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Cosmos Aerial Fortress
Seven Sages meeting room
"It seems our mystery Klaxosaur has finally shown itself." Baboon states as several stills of the Warrior circle the room. "I would hardly call that progress," Gorilla grunts. "Are you forgetting that thing almost single-handedly took down Strelitzia and then escaped not long after?" A hologram of your fight with Strelitzia then materializes in the center of the room. Followed close behind by the damage report for the Franxx.
"Yes, but in the time it was around, we were able to gain much data on it." Lemur adds to his thoughts. Before pressing a button on his chair to pull up multiple boxes of information around your suit. All were filled with stats on hypothetical speed, strength, intelligence, and a list of other categories.
"I agree with Lemur on this," The Vice Chairman speaks up. "Even with the damage it inflicted on Strelitzia. It was more than worth it in the end." Even with the disagreements they might've had on the Klaxosaur at the moment. They all nodded in agreement at the Vice Chairman's words.
That was until Tarsier piped up to speak his mind on the subject. "That's all good in all Chairman. But I'm more worried about how we are going to deal with our little problem. If this thing can be Strelitzia's equal in a fight. How are any normal Parasites supposed to deal with it? I mean, we can't just send wave after wave of Parasites after it, hoping that one of them gets lucky. The thing has done enough damage as is."
On the screens, different sections of the Klaxosaur's fight with Strelitzia start to play. While in the center of them all. The hologram turns to static before getting replaced by a 3D render of the humanoid Klaxosaur's head and shoulders.
"It is nothing to be concerned about, Tarsier." Papa says, entering the conversation as he motions to the spinning projection. "We now know how it fights and what it's capable of. When this Klaxosaur does return. Then I feel as though Strelitzia, The Nines, or even The Chosen should be more than enough to handle it. However, if worse does come to worst, we could always wake Them up to deal with it."
The room went deafly silent at the mention of Them. Their eyes locked on Papa as they made sure they heard him right. Even without saying the team's name everyone knew who he was referring to. Though they were even more surprised he insinuated on thawing them out. Though just as soon as the silence came, it was just as quickly broken by Lemur.
"Well, on a similar note." His words broke all attention away from Papa. "I would like to make a proposal for the creation of a new class of Klaxosaur."
Baboon intrigued by their motion then leans in to speak. "Why would that be?"
"Well, this new Klaxosaur is far too different from any we've ever seen in the past. This one can think, talk, and use weaponry. Almost like an evolution of the ones we've been fighting for the past 300 years."
"So what do you propose, Lemur?" Marmoset questioned her fellow sage. With the rest just as quizzical as her. "Novus-class. after the Latin phrase Novus Homo," Lemur answers. "New man? You are aware that breaks the standard naming conventions for Klaxosaurs, right?" Tarsier points out. "Exactly this is new, different, a one of its kind. As such, it should be separated into its own class."
Papa raises his hand and speaks. "Very well, those in favor of the creation of a new class of Klaxosaur?" Each of the Seven members then raises their hands. "Those against?" A few seconds of silence go by with no one objecting. "Very well, with this, the Novus-class has been made official."
For the first time in at least two hundred years, a new Klaxosaur class had just been created. As the seven council members prepare to draw the meeting to a close. Papa looks up to the video of the Novus deploying a smoke grenade and silently says something to himself. "Now, we just need to find out where that beast is."
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"What are you looking for?" Naosu asks as you look through the dirt. "My tracker, I dropped it somewhere around here," You say. "Well, don't take too long. Dinner will be ready soon." You had been at the edge of the Plantation for a few hours and had just finished setting up camp around the area you'd arrived at a few days ago. You were also trying to find your handheld tracker for the last half an hour.
Noticing how late it had gotten, you give up and walk back to the Pack. As you near the camp. You can see both Naomi and Naosu talking about something next to the fire. "Naosu, what is this?" She asks as she holds up a small object. "I found it sticking out of the sand when we got here. I was hoping that you would know what it was?"
Getting closer to the two, you notice that Naomi was holding your tracker. "That would be my tracker," You say as you take a seat at the other end of the campfire. Naomi hands the tracker over to you. Examining it the tracker, you find that its screen had been cracked. 'Just great,' You thought as you press a button, turning the device on.
The screen flickers to life for a few seconds before going dark. When you tried to reactivate it, it failed to turn back on. You let out a sigh before setting it down next to you. "Naosu, the tracker's busted. Do you think when you get the chance, you look at it?" Throwing the device over to the mechanic. Catching it mid-air, he looks at it for a moment before setting the tracker down next to him.
"Will do, but first." Naosu then grabs the pot that sat over the campfire. "Ready for dinner," He asks as he empties the pot's contents into three separate bowls. "Tonight's dinner, preserved meat cooked over an open fire," he says jokingly. Handing one to you and Naomi, he generously applies whatever seasoning he can to the stew. Looking down at the greyish-brown meat. Your stomach turns in disgust, knowing what is about to come. Following his example, you also add a considerable amount of whatever you could to the stew.
You then Hand the seasonings over to Naomi, knowing she'll need it. she looks confused by your's and Naosu's actions. "Oh, no, thank you. I don't like seasoning," You and Naosu look at each other flabbergasted. "Naomi, trust us, your gonna wanna season your food." You try to warn her. "Yeah, I'd listen to the Warrior on this one." She smiles for a second before plunging a spoon into the meal.
"Don't worry, how bad could it be?" Putting the spoonful of the stew into her mouth, she starts to chew her meal. Naosu let out a whistle grabbing your attention before he raised his hand. Slowly he counted down from three with his fingers. Once the three seconds were up, she spits out the stew onto the ground. All life had left Naomi's face due to the terrible taste of the meal. "Told ya, that's the downside of this stuff. It lasts crazy long but tastes terrible as a result." Naomi silently seasons her meal as Naosu continues.
"Don't worry, though, could be worse. I believe Warrior here ate nothing but protein packs for three months," Nasou says, nudging you with his arm. "What's so bad about the protein packs?" She says, trying to eat another spoonful of stew. "They suck; they taste about the same as this, But you can't really season them, they're as hard as a brick, and give you one hell of a case of indigestion."
"But hey, it beats the hell out of starving to death," Naosu says, getting a small laugh out of you.
The night continues on with the three of you sharing stories and laughing at jokes. Though after a while, it didn't take long for it to die down. Eventually, the silence of the night to return. "So then he looks at her and says 'Yeah, but if it was anything like my tail, you'd call me a rex.'" You and Naosu laugh at his corny joke while Naomi sits there in confusion. "I don't get it?" "Don't worry, you will when you're older." Naosu then yawns before getting up and starts to walk to the Pack. Returning after several minutes carrying three sleeping bags, he throws one to you and Naomi before putting his on the ground.
After a few minutes later, all three of your sleeping arrangements had been set up, and the small amount of leftovers from dinner cleaned up. "I'm gonna go check some things. I shouldn't be too long," You say, looking at both Naosu and Naomi and grabbing the binoculars. Walking up the hill that conceals your camp from the Plantation. You look to the large domed structure as you sweep the ground with your tail. Sitting down and turning on the binoculars, you zoom into the top of the Plantation.
Peering into the forest atop the Plantation, specifically the house inside of the dome. Despite how late it was, some of the lights were still on. Trying to a better look at the building. It, unfortunately, didn't help to get a better view. As the forest made it hard to get a good look at it. But one by one, the lights went out. Leaving the forest in darkness. Setting the binocs on the ground and laying down, you look up to the stars.
Looking up to the vast emptiness of space. You could hear footsteps coming from behind you. "The stars are beautiful, aren't they, Naomi?" She stops and lets out a small noise of surprise. "How'd you know it was me?" She asks, confirming what you just said. "Easy, you don't drag your feet like Naosu, his steps are heavier than yours too, and the way you breathe is completely different."
"Wait, really, you can tell all that?" She says in surprise.
"No, I'm messing with you. Our senses are good, but not that good. Naosu just smells like oil and rust. So it's easy to tell when he's around." You respond.
Naomi walks next to you and sits down by your side. "Yeah, it really is beautiful." Looking at her confused until you remember what you asked her. Returning your gaze to the stars, you smile. "So, what brings you up here?"
She remains silent as you turn your head over to her once again. Naomi sits staring at the Plantation, not blinking, not moving, just staring. Wrapping your tail around the binoculars, you raise them to Naomi. "feeling homesick, huh?" "Yeah," She says quietly, grabbing the binoculars. She raises the device to her eyes, keeping them there for a moment before she quickly lowers them. "Um, Warrior,"
"On the side, little white button,"
"Oh, thanks," Naomi says pressing the button.
Neither you nor Naomi doesn't speak as she looks at the Plantation. The sounds of bugs and the distance sounds of the Plantation start to fill the night sky. You both stay like this for a while, just looking up to the stars. "Hey, Warrior," Naomi speaks up. "What was your home like?" You take a deep breath, still stargazing. "It was nice, in fact, it was one of the most beautiful places that I've ever seen. Especially the Royal garden. Back when I was the Princess's bodyguard, we would spend hours there."
"The Princess's bodyguard?" Naomi questions.
"Yeah, but that was a lifetime ago," You smile, remembering better times. "I've been by her side since we were kids. Even though I was supposed to be her guardian, I instead became one of her closest friends." Slowly, however, your smile fades. "But eventually, things beyond my control happened. And I went from a guardian to a warrior. And the Princess, Well, she changed."
The two of you sit in silence once again. "What about you? What was your home like?" Naomi takes a moment to yawn before speaking. "It was nice, and the people there were nice too. I miss them a lot, and I hope they're doing okay," Naomi's words trail off, allowing the ambiance of the night to return.
"I'm sure they're fine," You respond, trying to reassure her. Continuing to look up to the sky. The sound of Naomi's breathing could be faintly heard. "Hey, Naomi, what were your friends like?" A minute goes by in silence. "Naomi?" Turning your gaze over to her, you find that they had fallen asleep at some point.
Getting back up, you look down at the sleeping Naomi. Placing an arm under her back and legs. You pick her up in a bridal style while grabbing the binoculars with your tail. You carefully walk back down the hill, careful not to wake the girl. Making it back to camp, you see Naosu working on the tracker. As you walk closer, he raises his head and looks at you. "So you're finally back," Naosu says, putting down the machine. "Took you guys long enough."
Setting down Naomi in her respective bag, you tuck her in and look at back Naosu. "Sorry, she fell asleep," You say, walking over and sitting down at your sleeping bag. Pointing to the tracker, you question Naosu. "So, you fix the tracker yet?" "Not yet. I'll finish it up in the morning." He says, partially putting the machine back together. The camp then goes quiet for a few seconds before Naosu speaks up again. "Hey, Warrior. Can I ask you something?" Nodding, he continues. "Does she know,"
"Does she know what?" you respond.
"Does she know what you've been doing, you know," He tries to speak, but you interject. "Killing humans. No, she doesn't, at least I think she doesn't." You say coldly. "Look, I'm not gonna lecture you or call you a hypocrite, but you have to tell her." Taking a deep breath, you look to Naomi. "I know, but not right now." "Then, when will you?" With that, you and Naosu sit there in silence for several minutes, listening to Naomi mummer in her sleep.
"Listen, Naosu, let's just get some sleep. We'll talk about this more later." Naosu nods his head as he lays down, with you extinguishing the campfire. "Hey Warrior, I've also been thinking," Looking over to him as you slip into your bag. "We need a name."
"What, why?" You question, confused by his statement.
"Well think about it," He says flipping over onto his stomach. "Every cool group has a name. You guys were the Praetorians, then there was Omega squadron, you know the one full of convicts. There were also the Raptors, Desert Bandits, the Dark Troopers, and so on, and so on. So we should have one too."
"Wait, weren't some of those-" You try to question.
"That's not the point," Naosu says, interrupting you.
Looking at Naosu with a look of skepticism you decide to go along with it. "So, any suggestions?" "How about the Misfits," Naosu hears as you let out a slight chuckle before explaining himself. "No, no, stick with me here. Our little group consists of a Mechanic, a Human, and one of the best fighters our people have ever seen. Why not the Misfits, were kinda, you know the definition of it.
"Yeah, I guess we are." You say in agreement.
"Anyway, it was just something I had in the back of my mind," Naosu says, his voice slowly going silent. The sound of the night fills your ears, but after a few minutes, another sound fills your ears. Naosu's quiet snores intermixed with Naomi's murmurs. With that, you look up to the stars and shut your eyes. Joining the two in their sleep.