When Ticia and her group entered the hall where the party was held, they saw that the party had already begun.
There was one thing people took notice immediately when they entered, and that is the fact that the most important figures of each great factions were not present, in fact, from the Twil faction, Ticia only saw David Fika. This was a mark of opposition to their faction from the others, but also meant that the celebratory party had become a small recruiting party for their new faction.
People were discussing in small groups here and there, while taking drinks from the robots that passed around with food and drinks, it was during such moments that people talked business or politics with one another Most of those people were well dressed, and only a small fraction wore military uniforms, albeit with a lot of medals and decorations, unlike Ticia's group. Ticia and the ECGs wore gray Borkian uniforms, but they matched Rika's own uniform with visible rank insignas and the same color paterns of her brigade.
Needless to say that attention was drawn on them as soon as they entered the hall.
"Brigadier-General, you're finally here." Rowla said as she approached the group. She too wore her uniform, something that all faction members had agreed upon was to show unity in dressing during events.
She sent a small nod towards Ticia, also acknowledging her presence.
"Sorry for the delay, we had some last minute preparations to do." Rika said amicably, taking a glass of wine from a passing robot.
"It's fine, General Poltok and I took care of everything while you were away." Rowla said back with a smile, sending a glance towards Berdo. He was talking to a group of old people, who seemed to listen to him with interest. Both Ticia and Rika could guess that these people were his old acquaintances.
"And you brought a big company with you, too." Rowla commentend, drawing attention on Ticia and her daughters. When Ticia felt the gazes of everyone who was listening, she smiled internally. Just like they had planned, with this small talk, attention was drawn to her.
The new faction she was part of did not come unprepared to this party. They planned to gather as much support as possible from the people present there.
Yes, they had the support of the president, but not of his faction. Right now, they were only a group of soldiers who proclaimed themselves as a new party, that was it. In order to really exerce influence and be recognised by other factions, they would need to grow in numbers.
But who could be trusted in this case? Knowing the other person's character would take more than some words around a drink, and so, Ticia proposed to use one of her daughters to find true allies…
David Fika approached them, a smile on his face.
"Brigadier-General Rika, I wanted to talk to you." He raised his hand for a handshake, but before Rika could take back his hand, a small hand took hers.
Ticinia held Rika’s hands tightly, and seemed a bit agitated. That was a signal for Rika and Ticia, and their mood immediately changed.
Sensing the change, Fika kept his smile, but retrieved his hand. He then sent a look towards Ticinia, who flinched.
"Is that a clone child? I’ve heard in the reports that we got some, but I didn’t expect to meet one tonight."
Before he could get any closer, both Rika and Ticia stood in front of him, blocking his view of Ticinia, or any Null CG for that matter. Fika could only look at the second person blocking his view.
"And this is… The Clone Mother, right? I am delighted to see clones like you serve our glorious nation." He continued, a smile still on his face.
"Sir." Ticia replied, a hint of hostility in her voice. "I swore my loyalty to General Rika, not the Confederation. I don’t want to receive orders from someone like you."
The general’s eyebrows twitched in response, and gasps could be heard from those who overheard the discussion. What Ticia just said could be considered dangerous. Fortunately, Rika followed up.
"And I serve the Borkian Confederation’s interests, as long as I am the one commanding them, our nation will prosper." She declared with a small smile. A small silence emerged as David Fika was weighing her words, before he nodded.
"...I see. I’m glad to hear that, Miss Rika. we have the same goal, it seems." He said brightening his smile to Rika.
"Miss Rika, let's go eat some cake over there." Ticinia said as she pulled the sleeve of Rika's uniform. There was a bit of urgency in her voice.
"Alright, I'm kind of hungry myself, so if you'll excuse me." Rika smiled kindly and apologized, before leaving with Ticinia and ECG-100 towards a table where one man and two women were discussing.
Ticia and her daughters were now left to face Fika, but now that Rika was not here, Ticia and her daughters showed some clear hostility towards the man. Sensing it, the general fell back.
"I shall take my leave too, then." He said, before going straight for the exit.
"Well, there he goes." Ticia mumbled, releasing a sigh after the man disappeared from sight.
"...I still have a hard time believing this clone has that kind of ability…" Rowla replied back, frowning a little as she looked at Ticinia. She did not comment on the hostility Ticia showed, because she knew David Fika was not an ally from the beginning.
"Oh believe me, she just saved our ass there." Ticia replied with a smile, sending a warm glance towards the daughter that was now eating some chocolate cake happily. That was the first time the girl reacted so strongly to negative emotions, and now Ticia felt some pain in her chest because she was the one who brought her daughter here with this purpose in mind.
"You've seen for yourself what she's capable of, so expect new members soon. Speaking of, anything new from that person?"
"Yes, all the academy's matters have been settled." Rowla replied back, and Ticia frowned.
"Everything?" She asked.
"Yes, everything." Rowla nodded back with a serious look. "The principal did protest at first, but after some strong-armed negotiations, and some bribes to the good people, everything was accepted. After this party, please inform the general that her new post as 'advisor teacher' has been accepted, and that she is expected to report tomorrow to the principal's office just before the entrance ceremony."
"Will do." Ticia replied back, satisfied with the results.
Truth to be told, she did not want her precious daughters to be left unattended in the academy, and so she asked Rika, who knew the academy, to stay with her daughters while she was away on missions.
Rika had agreed immediately, saying that she could also use her name there to gain fresh recruits to their side. She also advised for some of the ECGs to stay behind as bodyguards as well so that they could develop their emotions and learn from the 'enemy'. The academy permitted students to have some bodyguards anyway, so Ticia acquiesced the demand. Developing each of her girls’ personalities was also one of her intentions from the get go.
As for Rika's brigade, it would be put under Berdo's command until everything within the academy was done.
Ticia then looked at her daughters. "Nia, you relay the info to the general, and after that, go say hello to General Poltok."
"Yes, mother." Nia replied calmly, unlike her usual self, before going directly to Berdo. Another ECG followed after her. She had entered full acting mode, and was now playing the role of an obedient child accompanying her mother to the party.
"Then, I'll take my own leave." Rowla said, excusing herself. "If you need anything, tell me."
Ticia was now left with her remaining daughters, but not for long, as some curious people greeted her and asked her questions. Most of those questions came from military spheres, and asked the value her daughters had. She and ECG-001 exchanged with some of them on the tactics and gears they used, trying to satisfy them.
Some were more personal, like why all clones were female, why she was called ‘mother’ when all other clones referred to themselves as ‘sisters’, or why she had chosen to follow Rika.
To those questions, she answered with a smile. To the first, she answered that the clone installation where she was born only had female templates for clones. To the second, she replied that clones had a strict hierarchy that was set since their birth. She was set up as the one in charge and the most free minded of all the others from their birth to now, hence why she got the name ‘mother’ to distinguish herself from the others.
As for the last question, she answered that depending on the clone in charge of the others, in other words, her, the conditions changed. Rika was the only one who filled in all the boxes she had put up, so she decided to entrust her future and the ones of the other clones to Rika.
There were some specific questions that were addressed specifically towards Licia, and this allowed Ticia to boast about the girl and the Null CGs as being ‘special’, something Licia was very embarrassed about.
Ticia smiled to herself after multiple exchanges. So far, all of the events that happened were going as planned for her. One thing she was thankful for was the lack of scientists, or more precisely, people interested in dissecting her and her girls, something she was not keen on.
With her ability to feel emotions, Ticinia guided Rika towards people who did not look at them with perturbing afterthoughts, and since Nia was such a good actor, she proved of great help in meetings, acting like a model clone. The ECGs were here to act as guards, but also as examples of grown up clones and their abilities, bringing some field experience and ancient forgotten knowledge about military tactics.
Not only that, showing the Null Class clone girls provoked interest in their cases. After all, they showed way more emotions than the ECGs, and they could hint their ‘superiority’ in ability and authority to their sisters. In other words, they could also act as good baits for greedy people Ticia would have to keep an eye on.
She hated the fact that she had to use her daughters like this, but decided to still do so. Nothing would make her go back on her decision back on Brelia 7 after all, and if she could eliminate the threat before it reached them… It would only be beneficial for them.
As for Licia, the only reason she was here was personal to Ticia.
She had not told her daughters about her plans, in fear of them acting without her consent. She only told the concerned clone girls the strict necessary for this party. This did not mean she would not tell them her plans however, she needed to show more trust in her daughters after all. This was the reason why, before arriving at Borkian Prime City, she decided to partially tell her plans to both Licia, her first daughter, and ECG-001, the one in command of the other ECGs.
Both of them showed full support of her plans, and Licia was happy her mother shared her plans with her first. She even called herself ‘mommy's right hand girl’, which made Ticia smile warmly every time she heard this.
"Pardon my rudeness." Her reverie was interrupted once she heard those words. A man in a meticulously decorated outfit stood in front of her.
"My name is Bernie de Provin, I think you already know this, but I am the ambassador of the Phillio techno-empire."
"Yes, I remember." Ticia said, faking a smile. "How may this clone help you, ambassador?"
"Mh, you're already helping me by talking with me." The ambassador replied with a smile of his own, but before Ticia could ask him what he meant, he changed the subject. "I just want to say, this is quite a good show you put in front of everyone before. An...'oath', was it? Yes, truly impressive…"
This shook Ticia and her group. Just now, Bernie had hinted that he knew the oath was fake.
"...Whatever are you trying to say, ambassador?" She asked, still smiling, but she and her daughters released a slightly deathly aura, but to her surprise, the ambassador did not falter.
"Nothing much, nothing much, this is Borkian politics after all, and my country just signed a new alliance for its own reasons, as you might expect."
The man said, laughing it off as if it was nothing, before his smile deepened…
"But you see, the alliance offer we made was not destined to the Borkian Confederation as a whole, but rather at your faction."
"!?!" Ticia tensed up at this mention. Why was he mentioning this to her, and why did she not know anything about this…
"You're probably asking yourself why, right? Well, because nobody knows yet, and the main reason we want to ally ourselves with your faction is you and your… ‘daughters’." The man replied after reading her thoughts.
"...What do you want…" She asked, this time with a somewhat hostile look.
"Me? Nothing much. I was just ordered to relay to you that her majesty Laurelette Irma Luz de Phillio is interested in you…"
"Her… Majesty?" Ticia replied, bewildered. She did not expect direct attention from a foreign monarch.
"Do not get her majesty wrong, she is not planning to do anything bad to you or your fellow clones." The ambassador added quickly. "Her majesty is just curious, so if we could plan a meeting at a later date…"
"I'll think about it." Ticia answered immediately. This was as good as a rejection, but the ambassador did not seem bothered by it.
"That is enough for me." He said, nodding at Ticia's words. "We will keep a certain degree of contact with one another anyway, since her imperial majesty's little sister is going to attend the Borkian Military academy as proof of our goodwill."
This was a piece of information that surprised Ticia, and for a good reason. No such announcements had been made whatsoever, which was strange seeing the person's social status and the Borkian’s ways of boasting…
"With that said, we'll see each other soon, Clone Mother."
"..."
She watched as the ambassador left the place entirely, thinking about the ambassador's words just now…
"...Licia."
"Yes, mother?" Licia reacted to her mother's call as Ticia had a very serious look.
"Be careful about that princess, alright? If you ever think she's off to something with one of you… contact me or Rika immediately."
"Understood."
Ticia did not know which princess would be sent, but she knew one thing about the empire: The relationship between empress Laurelette Irma Luz de Phillio and her numerous half-siblings were not that good, hence why the empire had already suffered two civil wars and eleven secessions attempts in the last seven years since she had taken the throne. Whoever was sent might not act according to the empresses' orders, if those were truly friendly as the ambassador claimed…
"I need to change my ideas a bit…" She sighed, taking a glass of wine from the passing robot and slowly drinking it, the ECGs doing the same, for some reason. That definitely was not the type of talks she wanted to have tonight, not that she ever wanted to be here in the first place.
Licia watched her mother with a curious look. "Mom?"
"Mh? What is it, dear?" Ticia asked, her thoughts melting away just by thinking of her daughter. But her daughter’s next words left her speechless.
"Can I also drink?" Licia asked innocently, looking at Ticia’s glass of red wine.
"..." Ticia had a hard time to reboot on that one, but in the end, she refused. "Sorry, dear, but I don't think that's a good idea. You're still too young."
She was fine with the ECGs drinking a bit, since they technically were adults, but it was a bit too soon for the Null CGs. Not only that, if she were to let them drink, Rika would probably kill her…
"Okay…" Licia said, clearly sad to be refused, but did not ask anymore despite her clear interest in the beverage.
"You've become such a sweetheart, Licia…" Ticia could not help herself from patting the girl’s head, which served as good consolation. The both of them enjoyed this small mother-daughter moment, as nobody wanted to interrupt the both of them, not that the ECGs would let them do that anyway…
"Miss Ticia." A voice Ticia had grown used to called out from behind her.
"Oh, Andrew." She said, turning to face the man with a smile. "What is it?"
"Am I interrupting something perhaps?" Andrew said hesitantly, seeing that Licia was pouting and sending him a cute deathglare, but also sensing some unusual wariness from the ECGs next to them.
"No, it's fine." Ticia said, reassuring him. "So? What did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to present one of my best friends to you." He said, and Ticia finally noticed the other person standing next to him. It was a woman in a dark blue military uniform, and she emanated a hostile aura.
"Pleasure to meet you, ‘Miss Ticia’, I am Nathalia Ender, ship captain of the destroyer BCNS Faithful Vow, and just like Andrew said, his childhood friend." The woman said, not hiding her hostility towards Ticia, who was a bit shocked at first.
"... I see." She nodded, doing a handshake with Nathalia. She understood what the problem was. "The pleasure is mine too, Miss Ender, and don't worry, I have no feelings towards your childhood friend."
"Eh?" Andrew let out a surprised voice, while Nathalia’s hostility suddenly disappeared.
"I see, thank you for telling me, and sorry for my actions just now." The woman said, letting out a small sigh of relief. Ticia’s direct answer had convinced her that she had no feelings whatsoever towards Andrew. “When he began talking about you a lot, I was a bit worried, you see…"
During the three weeks after the battle, Andrew often came to meet with her. The reason was that he wanted to talk tactics, and ways to improve himself, but was too ashamed to ask Rika or Berdo in person, seeing the differences in ranks. Ticia had agreed, making the ECGs participate in the talk, and because she was curious about the young man who received praise from her friend.
Both she and Andrew did not block themselves with formalities when talking, and with Ticia being less wary of the surrounding people thanks to her daughters, they became close friends quickly. But that was all, Ticia did not think of love matters. All that mattered to her was her daughters’ well being.
"He’s quite dense, isn’t he?" Ticia said with a knowing smile, there were some actions the man did who could easily be misunderstood.
"That he is. That caused me a lot of problems, in fact." Nathalia replied with a sigh, before looking at Andrew with a loving gaze. "But that’s why I love him."
Both ended up giggling.
"Uhm, what are you two talking about?" Andrew asked, not understanding the conversation.
""Nothing.""
"..."
"I've heard from Andrew that you saved his life on Brelia 7?" Nathalia asked.
"Well, not quite…" Ticia replied, scratching her cheek.
"Even if it wasn't him in particular, it is clear that your actions with Brigadier-General Doe- I mean, Rika, were what ended up saving him that day. So I thank you for that." Nathalia bowed her head a little. "I was part of the navy's detachment to Brelia 7, but since I was on my ship, I couldn't do much but pray for his well being…"
"Nath…" Andrew said with a voice filled with emotions.
"Also, is it true that you were with Brigadier-General in all her battles?!" In a sudden change of mood, the woman closed in on Ticia with stars in her eyes, which surprised Ticia.
"Y-yes?"
"Ah, such an honor to meet a veteran and close aide to the Unkillable Valkyrie…" Nathalia suddenly began to mumble incomprehensive words as her cheeks became red, bewildering Ticia further.
"Sorry for her state, Nath is always like that when it comes to Miss Rika. That's why I avoided meeting directly with her." Andrew said from the side, sighing, but Ticia noted to herself that the man himself was not a better case since he still refused to address either her or Rika by name only.
"I see, so I am the stopgap measure huh?" She said with a small smile on her face, which made Andrew a bit tense.
"W-well, I would not go so far, but yes, that's the gist of it." The man admited, before straightening himself and looking at her with a serious expression. "Miss Ticia, do you know the situation of the Borkians spaceship fleet?"
"Of course." Ticia replied back seriously, sensing the seriousness.
The Borkian fleet was divided into two separate entities, unlike other nations. The first one was the Borkian Confederation’s Navy, which was supposed to be the main branch of the naval forces, but it was never the case. Instead, the main force was the Borkian Commerce Guards.
This was a direct result of the Borkian confederation’s creation. The diverse small mercenary, escort and security groups who guarded ships from attacks refused the merge with the navy, and instead formed their own entity, creating an endless hostility between the two competing groups.
To avoid needless tensions, an arrangement had been made for both groups to stay at their places. The Borkian navy would focus on battles and spatial exploration, while the Commerce Guards would escort Borkian merchants, assure security over the trade routes, and be in charge of planetary defenses.
However, both entities were unsatisfied with those choices, and competed in the shadows to eliminate the other. Since the beginning of the Borkian Confederation, the Commerce Guards held an advantage over the Borkian navy, and that gap in power had been increasing recently…
"This is the main reason I'm here." Andrew declared. "You see, my family is rather influential in the navy…"
This explained to Ticia why Andrew was relayed to an escort unit. the military faction had probably not liked that factions from the navy went over to them in search of more power…
"When Andrew told me about your new faction, I was skeptical at first, but since it's being led by the Unkillable Valkyrie, I put my trust in him, so you can count me as one of yours." Nathalia, who had recuperated from her previous state, joined the conversation with great vigor. "I can also work towards the expansion of the faction within the ranks of the navy. In fact, all the navy officers are watching you attentively…"
"Oh? Why is that?" Ticia asked, uninterested. After all, who was not interested in her or her daughters recently?
"They believe that this new neutral faction will allow them to finally get rid of the Commerce Guards." Nathalia said in a hushed voice, which made Ticia open her eyes wide.
"...Interesting…" Ticia mumbled back, a now serious look on her face. She was already thinking about how Rika and her could use this information.
"Also, this is more on a personal level, but I wondered if clones would make good marines, or even crew members for that matter. We're quite short on manpower…" Nathalia asked somewhat suddenly, sending a hopeful look. Ticia caught the meaning behind it. It would seem that Nathalia had some plans of her own…
"Hmm… 001?" She asked the most knowledgeable daughter she had at the moment, getting curious herself on the matter. ECG-001 nodded.
"While not the specialty of me or my sisters, we do have the required knowledge in those domains…" ECG-001 said, and her sisters nodded in affirmation.
"Then…"
"I'm sorry, but both I and Rika are opposed to the idea of giving clones away at the moment." Ticia rejected the offer before it could be formed. It was not that she did not feel any trust towards the woman, but that it would be overextending her current forces. Also, she would not give away her daughters to achieve someone else’s plans so easily.
"I see… It can't be helped, I guess…" Nathalia said with a sigh, disappointment clear on her face.
"...If we ever get more clones, we might consider it." Ticia said in a nearly inaudible voice.
"!!!" Hearing those words, some hope was given back to Nathalia. "Thank you for informing me! If you need anything, please tell me!"
"My, thank you.” Ticia said with a smile, Nathalia had taken her bait. "We are indeed in need of some transport for our future missions, so your proposal is quite convenient."
"Transport?" Nathalia raised an eyebrow, before smiling. "Sure, that’s fine by me. So long as I get some extra freedom of move, that should be possible."
"I’ll ask the higher ups in the faction for some ‘special permission’ then." Ticia said with a big smile, pretty sure this request would be accepted when everything else she had asked for had been.
This was probably the most fruitful discussion she had of the entire party. While Nahalia clearly had goals of her own, Ticia did not feel any malevolent feelings directed towards her or her daughters. She would confirm later with the help of Ticinia, but Ticia felt that her hunch was right.
If so, strengthening Nathalia’s place within the Borkian navy and helping them undermine the Commerce Guards would prove beneficial to her own goals. And… If she did create more daughters, having some of them become naval officers would be of great help…
Imagining her future daughters becoming captain of spaceships, Ticia could not help herself but let out another giggle.
"Hehe."
"Fufu." Nathalia replied with a similar laugh.
The aura the two let out made Andrew fall back a little by instinct. Even the ECGs took a step back. Only Licia looked at the exchange with a good degree of understanding of what was happening, and felt excitement at the exchange.
Nobody wanted to approach the two women while they were in such a state, and Andrew swallowed the saliva in his mouth loudly.
Later, he would remember this day as the true beginning of Nathalia's rise in power. It was also the day he swore to himself to never go against his childhood friend, ever.
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there! I'm back with another chapter!
Lots of politics and interactions in this one, but what can I say, that's how it is. Ticia is expanding her link of connections for her future plans, and also introducing the navy's situation.
But more importantly, the 'offer' from the Phillio empire... Uhm, what is it I wonder... Is it, god? Or is it bad? Well, we'll see that in the next chapters...
Anyway, the party hasn't ended yet, there's still... so maybe more events are to come? Ticia's surprise didn't make an appearance yet after all...
Ahem, enough teasing from my part, it's getting late here, and I'm very tired today... So with that, that's it from me for today! I'll see you all in the next chapter!
When Ticia and her group entered the hall where the party was held, they saw that the party had already begun.
There was one thing people took notice immediately when they entered, and that is the fact that the most important figures of each great factions were not present, in fact, from the Twil faction, Ticia only saw David Fika. This was a mark of opposition to their faction from the others, but also meant that the celebratory party had become a small recruiting party for their new faction.
People were discussing in small groups here and there, while taking drinks from the robots that passed around with food and drinks, it was during such moments that people talked business or politics with one another Most of those people were well dressed, and only a small fraction wore military uniforms, albeit with a lot of medals and decorations, unlike Ticia's group. Ticia and the ECGs wore gray Borkian uniforms, but they matched Rika's own uniform with visible rank insignas and the same color paterns of her brigade.
Needless to say that attention was drawn on them as soon as they entered the hall.
"Brigadier-General, you're finally here." Rowla said as she approached the group. She too wore her uniform, something that all faction members had agreed upon was to show unity in dressing during events.
She sent a small nod towards Ticia, also acknowledging her presence.
"Sorry for the delay, we had some last minute preparations to do." Rika said amicably, taking a glass of wine from a passing robot.
"It's fine, General Poltok and I took care of everything while you were away." Rowla said back with a smile, sending a glance towards Berdo. He was talking to a group of old people, who seemed to listen to him with interest. Both Ticia and Rika could guess that these people were his old acquaintances.
"And you brought a big company with you, too." Rowla commentend, drawing attention on Ticia and her daughters. When Ticia felt the gazes of everyone who was listening, she smiled internally. Just like they had planned, with this small talk, attention was drawn to her.
The new faction she was part of did not come unprepared to this party. They planned to gather as much support as possible from the people present there.
Yes, they had the support of the president, but not of his faction. Right now, they were only a group of soldiers who proclaimed themselves as a new party, that was it. In order to really exerce influence and be recognised by other factions, they would need to grow in numbers.
But who could be trusted in this case? Knowing the other person's character would take more than some words around a drink, and so, Ticia proposed to use one of her daughters to find true allies…
David Fika approached them, a smile on his face.
"Brigadier-General Rika, I wanted to talk to you." He raised his hand for a handshake, but before Rika could take back his hand, a small hand took hers.
Ticinia held Rika’s hands tightly, and seemed a bit agitated. That was a signal for Rika and Ticia, and their mood immediately changed.
Sensing the change, Fika kept his smile, but retrieved his hand. He then sent a look towards Ticinia, who flinched.
"Is that a clone child? I’ve heard in the reports that we got some, but I didn’t expect to meet one tonight."
Before he could get any closer, both Rika and Ticia stood in front of him, blocking his view of Ticinia, or any Null CG for that matter. Fika could only look at the second person blocking his view.
"And this is… The Clone Mother, right? I am delighted to see clones like you serve our glorious nation." He continued, a smile still on his face.
"Sir." Ticia replied, a hint of hostility in her voice. "I swore my loyalty to General Rika, not the Confederation. I don’t want to receive orders from someone like you."
The general’s eyebrows twitched in response, and gasps could be heard from those who overheard the discussion. What Ticia just said could be considered dangerous. Fortunately, Rika followed up.
"And I serve the Borkian Confederation’s interests, as long as I am the one commanding them, our nation will prosper." She declared with a small smile. A small silence emerged as David Fika was weighing her words, before he nodded.
"...I see. I’m glad to hear that, Miss Rika. we have the same goal, it seems." He said brightening his smile to Rika.
"Miss Rika, let's go eat some cake over there." Ticinia said as she pulled the sleeve of Rika's uniform. There was a bit of urgency in her voice.
"Alright, I'm kind of hungry myself, so if you'll excuse me." Rika smiled kindly and apologized, before leaving with Ticinia and ECG-100 towards a table where one man and two women were discussing.
Ticia and her daughters were now left to face Fika, but now that Rika was not here, Ticia and her daughters showed some clear hostility towards the man. Sensing it, the general fell back.
"I shall take my leave too, then." He said, before going straight for the exit.
"Well, there he goes." Ticia mumbled, releasing a sigh after the man disappeared from sight.
"...I still have a hard time believing this clone has that kind of ability…" Rowla replied back, frowning a little as she looked at Ticinia. She did not comment on the hostility Ticia showed, because she knew David Fika was not an ally from the beginning.
"Oh believe me, she just saved our ass there." Ticia replied with a smile, sending a warm glance towards the daughter that was now eating some chocolate cake happily. That was the first time the girl reacted so strongly to negative emotions, and now Ticia felt some pain in her chest because she was the one who brought her daughter here with this purpose in mind.
"You've seen for yourself what she's capable of, so expect new members soon. Speaking of, anything new from that person?"
"Yes, all the academy's matters have been settled." Rowla replied back, and Ticia frowned.
"Everything?" She asked.
"Yes, everything." Rowla nodded back with a serious look. "The principal did protest at first, but after some strong-armed negotiations, and some bribes to the good people, everything was accepted. After this party, please inform the general that her new post as 'advisor teacher' has been accepted, and that she is expected to report tomorrow to the principal's office just before the entrance ceremony."
"Will do." Ticia replied back, satisfied with the results.
Truth to be told, she did not want her precious daughters to be left unattended in the academy, and so she asked Rika, who knew the academy, to stay with her daughters while she was away on missions.
Rika had agreed immediately, saying that she could also use her name there to gain fresh recruits to their side. She also advised for some of the ECGs to stay behind as bodyguards as well so that they could develop their emotions and learn from the 'enemy'. The academy permitted students to have some bodyguards anyway, so Ticia acquiesced the demand. Developing each of her girls’ personalities was also one of her intentions from the get go.
As for Rika's brigade, it would be put under Berdo's command until everything within the academy was done.
Ticia then looked at her daughters. "Nia, you relay the info to the general, and after that, go say hello to General Poltok."
"Yes, mother." Nia replied calmly, unlike her usual self, before going directly to Berdo. Another ECG followed after her. She had entered full acting mode, and was now playing the role of an obedient child accompanying her mother to the party.
"Then, I'll take my own leave." Rowla said, excusing herself. "If you need anything, tell me."
Ticia was now left with her remaining daughters, but not for long, as some curious people greeted her and asked her questions. Most of those questions came from military spheres, and asked the value her daughters had. She and ECG-001 exchanged with some of them on the tactics and gears they used, trying to satisfy them.
Some were more personal, like why all clones were female, why she was called ‘mother’ when all other clones referred to themselves as ‘sisters’, or why she had chosen to follow Rika.
To those questions, she answered with a smile. To the first, she answered that the clone installation where she was born only had female templates for clones. To the second, she replied that clones had a strict hierarchy that was set since their birth. She was set up as the one in charge and the most free minded of all the others from their birth to now, hence why she got the name ‘mother’ to distinguish herself from the others.
As for the last question, she answered that depending on the clone in charge of the others, in other words, her, the conditions changed. Rika was the only one who filled in all the boxes she had put up, so she decided to entrust her future and the ones of the other clones to Rika.
There were some specific questions that were addressed specifically towards Licia, and this allowed Ticia to boast about the girl and the Null CGs as being ‘special’, something Licia was very embarrassed about.
Ticia smiled to herself after multiple exchanges. So far, all of the events that happened were going as planned for her. One thing she was thankful for was the lack of scientists, or more precisely, people interested in dissecting her and her girls, something she was not keen on.
With her ability to feel emotions, Ticinia guided Rika towards people who did not look at them with perturbing afterthoughts, and since Nia was such a good actor, she proved of great help in meetings, acting like a model clone. The ECGs were here to act as guards, but also as examples of grown up clones and their abilities, bringing some field experience and ancient forgotten knowledge about military tactics.
Not only that, showing the Null Class clone girls provoked interest in their cases. After all, they showed way more emotions than the ECGs, and they could hint their ‘superiority’ in ability and authority to their sisters. In other words, they could also act as good baits for greedy people Ticia would have to keep an eye on.
She hated the fact that she had to use her daughters like this, but decided to still do so. Nothing would make her go back on her decision back on Brelia 7 after all, and if she could eliminate the threat before it reached them… It would only be beneficial for them.
As for Licia, the only reason she was here was personal to Ticia.
She had not told her daughters about her plans, in fear of them acting without her consent. She only told the concerned clone girls the strict necessary for this party. This did not mean she would not tell them her plans however, she needed to show more trust in her daughters after all. This was the reason why, before arriving at Borkian Prime City, she decided to partially tell her plans to both Licia, her first daughter, and ECG-001, the one in command of the other ECGs.
Both of them showed full support of her plans, and Licia was happy her mother shared her plans with her first. She even called herself ‘mommy's right hand girl’, which made Ticia smile warmly every time she heard this.
"Pardon my rudeness." Her reverie was interrupted once she heard those words. A man in a meticulously decorated outfit stood in front of her.
"My name is Bernie de Provin, I think you already know this, but I am the ambassador of the Phillio techno-empire."
"Yes, I remember." Ticia said, faking a smile. "How may this clone help you, ambassador?"
"Mh, you're already helping me by talking with me." The ambassador replied with a smile of his own, but before Ticia could ask him what he meant, he changed the subject. "I just want to say, this is quite a good show you put in front of everyone before. An...'oath', was it? Yes, truly impressive…"
This shook Ticia and her group. Just now, Bernie had hinted that he knew the oath was fake.
"...Whatever are you trying to say, ambassador?" She asked, still smiling, but she and her daughters released a slightly deathly aura, but to her surprise, the ambassador did not falter.
"Nothing much, nothing much, this is Borkian politics after all, and my country just signed a new alliance for its own reasons, as you might expect."
The man said, laughing it off as if it was nothing, before his smile deepened…
"But you see, the alliance offer we made was not destined to the Borkian Confederation as a whole, but rather at your faction."
"!?!" Ticia tensed up at this mention. Why was he mentioning this to her, and why did she not know anything about this…
"You're probably asking yourself why, right? Well, because nobody knows yet, and the main reason we want to ally ourselves with your faction is you and your… ‘daughters’." The man replied after reading her thoughts.
"...What do you want…" She asked, this time with a somewhat hostile look.
"Me? Nothing much. I was just ordered to relay to you that her majesty Laurelette Irma Luz de Phillio is interested in you…"
"Her… Majesty?" Ticia replied, bewildered. She did not expect direct attention from a foreign monarch.
"Do not get her majesty wrong, she is not planning to do anything bad to you or your fellow clones." The ambassador added quickly. "Her majesty is just curious, so if we could plan a meeting at a later date…"
"I'll think about it." Ticia answered immediately. This was as good as a rejection, but the ambassador did not seem bothered by it.
"That is enough for me." He said, nodding at Ticia's words. "We will keep a certain degree of contact with one another anyway, since her imperial majesty's little sister is going to attend the Borkian Military academy as proof of our goodwill."
This was a piece of information that surprised Ticia, and for a good reason. No such announcements had been made whatsoever, which was strange seeing the person's social status and the Borkian’s ways of boasting…
"With that said, we'll see each other soon, Clone Mother."
"..."
She watched as the ambassador left the place entirely, thinking about the ambassador's words just now…
"...Licia."
"Yes, mother?" Licia reacted to her mother's call as Ticia had a very serious look.
"Be careful about that princess, alright? If you ever think she's off to something with one of you… contact me or Rika immediately."
"Understood."
Ticia did not know which princess would be sent, but she knew one thing about the empire: The relationship between empress Laurelette Irma Luz de Phillio and her numerous half-siblings were not that good, hence why the empire had already suffered two civil wars and eleven secessions attempts in the last seven years since she had taken the throne. Whoever was sent might not act according to the empresses' orders, if those were truly friendly as the ambassador claimed…
"I need to change my ideas a bit…" She sighed, taking a glass of wine from the passing robot and slowly drinking it, the ECGs doing the same, for some reason. That definitely was not the type of talks she wanted to have tonight, not that she ever wanted to be here in the first place.
Licia watched her mother with a curious look. "Mom?"
"Mh? What is it, dear?" Ticia asked, her thoughts melting away just by thinking of her daughter. But her daughter’s next words left her speechless.
"Can I also drink?" Licia asked innocently, looking at Ticia’s glass of red wine.
"..." Ticia had a hard time to reboot on that one, but in the end, she refused. "Sorry, dear, but I don't think that's a good idea. You're still too young."
She was fine with the ECGs drinking a bit, since they technically were adults, but it was a bit too soon for the Null CGs. Not only that, if she were to let them drink, Rika would probably kill her…
"Okay…" Licia said, clearly sad to be refused, but did not ask anymore despite her clear interest in the beverage.
"You've become such a sweetheart, Licia…" Ticia could not help herself from patting the girl’s head, which served as good consolation. The both of them enjoyed this small mother-daughter moment, as nobody wanted to interrupt the both of them, not that the ECGs would let them do that anyway…
"Miss Ticia." A voice Ticia had grown used to called out from behind her.
"Oh, Andrew." She said, turning to face the man with a smile. "What is it?"
"Am I interrupting something perhaps?" Andrew said hesitantly, seeing that Licia was pouting and sending him a cute deathglare, but also sensing some unusual wariness from the ECGs next to them.
"No, it's fine." Ticia said, reassuring him. "So? What did you want to talk about?"
"I wanted to present one of my best friends to you." He said, and Ticia finally noticed the other person standing next to him. It was a woman in a dark blue military uniform, and she emanated a hostile aura.
"Pleasure to meet you, ‘Miss Ticia’, I am Nathalia Ender, ship captain of the destroyer BCNS Faithful Vow, and just like Andrew said, his childhood friend." The woman said, not hiding her hostility towards Ticia, who was a bit shocked at first.
"... I see." She nodded, doing a handshake with Nathalia. She understood what the problem was. "The pleasure is mine too, Miss Ender, and don't worry, I have no feelings towards your childhood friend."
"Eh?" Andrew let out a surprised voice, while Nathalia’s hostility suddenly disappeared.
"I see, thank you for telling me, and sorry for my actions just now." The woman said, letting out a small sigh of relief. Ticia’s direct answer had convinced her that she had no feelings whatsoever towards Andrew. “When he began talking about you a lot, I was a bit worried, you see…"
During the three weeks after the battle, Andrew often came to meet with her. The reason was that he wanted to talk tactics, and ways to improve himself, but was too ashamed to ask Rika or Berdo in person, seeing the differences in ranks. Ticia had agreed, making the ECGs participate in the talk, and because she was curious about the young man who received praise from her friend.
Both she and Andrew did not block themselves with formalities when talking, and with Ticia being less wary of the surrounding people thanks to her daughters, they became close friends quickly. But that was all, Ticia did not think of love matters. All that mattered to her was her daughters’ well being.
"He’s quite dense, isn’t he?" Ticia said with a knowing smile, there were some actions the man did who could easily be misunderstood.
"That he is. That caused me a lot of problems, in fact." Nathalia replied with a sigh, before looking at Andrew with a loving gaze. "But that’s why I love him."
Both ended up giggling.
"Uhm, what are you two talking about?" Andrew asked, not understanding the conversation.
""Nothing.""
"..."
"I've heard from Andrew that you saved his life on Brelia 7?" Nathalia asked.
"Well, not quite…" Ticia replied, scratching her cheek.
"Even if it wasn't him in particular, it is clear that your actions with Brigadier-General Doe- I mean, Rika, were what ended up saving him that day. So I thank you for that." Nathalia bowed her head a little. "I was part of the navy's detachment to Brelia 7, but since I was on my ship, I couldn't do much but pray for his well being…"
"Nath…" Andrew said with a voice filled with emotions.
"Also, is it true that you were with Brigadier-General in all her battles?!" In a sudden change of mood, the woman closed in on Ticia with stars in her eyes, which surprised Ticia.
"Y-yes?"
"Ah, such an honor to meet a veteran and close aide to the Unkillable Valkyrie…" Nathalia suddenly began to mumble incomprehensive words as her cheeks became red, bewildering Ticia further.
"Sorry for her state, Nath is always like that when it comes to Miss Rika. That's why I avoided meeting directly with her." Andrew said from the side, sighing, but Ticia noted to herself that the man himself was not a better case since he still refused to address either her or Rika by name only.
"I see, so I am the stopgap measure huh?" She said with a small smile on her face, which made Andrew a bit tense.
"W-well, I would not go so far, but yes, that's the gist of it." The man admited, before straightening himself and looking at her with a serious expression. "Miss Ticia, do you know the situation of the Borkians spaceship fleet?"
"Of course." Ticia replied back seriously, sensing the seriousness.
The Borkian fleet was divided into two separate entities, unlike other nations. The first one was the Borkian Confederation’s Navy, which was supposed to be the main branch of the naval forces, but it was never the case. Instead, the main force was the Borkian Commerce Guards.
This was a direct result of the Borkian confederation’s creation. The diverse small mercenary, escort and security groups who guarded ships from attacks refused the merge with the navy, and instead formed their own entity, creating an endless hostility between the two competing groups.
To avoid needless tensions, an arrangement had been made for both groups to stay at their places. The Borkian navy would focus on battles and spatial exploration, while the Commerce Guards would escort Borkian merchants, assure security over the trade routes, and be in charge of planetary defenses.
However, both entities were unsatisfied with those choices, and competed in the shadows to eliminate the other. Since the beginning of the Borkian Confederation, the Commerce Guards held an advantage over the Borkian navy, and that gap in power had been increasing recently…
"This is the main reason I'm here." Andrew declared. "You see, my family is rather influential in the navy…"
This explained to Ticia why Andrew was relayed to an escort unit. the military faction had probably not liked that factions from the navy went over to them in search of more power…
"When Andrew told me about your new faction, I was skeptical at first, but since it's being led by the Unkillable Valkyrie, I put my trust in him, so you can count me as one of yours." Nathalia, who had recuperated from her previous state, joined the conversation with great vigor. "I can also work towards the expansion of the faction within the ranks of the navy. In fact, all the navy officers are watching you attentively…"
"Oh? Why is that?" Ticia asked, uninterested. After all, who was not interested in her or her daughters recently?
"They believe that this new neutral faction will allow them to finally get rid of the Commerce Guards." Nathalia said in a hushed voice, which made Ticia open her eyes wide.
"...Interesting…" Ticia mumbled back, a now serious look on her face. She was already thinking about how Rika and her could use this information.
"Also, this is more on a personal level, but I wondered if clones would make good marines, or even crew members for that matter. We're quite short on manpower…" Nathalia asked somewhat suddenly, sending a hopeful look. Ticia caught the meaning behind it. It would seem that Nathalia had some plans of her own…
"Hmm… 001?" She asked the most knowledgeable daughter she had at the moment, getting curious herself on the matter. ECG-001 nodded.
"While not the specialty of me or my sisters, we do have the required knowledge in those domains…" ECG-001 said, and her sisters nodded in affirmation.
"Then…"
"I'm sorry, but both I and Rika are opposed to the idea of giving clones away at the moment." Ticia rejected the offer before it could be formed. It was not that she did not feel any trust towards the woman, but that it would be overextending her current forces. Also, she would not give away her daughters to achieve someone else’s plans so easily.
"I see… It can't be helped, I guess…" Nathalia said with a sigh, disappointment clear on her face.
"...If we ever get more clones, we might consider it." Ticia said in a nearly inaudible voice.
"!!!" Hearing those words, some hope was given back to Nathalia. "Thank you for informing me! If you need anything, please tell me!"
"My, thank you.” Ticia said with a smile, Nathalia had taken her bait. "We are indeed in need of some transport for our future missions, so your proposal is quite convenient."
"Transport?" Nathalia raised an eyebrow, before smiling. "Sure, that’s fine by me. So long as I get some extra freedom of move, that should be possible."
"I’ll ask the higher ups in the faction for some ‘special permission’ then." Ticia said with a big smile, pretty sure this request would be accepted when everything else she had asked for had been.
This was probably the most fruitful discussion she had of the entire party. While Nahalia clearly had goals of her own, Ticia did not feel any malevolent feelings directed towards her or her daughters. She would confirm later with the help of Ticinia, but Ticia felt that her hunch was right.
If so, strengthening Nathalia’s place within the Borkian navy and helping them undermine the Commerce Guards would prove beneficial to her own goals. And… If she did create more daughters, having some of them become naval officers would be of great help…
Imagining her future daughters becoming captain of spaceships, Ticia could not help herself but let out another giggle.
"Hehe."
"Fufu." Nathalia replied with a similar laugh.
The aura the two let out made Andrew fall back a little by instinct. Even the ECGs took a step back. Only Licia looked at the exchange with a good degree of understanding of what was happening, and felt excitement at the exchange.
Nobody wanted to approach the two women while they were in such a state, and Andrew swallowed the saliva in his mouth loudly.
Later, he would remember this day as the true beginning of Nathalia's rise in power. It was also the day he swore to himself to never go against his childhood friend, ever.
Chauchat
Author's monologue:
Hey there! I'm back with another chapter!
Lots of politics and interactions in this one, but what can I say, that's how it is. Ticia is expanding her link of connections for her future plans, and also introducing the navy's situation.
But more importantly, the 'offer' from the Phillio empire... Uhm, what is it I wonder... Is it, god? Or is it bad? Well, we'll see that in the next chapters...
Anyway, the party hasn't ended yet, there's still... so maybe more events are to come? Ticia's surprise didn't make an appearance yet after all...
Ahem, enough teasing from my part, it's getting late here, and I'm very tired today... So with that, that's it from me for today! I'll see you all in the next chapter!
