible that during his human phase, Kamui's consciousness had already integrated with the gene to some degree, and that unique signature was preserved through M.I.N.D. transfer.
Given the pre-existing damage to Kamui's M.I.N.D. when he first arrived, I synthesized a version of the Corona Gene compatible with his current frame to test its restorative potential.
The effects were modest, but measurably positive.
So the frame is combat-ready.
In principle. But there are outstanding risks.
While it facilitates partial M.I.N.D. recovery, it also produces an unintended side effect: periodic episodes of pseudo-nightmares.
I've attempted multiple interventions. None has successfully mitigated the destabilizing effect of the Corona Gene on his M.I.N.D. during these episodes.
Two hypotheses remain. First: the authentic Corona Gene may require a specific artificial intervention protocol to stabilize, but that data was never archived at Babylonia, only at Ezette.
Second: Kamui may not be a perfect match for the Corona Gene, preventing complete integration.
According to Ezette's archives, individuals with perfect compatibility could undergo a metamorphosis through genetic enhancement and accumulated solar essence, which the records term "Golden Sun". Theoretically, such individuals would possess sufficient mental fortitude to suppress this rejection response entirely.
But at present, we lack the means to determine which hypothesis is correct.
Golden Sun...
Do you remember something, Kamui?
Asimov watches Kamui carefully, his scrutiny quiet but unmistakable.
...It's a little better than before. I can remember some of the basics now.
The Ezette archives do reference solar essence. Without physical samples, however, I'm working from theoretical reconstruction based on their documentation alone.
It seems the Corona Gene is having at least some measurable effect.
Asimov makes a few notes on his terminal.
So...
So the frame's good to go for field deployment, yeah?
Kamui leans forward eagerly, eyes riveted to the assessment report on Asimov's terminal.
If the frame's combat-ready, then Commander, I'm formally requesting approval for my solo retrieval mission application. The one I pitched before?
I can bag whatever Babylonia needs from that run, quick and clean. Guaranteed.
About Ezette.
You should be aware of it. Ezette, F.O.S.'s affiliated installation. A hatchery for humanoid weapons, by design.
It's also where Kamui was sent from.
Ezette was the first official test site for the Corona Gene modification. The archive designates it Project Barleycorn. Kamui, when he was human, was one of the modifiers produced there.
Years ago, Ezette was overrun by unknown Corrupted on the surface, resulting in total personnel loss. Kamui was the only survivor, recovered in critical condition and transported to Babylonia, where his consciousness was preserved.
During that window, Kurono intercepted a batch of consciousness data through special means. Kamui's was among them. His damaged consciousness was then placed within Camu's M.I.N.D.
After we lost contact with the F.O.S. starship, we've made repeated attempts to restore communication. In the process, our analysis indicates Ezette maintained persistent, close-contact relay with the vessel in the past. It's possible their equipment retains the capacity to establish a direct connection.
Detection is not communication. We can confirm its existence from a single directional vector. We cannot establish dialogue.
That's one of the objectives. The second one...
Kamui draws himself up, attention sharp and focused on Nikola. In his gaze, anticipation mingles uneasily with worry.
Not long ago... Babylonia received a distress signal.
The terminal chimes softly as the information syncs to everyone's screens.
"Signal Sender: Ezette"?! That's impossible!!
Babylonia's archives say that place should be...
Years ago, Ezette sent a distress signal to Babylonia reporting a massive Corrupted assault. Afterward, they dispatched an escape pod with only a severely wounded Kamui inside.
Afterward, Babylonia attempted repeated contact. No response. F.O.S. deployed surface teams, but Ezette was gone. Vanished without a trace.
However, three days ago... we received this: Ezette was under attack. Requesting Babylonia's support.
Intelligence has repeatedly verified the data signature and the equipment identifiers. They do match Ezette's original archives.
In subsequent communication, they explained there was a misunderstanding. Years ago, they sent you to Babylonia—not as an escape pod, but as a messenger to request reinforcements. When the signal was lost, and no help arrived, they assumed Babylonia had rejected them. They relocated to survive.
They claim most survivors persist as Constructs through crude modifications, by our standards. Sustained by some residual solar essence.
Furthermore... according to them, Ezette's Project Barleycorn succeeded. The Golden Sun remains active on the surface to this day.
Not with absolute certainty. But the signal originates from Ezette's authorization protocols. That much is confirmed.
Reportedly, the old Ezette site is under attack by an agent. With their limited capabilities, they're seizing this opportunity to request Babylonia's assistance.
Scouts dispatched to investigate the area have confirmed evidence of agent activity on-site.
The communication device remains inside the Ezette base. That is almost certainly what the agent is targeting. If we lose it, we lose our only lead to the F.O.S. starship. We must retrieve it quickly.
If there are genuine survivors in that base, and if the residual solar essence they describe is real, then those are resources we cannot afford to abandon easily.
...
I still want to do this alone, Commander.
Then give me something solid. Reasons and assurance.
Nikola stares at the terminal, still weighing his options.
Babylonia's got almost nothing on Ezette's internal layout, but I do. What I've recalled so far, anyway. The place was built tight for solo mobility. Sending in a squad that's never seen it? That's just asking for friction.
If you're worried about my M.I.N.D. acting up... Asimov already confirmed it won't mess with combat performance. And I've recalled enough basic intel on Ezette to operate in this mission.
And the communication device? Since it's Ezette's classified intel, no outsider's gonna walk in and spot it on the first pass.
And if that signal's real... if there are really people still alive in there... I'm the best person to talk to them. After all...
I was the "only" survivor back then.
...
Asimov. Your assessment?
...Since when did you change your name to Asimov?
Though my professional assessment aligns with yours. The frame enhancements are holding, but his M.I.N.D. remains unstable. Solo deployment to the surface would be inadvisable.
Together, you would substantially improve the operational safety margin. Yes.
Together, you would substantially improve the operational safety margin. Yes.
...
After a moment's further contemplation, Nikola reaches his final decision.
Kamui of Strike Hawk, your frame adaptation procedures are suspended as of now. Begin immediate preparations for surface deployment. Commandant [player name] will accompany you into the Ezette facility. Primary objective: recovery of the F.O.S. communication equipment.
—Why?! Commander, I object.
Kamui furrows his brow, clearly displeased with the outcome.
I promise you, I'm capable enough to earn your trust on this. I can handle the risks and the responsibility. All of it, by myself—
Babylonia cannot afford another loss. Not another person. Not another combat asset. Every single one of us may be the difference between survival and extinction.
Furthermore, Ezette was a military subsidiary of F.O.S. Connection protocols between the base and F.O.S. personnel were standard procedure. They were not maintained after the outbreak, but—
...According to assignment and rotation protocols, my designation was theoretically mapped to [player name] from the start.
Precisely. Which is why this configuration is optimal. We need someone who knows Ezette. And we need someone who carries F.O.S. clearance. Together, you are the complete package.
You have already noticed the conflict churning inside Kamui.
I... It's just...
That's not it at all!
That's out of the question!
I trust you. Of course I trust you. It's just...
"That's my unfinished business. How could I drag you into it?"
In the end, Kamui swallows the words.
Military reconnaissance has swept the area repeatedly. Apart from suspected agent activity, no high-threat signatures have been detected.
Ezette's internal structure is narrow, unsuitable for squad tactics. Chrome will deploy with Strike Hawk shortly after your insertion to provide guerrilla support nearby. If you encounter anything anomalous, request backup immediately.
We are on a timeline, Kamui. [player name]. This is the most efficient configuration available with all factors considered.
He hesitates, caught in a brief internal struggle, fighting down the desperate desire to search for the perfect solution, the one that keeps everyone else safe.
...I accept the mission. I'll go prep right away.
I believe in you, [player name]. But if anything goes down out there, I'm first in. I'll keep you safe.
Fighting for Babylonia and humanity is my absolute duty, no matter what!
Besides...
Perhaps he did see a way to clear away the mist entirely.
Amid the shadows of a past he cannot quite grasp. In the future he now rushes toward.
If they're really out there. The survivors. If they've been waiting for someone to come back...
I swear. I'll give everything I've got to bring them back.
He can barely recall their faces now, but the weight of what they mean to him has never faded.
