Artemis woke from the long-lost memory —the memory of how she ended up here. She pulled herself up from her bed, rolling her shoulders on her scarred back. "What should I do...?" Artemis mumbled to herself, a half-lidded stare drifting off to the door of her own bedroom. The bed sank beneath her weight as she pulled herself off it, squeezing through the door to her room before crossing over to the kitchen, opening the fridge, and looking for food. There wasn't much there, Beatrice being still asleep, resorting to ordering food for both of them with what meager spending she had, looking over the noble girl.
Artemis ate what she could, ordering herself Diabolus-based Emoren food, packed to the brim with Diabolus Rice, tomato sauce, tacos, and more. It was her first time trying her culture's food, but she indulged. Beatrice woke up soon after, as the smell of food wafted into her bedroom, staggering to the kitchen counter where Artemis had set everything out.
"Oh shit..." Beatrice slurred. "Looks like you're lookin' into your roots, huh?" Beatrice chuckled, taking a bite of a quesadilla Artemis bought for her.
"I'm..." Artemis spoke while chewing. "Chthonic but... yeah."
"Well..." Beatrice shrugged. "The only similarity is your skin color, really."
"Maybe it's because I'm part Joliat?"
"You're part Joliat?"
Artemis nodded. "It's why I'm tall. I would've been shorter amongst my allies if I weren't."
"I can't imagine you being short. I don't think it would work. You fit more as the... towering thing you are." Beatrice gestured at Artemis.
Artemis let out a small, breathy chuckle, scooping up some rice and biting down, savoring every bite. A memory of a different time echoed within her mind. A memory that started with her shoveling rations from a scrap container into her mouth, wearing Sangilo Scout Armor sporting a scratchy, yellow paint job, slowly peeling off with each mission. Biceps and neck exposed compared to the fully covered Hunter-Killer wear, acting more like power armor than your average set.
A Batthian blizzard crashed against their cargo copter holding a variety of different scouts of a similar age to her own, watched over by a group of four Hunter-Killers. Artemis placed the container into a thin gap between her seat and the scout beside her, that same scout strapping a mask over their mouth, and Artemis mimicked them, sliding the mask over her own mouth.
The container they were all kept in shook periodically before the speed of their copter slowed significantly, and they landed in a vast expanse of snow. The doors to the copter slid open, Hunter-Killers leaving first, and the scouts followed. Artemis held a Burst Assaulter with both hands, scanning the environment, her slitted pupils thinning out almost instinctively. Why had we landed here? The question echoed throughout their minds, searching for a reason with their guiding compatriots, the Hunter-Killers.
Silently, one of the Hunter-Killers pointed out into the blinding blizzard ahead of the group, and the silhouette of a rebel compound came into view. Artemis's ears flicked to the sound of something outside of their range sifting through the snow. She spun around to see what it was, but nothing was there. Artemis thought it was safe to make an assumption; however, she turned back toward her group to speak up, only to be interrupted by the sound of a missile whistling through the air.
The Hunter-Killers were the first to react, throwing the scouts to the ground as their copter carrier was blown to smithereens by a small-arms missile that could have only come from a trap or a mech pilot. The Sangilo went on alert, Artemis rushing to assist her allies before being cut off by a soldier clad in all white, significantly smaller than she was, a blade similar to her own directed at her.
A Sangilo Scout up against a Fuurhan Fatali, deadly warriors of Batthia known for their combat expertise that rivaled the Sangilo, with no genetic mutations to boot, just the natural intake of Ambrosia, and fighting spirit.
The Fatali lunged forward, the tip of their blade meeting Artemis's chestplate momentarily as she jumped back, stumbling over herself as her feet sank deep into the snow below. The Fatali has the advantage. They had been practically raised in an environment like this, whilst for most of the Sangilo here, this was their first time being stuck in a battle like this.
The Fatali would have, as they say, a homefield advantage.
Everything in this world is separated into different sides. If you haven't picked a side, that is a fault of yours as a person —you do not fit into the world, an outcast who could not find a side to fit in. It is in mortal nature to clash with one another, to have conflict with one another, whether it is through violence, debate, or otherwise—those who live and die struggle to accept that a person may be different from one another.
Through this arms race to prove each other right, progress is made on a broad scale, and those caught up in it are more often than not changed by it and cast aside, as if they had not brought about this new age to begin with.
Artemis clashed blades with a Fatali at sixteen years of age. She pushed back against her pursuer, even through this challenging terrain. They grappled and threw one another, Artemis, with one use of her speed implement, gaining the advantage she needed to kill the Fatali in cold blood.
Soon after, another Fatali slipped into the fray, tackling Artemis to the ground. Artemis threw them off her, but... wherever they were, something gave way. The ground dipped beneath their feet, and they fell into the abyss below.
What even is the right choice in a conflict filled with violence? There is a correct choice, but when you're at the end of another's blade, the choices become blurred, and it's a debate on whose survival is worth more. One, or the other's? Who can prove their worth in this vast expanse of a universe?
At the bottom of a ravine, sporting a broken leg and a variety of fractures and bruises, Artemis found her answer. She stared at the injured Fatali in front of her, both conscious and awake, sharing similar injuries.
Two choices were presented to her then. The first: survive, prove your worth-- take out the enemy before they can do the same to you. The second option eluded her as she looked over at her enemy, bleary-eyed. The first decision wasn't even an option anymore, as all the strength in her body felt as if it had been sapped away. Was it her choice in this situation? No, it was the illusion of choice; her choices were taken away from her the instant she was forced to become a dog of the Imperium.
And even then, the choices she would have here were stolen from her the instant she closed her eyes, her body giving out on her as she fell into unconsciousness. Nonetheless, two choices had to be made that day. It was not a choice she had to make, however.
Kill your enemy before that can kill you? Or be made a traitor by trying to survive, helping the enemy so they can help you?
Artemis woke up, lay against the black stone of a cave, head propped up against something soft. Artemis blinked, looking up to see the face of a dark-skinned woman with silver-white eyes, black hair draped over her head and shoulders. This woman wore the armor of the Fatali. Artemis's breath hitched, and before a word could exit her mouth, a knife was slowly and carefully placed against Artemis's throat.
"Ou konnen... Mwen te gade w epi mwen pa t ka kwè je m kounye a ke yo te retire mask sa a sou figi w..." She gestured to Artemis's mouth, the mask that had been there previously still in place. "A child... they sent a child..." The woman sighed.
Artemis closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate, but was slapped in response, causing her to open her eyes again, wide, confused. "You..."
"Stop that!" The woman, frustrated, pulled the blade away from Artemis's throat. "Do not give in like that! Do not give up!"
"Why won't you kill me?"
"Ti fi sòt. I am not going to kill a young woman, especially not a child like yourself."
"I am a warrior--"
"Ou pa ta dwe! No child should be made a warrior, fi fou!" The woman scratched her head, "Why do you not fight back in your position?"
Why didn't she? Why did Artemis not struggle against the woman's grasp? Artemis couldn't find a reason why she couldn't, but she also couldn't find a reason why she should, but the words came out before she could think them. "I don't want to..."
"Why? Èske w alèz?"
Artemis paused, taking in her words for a moment. "Comfortable?"
"Are you?"
"I don't know..."
"You understand my tongue..." The woman registered, examining Artemis's face. "I'm Selavi. What is your name?"
"I... don't have one."
"What do they address you as?"
Artemis blinked. "My code arrangement is A4T3M15."
Selavi thought about it for a moment. Both of them were ruminating in silence before she looked back down at Artemis with those crystal white eyes. "Artemis. It would be easier to call you that. It fits, no?"
"I suppose."
"Selavi," Kumi repeated the name to herself, resting a cheek on her hand, legs hanging loosely over the edge of a building on the Lumanbell Academy's campus. Artemis stood beside her, staring out to the Academy as well, both of them feeling the wind beat against their faces. "That's a pretty name."
"It wasn't her name, however..." Artemis mumbled. "That's life. That's what she essentially called herself. It isn't as if it wasn't a name someone could have, but... it wasn't hers, y'know?"
"It was how you were named Artemis?"
Artemis nodded, affirming Kumi. "She made the hard choice."
"Why bring this up to me? Have you made a decision?"
"No... I was thinking that... the decision she made must've been a hard one, regardless of whether I was young or not. Was it the right decision she made? Is there even a right decision? She just chose one that helped her sleep at night."
Kumi chuckled. "Would you be able to sleep at night if you didn't choose me?"
Artemis stood there in silence for an entire minute, the sound of wind flooding into her eardrums. As the winds died down, she looked over to Kumi. "No."
Kumi laughed. "You're so honest." Then, as her laugh died down, she paused. "How does the story end? You and Selavi?"
Artemis didn't answer, but sat down beside Kumi. "I want to talk more..."
Kumi smiled. "Okay... sister to sister talk." A beat, "What do you want to talk about?"
Artemis sat there for another solid minute, contemplating. "I want to know more about you. What do you like? What are your dreams?"
"What are yours?"
"I don't really have any dreams at the moment..." A beat. "Maybe music? I'd love to make songs..."
"Yeah... that's a dream. Better to have a dream than none. Anything else? There has to be more, right?"
The corners of Artemis's mouth curled up into a smile. "Wasn't this supposed to be about you?"
"Well... I want to hear more about you as well." Kumi chucked. "Guess we're stuck, huh?"
"We can exchange. I've said a lot about myself already."
"Alright... yeah." Kumi searched for an answer to Artemis's question. "My dream... is to fall in love."
"Fall in love?"
"You know... romance! I want to fall in love! Not... familial, or otherwise... just... romantic. I've watched others fall in love as well, and... it just..." Kumi sighed longingly. "You know the hug we shared... from what I could tell, it's as warm as that. Am I making sense?"
Artemis thought on it for a moment, but shook her head. "I'm unsure what you're trying to say."
"Haven't you watched or read any romance stories yet?"
Artemis paused to think for a moment before shaking her head. "No... I haven't. I've been mostly focused on watching over Beatrice and music..."
Kumi scoffed. "Come on~! You gotta get into more than that! Try some movies! Watch them with that Beatrice girl you care too much about!" Kumi laughed, playfully shoving Artemis's shoulder.
Artemis nodded. "Yeah... no. That makes sense. I'll think about it-- maybe suggest it?"
"Unless the little noble girl doesn't even watch movies to begin with." Kumi chuckled.
Artemis chuckled in sympathy, shrugging. "Maybe? We don't talk too much. Not for long anyway... except for that one time..."
"One time?"
"We were at a... I'd say a fake massage parlor-- Scalpers ambushed us, but before then, we had a nice, long talk." Artemis paused. "She told me about her brother, who was assassinated eight years ago. She had a lot to say... it was nice. Her brother seemed to have been a very kind person."
"I see... Is she aware that the Benejestria was involved?"
Artemis scanned Kumi. "Yeah."
Kumi hissed through her teeth. "Damn... don't think she's like me, then. Not like it would change much since I made it obvious that the Benejestria had sent me, yeah?" A beat, "Did you tell her?"
"Jackal already knew. So I already knew... I'm sure Jackal had already told Beatrice."
"Well..." Kumi contemplated for a moment. "You should go and watch a movie with her anyway? Something like a date?"
"A date... No... it makes sense. I think it would be fun."
"You want to know more about her?"
"I want to know more about a lot of people. I... I would like for us to be friends."
"Are you not already?"
"I'm not sure."
"So... you guys can actually be... friends. Befriend her... maybe something more~?" Kumi nudged Artemis, who gave little to no reaction, more confused than anything. "Come on! Humor me."
"What are you implying?"
"Romance!"
Artemis chuckled. "I don't even know where that would even apply."
"I dunno! You never know!" Kumi laughed.
"I'd rather learn what the implications of such a concept are first before I go about speculating, or encouraging any speculating between me and the relationship of another I know."
"Fair enough. Any movies you've been curious about? That could assist with any ideas on what you two can watch."
"No... not necessarily. Ever since I had entered Lumanbell, I've only been in the Academy other than our stint in the De Oro's territory. Haven't found anything that's caught my attention yet... I think maybe being introduced to a way I could watch... could help? I've been able to listen to a lot more music recently-- if it weren't for Breinhen, I wouldn't have known that I could connect to the internet in that way."
"Hm..."
"Love... huh?"
"Curious now?"
"I'm curious about a lot of things."
Later, the next day, Artemis proposed the question to Beatrice. "I'm curious about watching movies. Would you like to watch something together? Have any recommendations?"
Beatrice sat there for a moment, shocked that Artemis had even bothered to ask anything like that to begin with. "You want to watch a movie together? With me?"
"Y-Yeah... is that a problem? I'd like it if we became more friendly and... I... I don't know. I realized I've never actually seen any movies before, and I heard it was a good place to learn about romance and love."
"N-Now, hold on." Beatrice chuckled, holding a finger up to Artemis. "You didn't say anything about romance in your initial question. Where is that coming from?"
"Well... I wanted to watch movies cause I heard you could learn about love and romance from them. I don't understand those concepts. I would like to, however."
Beatrice rubbed her face. "Yeah... okay." Beatrice scoffed and shrugged. "Whatever, yeah. I don't mind."
"I... I..." Artemis took a step forward, almost hovering over Beatrice. "I'd hope we can become friends as well!"
"W-What!?" Beatrice couldn't help but laugh. "Uh... okay? Sure." She then paused. "Well... if you really want that... actually." She kissed her teeth. "If you want to become friends so badly, I should apologize. I wasn't the best host to you for our first few days together. I heard about the shit you, Sangilo, did and was blinded. I'm not like that normally, so..." Beatrice shrugged. "Yeah! Sure, we can be friends!"
Artemis staggered back, ears fluttering, tail flicking excitedly. She didn't know how to feel at first, and only after a few seconds had passed, a massive, bright smile was pulled across her face. "O-Okay!"
Beatrice hesitated at that bright, innocent smile of Artemis's for a moment. "S-So... have any idea what you want to watch?"
Artemis shook her head. "I'm relying more on you."
Beatrice nodded. "O-Okay... yeah. I'll go and find something. We can search something up. Uh... sit with me?"
Artemis nodded, sitting right beside Beatrice, the couch visibly sinking against her weight. "So... what are we doing?"
Beatrice shrugged. A screen projected into the air in front of them both. "I'm just planning on going through and seeing if there are any movies we can watch. Nothing like scrolling around to see if we can find something, y'know?"
"O-Okay!" Artemis leaned into the couch, staring at the screen curiously. "Are... movies good?"
"There are a lot of good movies. That's for sure." Beatrice hooked a wire from her Spinal Pauldron into her seat, which was directly connected to the screen in front of her; her optics flickered with blue light, indicating she had been chipped into her TV.
Artemis could visibly see as she flicked through a variety of movies, her hand twitching as if she were physically scrolling down the list with a remote. They sat there in silence for a minute or two, Artemis having looked away during that time, just watching it all play out.
"There are some mockumentaries about Perses-- wait, shit..." Beatrice grimaced. "Sorry, yeah. Romance, you wanted to watch stuff about romance, right?" Beatrice looked over at Artemis, who nodded.
After another moment of silence, Artemis finally spoke up. "I asked someone recently if they had a dream... a goal. They asked me if I had a dream... and I... I couldn't give as clear an answer as I wanted."
"What did you tell 'em?"
"Music... I wanted to make music."
Beatrice nodded, still flicking through movies. "Not a bad answer. Do you really want to make songs? Music?"
"I think so... at the very least. I want to know more about it... become better at it."
Beatrice chuckled. "I'm surprised you've latched onto music so heavily out of so many forms of entertainment, y'know? Maybe you'll find new passions other than music, y'know?"
"Maybe... but I really like music so far. It's beautiful. The sounds you can create... even when you don't know how ot play..."
"You have... an interesting perspective. I'm impressed. You say these things as if you've lived for hundreds of years-- as if you're more experienced than you are."
"It's just... y'know. I've almost died a lot of times. I can't help but appreciate it... I feel like you're right. Maybe I'll feel the same way I do now for movies... art... uh... I don't know if there is more." Artemis laughed.
Beatrice smiled in sympathy. "There's plenty more. There are plays... uh... different variations of art. There is a lot of art in the world. There are games! Games are pretty fuckin' sick!"
"Games..."
"Okay... so here's what I'm thinking. We could watch a classic, like Killia's Last Day Above —it's a bit sad, though, or... we could watch Something Stupid-- guess it was named after a song? I've only watched Killia's Last Day Above, though."
Artemis doesn't say anything for a moment, but leans over to Beatrice, "I'm fine with either or."
"We'll do Killia then!" Beatrice chuckled. "It's about a Mercenary Pilot in the Bridges Division (Courier Services). They do deliveries and fall in love... I'll keep the rest a secret."
"Okay... What do you mean that they fall in love?"
"They fall in love with something... won't say what or who, though. It's more fun if you experience it yourself."
"Interesting..." Artemis mumbled as the movie started.
***
A mech slid into view, carrying a metal cage with objects tightly bundled within it, all pressed against the machine's back. It overlooked the ruins of a city outside the Mercenary city of Atlantis. The bridge was grey, looking almost as if it had been turned to stone or encased in ash. The Perses Mech had seemingly just gotten out of a rut, the previous battle clearly having caused its pilot's will to wane—Killia, an older woman with short black hair and sharp eyes.
She rolled her tongue across her lower teeth, slumping into the backrest of her cockpit. She was latched to a variety of devices, one of which seemed to be cycling her blood through some canister, her Spinal Pauldron directly hooked up to the machine she was piloting.
Her thoughts are interrupted by a voice. "Are you okay? You don't look okay."
"Who are you!?" Killia screamed, looking around the cockpit for an answer. "Who the hell are you? How are you communicating with me through the holo!? Do I know you!?"
"O-Okay! Okay... calm down."
"Are you some wirejacker!? Neuromancy leadhead!? Get the f--"
"No! I-- Listen, please! Just quiet down!"
"Who the fuck are you!?"
"I'm your transport!"
Killia paused, turning her head towards the package on her Perses Mech's back. "W-What? What are you talking about? You like... some person put in a deprivation tank or...?"
"No... no. You know how a Hellwall was placed around Relicta and Mundo Ahumado's networks? I'm from the Hellwall, simple as."
"W-What!?"
Artemis was confused, looking over to Beatrice, who was enjoying every second of the movie, munching on some popcorn she had gotten midway through the first action sequence. "I-Is it an AI?"
Beatrice shrugged. "Yeah, sorta, sorta not. You'll find out." She chuckled, letting the movie play on.
"Killia! Please! You can give me up, you don't have to go so far!" Some time had passed since their first official meeting in the movie. Killia is rocketing through space, past Overseer forces as they attempt to stop her from entering the Relicta Solar System. Still, through sheer determination, she reached it: Mundo Ahumado.
At this point, Killia had been running ragged, exhausted. She wanted to die proud, not giving someone away to become a slave, even if they're an Artificial Intelligence. She crashed into the planet's orbit, and after a week, she had fully recovered.
The entire movie had built up to the moment where Killia and the body of her AI companion would meet, and finally they had, and all she could find was a rotting corpse that remained of their original body.
The remainder of the movie is dedicated to finding her newly acquired friend a real body, building their relationship from friendly acquaintances to something much closer. It isn't inherently romantic, but it's close, close enough that she sleeps beside the sounds of the AI's voice or takes comfort in its massive embrace as it temporarily takes over her Perses's physical body.
The movie lingered on the slower moments: the character interactions, the intimacy between a human and a machine.
"No! Aei! No!" Killia cried out, pulling themselves across the floor as their ship was rocketed out of Mundo Ahumado. Killia could feel her sanity leaving her —body fusing with her cybernetics, Aei, the AI, putting their life on the line to delay, or even outright stop, this process from persisting: Biomorphosis. "S-Stop! Y-You can't! You can't have me leave like this!"
"Killia." Their voice was distorted, breath hitching with every spoken word. "Just... calm down. I-It'll be alright... okay?"
"No! W-We could've done it! We could've given you a body, and we could've escaped!"
"There's no way..." Aei chuckled. "It's why I wanted you to abandon me... we were doomed the instant we got here. The virus is too powerful... it's.... at the very least though... I... I at least want to let you leave alive... to live an everyday life... to... to not be taken like me--" Aei is cut off, voice distorting as they lose themselves more and more to whatever was outside the Hellwall to Ahumado.
"Aei!"
"Please..." The effects of biomorphosis recede. "Please... remember me... okay? Cause... cause you only die when you're forgotten... ain't that right?"
"Aei!" Killia cried out, her voice cracking as her ship exited Relicta's system. Then, and only then, is she entirely cut off from Aei's holo.
Beatrice snickered as she watched Artemis look wide-eyed at the screen, holding a pillow as tightly as she could. The cocky attitude Beatrice had, however, was interrupted as Artemis's tail wrapped around her wrist, startling the young noble woman.
After the credits had rolled, Artemis looked to Beatrice, a smile on her face. "T-That was amazing! I... are there more movies like this?"
Beatrice pried Artemis's tail off her wrist and nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah! Of course! We can watch another movie another time! For now, wanna get some food?"
"Yeah... okay." Artemis nodded.
Selavi looked up at the top of the ravine, rubbing her arms to warm herself, steam rising from her breath. She looked back at the young Artemis, still recovering from her broken leg. She nodded to herself, "Bon... we'll get out of here. I want to try to find us a warmer region we can stay in." She crossed over to the young Emoren girl, throwing her over her shoulders, grunting as she pulled herself up, standing straight. "Okay... okay..."
"Why are you doing this?" Artemis questioned, groaning in sympathy. "W-Why... why are you keeping me alive?"
Selavi looked back to the top of the ravine, watching as light cascaded down icy stalagmites. "Mwen p'ap kite yon timoun pouri isit la." Selavi shook her head, taking a step forward to their escape from this abyss. "I only broke my arm in the fall. I have enough strength to get us out of this."
"I may be young... but... that shouldn't change the fact that I am a burden, and that I have killed one of your comrades."
"Fè fache ak pale sa a! I do not want to hear it! I'm not a moron. I know all of you fools are brainwashed! So... I'm getting you out of here... and we're running. Turn over a new leaf." Selavi swallowed hard. "Everyone deserves a second chance, timoun. And by everyone..." She chuckled to herself, almost tripping against a rock buried beneath snow. "This does not actually go for everyone, but... y'know. Most people deserve it, I mean! Don't want to cause a misunderstanding, yeah?" She continued to laugh as she pushed herself through the rugged terrain.