Two best friends say hello and shots are fired

[empress_without_a_throne]

[video]

[It's time for someone else to make a formal introduction.  Or rather, two special someones!]

Couldn't keep putting this off now could we?  At any rate, it's been nice to meet all of you so far.  My friend here is Sara Harper, director of the Solaris orgnization-

And my friend here is none other than Mizuki Onodera, the Abyss Empress herself!  Sworn enemy of all beings who live on this-



S-SARA!

[We apologize for the technical difficulties that ensue, but when the video comes back, Sara's off in the corner laughing uncontrollably while Mizuki does her best to do damage control.]



Sorry about that.  Sara and I go way back, and you know how things get with longtime friends.  But as I was going to say, if you're not familiar with Solaris, that's just because the organization hasn't been very relevant for the past ten years or so.  We came here to help Solaris get back on its feet again, even if its glory days are long past and it'll just be supporting the Unity Group.  So long as people'll be able to afford college tuition for their kids and have pensions come retirement we'll be happy.

As for me personally?  Well I'm "The Abyss Empress".  An empress without an empire.  A potential enemy-turned-ward for Solaris who's all grown up now and just wants to do what she can to repay the people who decided to take her in rather than kill her when they had the chance.  Anyone wanting the full story's welcome to it if they ask.

Comments

[empress_without_a_throne]

Straight and to the point...



You make that sound like that's a bad thing!

[star_of_sad]

I see.

[There's a big untold story here. But for now, Setsuko doesn't press.]

It's good to have you on our side one way or another. Let's work together while we're here.

[empress_without_a_throne]

That's the plan!



And it's nice to meet you too, Miss...

-Ah. That uniform... the Glory Stars, right?

[star_of_sad]

Y-yes. I am with the Glory Stars test unit.

Did you have a chance to talk with Chief, I mean Denzel Hammer already? Or did you hear of us somewhere else?

[a_linear_mind]

I think most of us think the same way. Or least I hope we do.

[anewmachine]

And you had to find a way to live here, after all that. What was that like? I mean, I don't know, were you able to go to school? Meet people outside Solaris?

[Liz remembers her own upbringing - plenty of outside contact, but plenty of frustration at being bound to her servers too, limited by lag any time she wanted the experience of reaching out. The exhilarating strangeness of actually being physically moved for her term Earthside, the liberation of booting up in the Rose for the first time...]

[abugslife]

And yet, even though the creation process wasn't finished, you were made as a fully functioning creature? Without any medical issues of any kind?

I have to wonder what kind of technology allows one to create living beings from nothingness like that.

[break_the_nine]

Do you have a jester? Does he make jokes about darkness and stuff? Or are you one of those really gothic types of royalty with the beheadings and executions?

Do you have a castle? Oh.. oh no wait! Is it a giant skull fortress? Is it built into a volcano?!

[empress_without_a_throne]

One at a time, please.

And no, I don't have an empire or throne or anything like that. I do technically have a general and a grand vizier, but they've been doing parenting duties for the past ten years and it wouldn't feel right trying to order them around.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Think of it more like how a tree is. But rather than growing up fast under the influence of the Void... I had ten years growing up here on Earth in a much better environment.

And there technically are medical issues, but nothing super serious. Void beings don't exactly get along well with sunlight.

[empress_without_a_throne]

Well, there certainly was a big adjustment period for me and my parents, let me tell you that. My parents had to learn how to actually be parents... they had to read so many books and watch so many instructional videos.



Not to mention Mizuki getting into the habit of using her adopted name. Schooling was a bit of a snag though, but we managed to find a few cheap tutors who taught well enough.

And between me and everyone who stayed with Solaris, she still made plenty of friends too. We were all in it together, just trying to help keep the group afloat, and Mizuki and her parents gave us plenty of insight into Void energy.

[break_the_nine]

Well its good! I mean what kind of person would you be if you took your parents for granted right?

[Leos seems to nod at that before pondering for a moment.]

So you don't have a Skull Fortress? I mean even if you don't have a throne or an empire, you've at least got one of those right?

[empress_without_a_throne]

Tragically no. I do have a certain something though... but it's hard to show right now and harder still to just explain without raising more questions.

You'll see it as soon as I go out on a mission though.

[anewmachine]

Your parents... were they like you? Sort of - of brand new? It must have been a real shock for them, too...

So where did your name come from?

What's your legal status like?

Is this your first time away from home?

[Liz doesn't give much time between the questions. Her interest is obviously piqued.]

[empress_without_a_throne]

[Well, it's a chance to make new friends so Mizuki doesn't mind much.]

Well, my parents actually had names and they didn't feel right to change them. My own though...? We just sorta picked one at random out of a book. Then it turned out it was kinda fitting so no reason not to stick with it.

Legally though, I think I'm considered a naturalized citizen from "parts unknown". I wouldn't know precisely though, I haven't really been out and about that much... though I expect my time with the Unity Group's going to change that.

[abugslife]

It is a strange tree that prefers to avoid the sun rather than bask in it.

[anewmachine]

[Liz looks distracted as she googles in the background.]

Aspirational naming, huh? "Beautiful moon", though, that's pretty. Mine's just a family name, no one's actually sure what it means.

Citizen of where? Probably somewhere with a more useful passport than Erewhon... I'm really looking forward to getting to see new places, too, but some of the legal hurdles are a real pain. Well, I can hope that UG membership will take care of a lot of them...

[way_of_vengeance]

Well...Only if you keep it confidential! A lady has to value her privacy, you know!

[break_the_nine]

I hope it isn't too soon though... I'm still pretty bad at this whole piloting thing! I almost crashed the first time I stepped into my AC...

[He winced a little. Yeah that was not a pretty moment.]

[fire_dancer]

"So an Empress? Now this is I think the strangest thing I think I have ever encountered before. That's quite the title but if your not going to helping, welcome aboard. I just do hope we're not going to need to be bowing all the time."

[empress_without_a_throne]

... It's not really a title with any real meaning. Like I said, I'm an empress without an empire.

[fire_dancer]

"I think I get it, so you were intended to be one but it didn't go anywhere?"