Author Notes: I'm back! And boy, this chaper is brought by Nicolae, truly. It's so fun of a chapter that I barely able to contain my giggling while writing it. However, fun also accompanied by misfortune. Not gonna sugarcoat so I will say it straight.
I have lost a majority of my income so I am floating just from writing alone. It's tough so I hope you all would be able to support me in the upcoming days by any mean you see fit. e.g comments, favorites, Power Stones if in Webnovel, reviews, and even monetary (with benefits in return, of course)...
Other than that, enjoy!
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If you have been wondering where or what sort of place Yuki was crashing for the night, then boy, are you in for a treat. The Obsidian Castle, the proud black pearl of Berlin, is 898 meters, a perfect 900 meters if you count the tipping top. With it bested only by the towering body of Yggdrasil herself, the Castle is truly a marvel of Belkan engineering. It's only made possible due to the combined effort of mortals and Gods during the founding day of the nation. Countries in the world learn to respect and fear Belka because of such a feat, with Japan constructing its Castle in the Sky, Laputa. Other nations like Ustio and Erusea, however, can only lavishly decorate their own castles. These countries are awfully lacking in technology to build something as ridiculous as Belka and Japan.
That aside, the Obsidian Castle serves not only as a symbol of stability for the nation but also as a wartime Command Center and fortress. It's also the home to the Empresses' and Reich Marshal's family. To be more specific, the top ten floors act as such. Only closed friends and trusted servants are allowed to enjoy the luxurious amenities or work and serve the family. Each member has their own private quarter, decorated in a style of their liking with enough necessities to rival that of a noble mansion. An example would be Elysia with her brightly lit room with a touch of nature. The color white and pink dominates the aesthetic. Another instance would be Mobius, and yes, she has her own quarter here. Hers is full of lab equipment and barely any other amenities. The mad scientist has a penchant for green hence a few of her belongings are in such color. As a side note, Einstein also has her share of the most expensive land in the world here.
Although Yuki's love interests and family have their own room, most if not all gravitate toward Yuki's personal floor, the 169th. Yuki's personal floor hosts everything a Reich Marshal would ever need: A war room, a research quarter, a library, a restaurant, a supersized bedroom, and even an indoor pool... Furnished with top-of-the-line wooden furniture, ornated with luxurious knick-knacks in the color tone of black, red, and gold. It's there that they feel the most at home, for that is where Yuki works and lives for the time she stays in Berlin. That is if she hasn't been staying over at the Mansion of Knowledge or Yggdra's personal dimension. They will still accompany Yuki whenever they can then, though Bryn, Mobius, Einstein, and Ningyo almost always follow her around when she is working.
Speaking of work, Yuki is just about to start a new day with a packed schedule while the others sleep in. Accompanied by Elysia, Yuki moves to the floor's private restaurant. There, the smell of freshly cooked food and coffee being filtered by a dripper permeated the air as soon as Yuki pushes open the timber door.
"It smells good!" Yuki gave her compliment to the acting chef for the day. "What you have cooking this time, Nicolae?" Yuki then led Elysia to the stools by the restaurant bar.
As the pair sit down, taking in the deep aroma of the coffee, Nicolae pokes her head out of the kitchen. "Ah~! Good morning, Yuki, and Elysia! I hope you slept well!"
"Morning~!" Yuki and Elysia responded with bright smiles. "And yes, we had a great night. I hope the same is true for you?"
Nodding, Nicolae answers. "Yup! Give me a few seconds and I will be right over!" Said the Shoggoth. True to her words, Nicolae walks out of the kitchen in all of her Shoggoth glory. Having been living with her for quite a long time already, the pair of human and High Elf are long used to her morphic nature.
Dressed in maid attire with the required headband, Nicolae asks them with a small smile. "So, what can I get you today?" While her hands and tentacles are prepping the food, and drink, and cleaning the cooking utensil.
Understandably, Yuki and Elysia are fascinated by the multi-tasking Nicolae. You see, her right hand is currently holding a frying pan, heating it with magic while tossing and turning a sunny side up and slices of bacon. Her other hand, however, is adeptly pouring a pot of coffee into a mug that is held up by one of her tentacles. Another pair of tentacles, while being careful to not create a mess and to keep proper hygiene via magic, are brushing an oily dish with a bubbling washcloth. Now you are probably wondering if Nicolae could just use magic to clean stuff up, then why the Hell is she washing it with... tentacles? The answer is simple, it's Nicolae, she's a Shoggoth, you don't question a Shoggoth.
Seriously, don't.
Even Yuki and Elysia find themselves unable to respond as such a ridiculous sight, seeing Nicolae abusing magic in such an inefficient way. It's only until Nicolae conjures up another tentacle to gently bop their forehead that the pair finally react, blushing lightly. Their cute action does place a smile on Nicolae's face, however.
"I will have a cup of iced milk coffee alongside a serving of sandwich with eggs and bacon, please." Yuki demurely said. "Oh, and a portion of salad too."
Elysia then crosses her arms, pondering for a moment before shrugging. "I will take what Yuki would be having, though change out the coffee for a strawberry milkshake for me, pretty please!"
Nodding, Nicolae smiles. "Coming right up!" She then quickly disappears back into the kitchen. Yuki and Elysia then hear the sound of food and drinks being prepared and less than five minutes later, their order arrives.
Gently, Nicolae presents her cooking on the bar with either her hands or tentacles. After that, she then steps to the side, her elbows on the bar with her hands supporting her chin. She is glad that her customers are taking in the scent of her food with glee.
"Such a delicious smell. Thanks, Nicolae! We will be digging in!" Said Yuki as she and Elysia picked up their sandwich and munched on them cutely.
Because the food is cooked by a Shoggoth, it's made to perfection, of course. Yuki and Elysia can't help but let out pleasant moans as they bite into the tender layers of the sandwich, not oily at all despite the content. Were they in a certain cooking world, their dresses should have been annihilated into a thousand pieces by now. Seeing their pleased expression, Nicolae repeatedly nods, proud of herself for another task well-done. As the current acting chef, the greatest compliment for Nicolae are their enjoyable expressions. Hence the pair focused on the food in front of them until they finish the plate clean without further words. It's only until they wipe their hands and mouths before picking up their respective drinks that they say together.
"Thank you for the great breakfast!"
Nodding with a big smile, Nicolae responds with a. "Umu!"
After that, the trio enjoys their morning drinks, with Nicolae fishing out a glass of milk for herself. During that time, they talk about mundane topics until Yuki sucks up the last of her aromatic coffee through a black straw. The petite Marshal then takes out a pocket watch tucked in one of her breast pockets.
Seeing her action, Nicolae and Elysia also finish their drinks. After that, Nicolae brings the empty dishes and glasses away for a short clean-up before reconvening with the pair. Having discarded her maid dress for her standard violet gown, Nicolae asks.
"So, what's on the agenda today, Yuki?"
Elysia adds while performing light stretching. "Right, you did say that you have a lot on your plate today. What gives?"
Putting away her pocket watch, Yuki answers as she stands up alongside the pair. "Well, we will be going to Rocket Launch Site Berlin to oversee our venture into space. After we're done dealing with the subsequent related tasks, we will then head back to the situation room beneath the castle. It's there that we will launch an oversea operation in the middle of the night." Yuki then places a finger beneath her chin. "I won't be getting much sleep tonight."
Elysia flinches. "Yikes, I can imagine Bryn and Hel will not be pleased."
Yuki then slumps her shoulders, sighing. "You and me both."
"On the bright side, it would mean that you will have to spend more time cuddling with them later. So I guess that's a win in the end?" Nicolae suddenly added with a thoughtful expression.
The trio then share a look. Now that they think about it, it's just another win for Yuki at the end of the day.
"Huh, you made a good point." Yuki commented. Then, they all burst into a fit of chuckle, finding the dynamic of their family funny.
After that, it's just a matter of hailing their cab, which is a convoy suite headed by the ever-trusty Erika. Having situated themselves comfortably in the armored limousine, the trio is then escorted to Berlin-Reinickendorf where the rocket launch is scheduled to take place.
Berlin-Reinickendorf, a military district to the North of Berlin, used to be a quaint little town. However, due to their geographical location that is perfect for a launch site, Yuki has the town converted to further the Reich's technological splendor. After going through a dozen checkpoints, the convoy soon drives into the walled-up district, being a small fortress on its own. On the way to the launch site, the tip of the manned rocket is visible from the window view of the limo, causing Elysia to exclaim in interest.
"Wow... It's one thing to know about it in advance, it's another thing to see it up close." As the convoy starts pulling closer to the launch center, the trio gets a close-up view of the space rocket in gray furnishing with a large shuttle strapped to it. "That's is like what, a hundred meters tall at least? You gonna send up a crew to space in that?"
"That's correct." Yuki smiled as Elysia marveled at the manmade object that was about to carry out a historical mission. "And not just a crew, but also the accompanying little guys made by Nicolae. The latter is especially important for our future space program."
"Yup! Each of these launch vehicles is extremely expensive! We're talking about 185 million Reichsmark per launch and before this mission, we already have five such launches. You can imagine the gargantuan cost involve in this program of ours." Nicolae said as if boasting at their ludicrous expenditures to space.
Elysia gapes at this, turning to Yuki for confirmation. Smiling wryly, Yuki nods and the pink elf turns a shade paler. "I'm actually surprised that you're even allowed to launch one, not to mention an upcoming six."
Stopping for a second, Elysia then asks. "There must be a reason that Lu and Hel signed a blank check for this. Though I can bring up the Void Archive and knows the reason as to why, I just want to hear the words from your mouth."
Nodding, Yuki explains. "That's because us investing into space now, rather than later, would allow us to create a solid foothold over unclaimed territories, rich with resources and holding immense strategic values. As you have known, Yggdra's arrival on Earth is nothing short of an asteroid impact. In the wake of her trail, asteroid belts are formed over our planet, dense in untapped materials. Those first launches are to ascertain the feasibility of mining the belts and to see if we can construct a space station in geosynchronous orbit with Belka. After that, the second stage of our program will be launching a work crew up to the belt and having Nicolae's little ones take care of the mining and constructing an orbital habitat. Once that is done, the third stage is kicked off with the crew overseeing the little ones in constructing a fully functional orbital station with the ability to make man-made satellites. The station will also have the ability to conduct further research into space while the satellites will be used to propel our infrastructure into the information age. All of the prior investments resulted in this singular, self-sufficient launch. You can even say that the future of the Reich will be resting on this single launch of a missile, a mere touch of the big red button away from greatness. As such, security for this event is at an all-time high. ONI has been working overtime to ensure no leak is made and any attempt at scouting or interfering will be met with extreme prejudice."
With Yuki finishing her long explanation, Elysia is in awe. She then peers into the Void Archive, too shocked to notice the subtle pink color glowing from it. Soon, Elysia easily ascertains the veracity of Yuki's claim and the audacity of it. It's not like Elysia is doubting Yuki and Nicolae but. "Holy crap... You're really pulling this fifty years early."
Both Yuki and Nicolae smirk at her exclamation. "Better close your mouth, dear, or a fly would fly in."
Rolling her eyes, Elysia then lightly smacks Yuki on the shoulder. "You and your ambition, Yuki! If the other powers come to learn of this, they would have no choice but either bow down to you or combined their strength and put you down for good."
Yuki nods, chuckling. "The latter is more likely. Humans are afraid of the unknown, after all."
Nicolae adds. "As such, we have to ensure this launch is on a need-to-know basis. My little ones are up there to also help camouflage the subsequent construction in space."
Having heard the words 'little ones' many times before, Elysia raises an eyebrow. "You two keep saying 'little ones', who are they?"
Nicolae and Yuki then share a knowing smirk before turning over to Elysia. "You will come to see them later, don't worry."
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Stepping off from the limo, with help from the dutiful Erika, Yuki's retinue is greeted by none other than Einstein and Wernher von Braun.
"Ladies, welcome to Berlin Launch Center." Said courteously by Wernher von Braun, now manager of the Reich aerospace project. "I hope the road here didn't cause you discomfort. We have been complying with your warning and intensified our security measures."
"Ah! Manager von Braun," Yuki responded cheerfully, finding herself pleased when looking at the propped-up rocket. "It's better to be safe than sorry. Dealing with a few checkpoints is better than cleaning up a failed launch, after all." Yuki nodded at the man understandingly, causing him to sigh in relief. Today is a big day, after all, so even the manager is tense.
Yuki then turns to Einstein. "So, how has the morning been treating you two?"
Einstein smiles lightly. "Well, the team did rest and eat well before this, following your instructions to the tee, so we're perfectly ready to tackle the monumental task at hand."
Yuki then claps her hands in response. "Great! Then let's get the show on the road." Turning over to Nicolae and Elysia. "Come on, you two, let's head in! And Elysia, we will take this chance to show you the crew and the little ones you have been raring to see."
Escorted by well-armed Troopers, the group of five VIPs makes their way into the center. Befitting of a scientific institute, the center is brightly lit with a white tone and neatly organized. A map of the center is presented front in of the main lobby and signboards are installed on the corridor walls to allow ease of navigation. Yuki, Nicolae, Einstein, and von Braun are used to such a site. Elysia, however, runs around like a kid in a candy store, excited to see the marvels of engineering on display in the center. As such, the trip to the rocket boarding area takes a bit more tie than expected.
"Sorry~!" Elysia clasped her hand in a sorry posture, a bit abashed that her detour cost the group their time.
Yuki and the rest chuckle, amused by her enthusiasm earlier. "It's fine to be curious, Elysia. We are still in the safe window so you need not worry about anything."
Currently, the group is staying on a viewing platform, looking down at the gathering medical personnel and engineering team surrounding the four chosen astronauts. "So that's them?" Elysia asked as she gaze from above at the four men and women dressed in think orange ascent suits.
Einstein is the one who answers her. "Of the astronauts that made the cut for this launch, two are humans while the others are an elf and a dwarf, surprisingly. Soon, they will strap themselves tight to the contraption and will be the first to travel further and longer than mankind has ever been able to achieve with flight."
Elysia nods, noticing that she is not the only one to be giddy about the upcoming expedition.
"Come, you should meet the little guys." Yuki then said, urging them to get a move on to the loading bay.
It's there that Elysia comes to see the little, wobbly purple things that will soon ride along with the astronauts into space.
"Oh, my, Yggdra~!" Elysia squealed as soon as she laid her eyes on them. "They're so cute! What the Hell!?" Under the laughter of Yuki and Nicolae, Elysia dives forward to scoop up a bundle of purple cuteness. "What are they and can I get to keep one?!"
Hearing Elysia's bullet-speed question as she is squeezing the octopus shape lifeform, Yuki chuckles while shaking her head at the expected reaction from Elysia.
"They are what Nicolae called Takodachis, a portmanteau of the Japanese "Tako" (octopus) and "Tomodachi" (friend). Takodachis are creatures of the Void who are primarily shaped like octopuses but can take other forms, much like a Shoggoth. However, Takodachis are created by Shoggoth to help them with miscellaneous tasks and are perfect for the missions we would have them do next. Although they are cute and small, they're second only to the Shoggoth in terms of productivity when they are in their element. And yes, you can just ask Nicolae to make a few for you, though they're sentient, they like to be treated as pets." Yuki pointed at Nicolae who giggled before conjuring a few more Takodachis to dance around Elysia. The Takodachis are floaty purple octopuses with short stumps for legs and two flaps on their heads, acting like ears. A small, golden halo floats above their head and their faces are ever-plastered with a satisfied expression with light blushing.
Nodding repeatedly while laughing at one who tries to tickle her, Elysia says. "So that's why you're sending a bunch of them in space! Why haven't I seen them before though?"
Nicolae is the one to explain. "Well, the Takodachis are best suited in a Zero-G environment. It's there that they can handle their tasks with maximum efficiency. Staying on Earth, they're no different than a glorified Corgi as they're slowed with their little stumps for feet."
"Oh, I see. Well, they're still cute either way." Elysia commented.
Having gotten her fill of the bundle of cuteness, Elysia is then led by the rest to the command room. It's high time they get the show on the road to space.
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"All teams, report!" Said Wernher von Braun, kicking the ground team in a flurry of action.
"External tanks, boosters, fuel pumps... Status, all greens! Fuel at 100% capacity!'
"Connection between shuttle Artemis and launch vehicle Saturn is solid!"
"This is the loading team. The last of the Takodachis are tucked in safe and secure. Habitat modules, research equipment, and construction assets are stored and bolted down. We're good here."
"This is the final inspection team, internal checks are completed, and all systems report status nominal. We're rolling back to send in the flight crew."
"This is medical. Pre-flight health check came up green on all fronts. They're raring to make history, ladies and gents."
"Crew compartment here, we're ready for the astronauts to ingress."
"Well done, people!" Complimented von Braun. "Like what the medical lead said, they're about to make history and so are we! So let's keep our heads in the game till the final stretch! Yggdrasil shall bless us with her ever-presented glory!"
Von Braun then salutes, causing all others in the control room to cheer. "Hail! Hail! Hail!" After that, he then turns to nod at Einstein. The bluenette then turns on the comms. "Sends in the astronauts, it's time."
By her words, the four chosen astronauts are escorted through the orbital access arm and onto the shuttle. Yuki, Nicolae, Elysia, and Einstein watch a video feed of the astronauts being helped with wearing the rest of their A-suits before boarding the vertically-mounted shuttle. With the safely secured to their seats and the ground crew disembarking. Von Braun can now have the astronauts start their own pre-flight inspection. After a meticulous hour of checking, the astronauts have given the go-ahead to command.
"SRO?"
"SRO is go, you have range clear to launch..."
"And CDR?"
"Artemis is go."
"NTD, Launch Director, you're clear to launch Artemis."
"Copy that, Launch Director."
"Go for Orbiter Access Arm retract."
With the Access Arm moving away from the rocket, it's time for Yuki to step up and address the flight team.
"Artemis crew, this is Overlord Actual. Your team has worked hard for this very moment and it's with great pride that we shall send the first Artemis crew to the Ragna Belt with the orbital habitat to be deployed. Yggdrasil shall watch over your trail, ladies and gents. Bon Voyage!"
"Affirm, Actual. It will be a short eight-and-a-half-minute ride to orbit for us. But it's a giant leap for mankind!"
"T-minus 2 minutes and counting."
"Vent hood removed!"
"Artemis, close and lock your visors and initiate O2."
"OTC, that is in work."
"Firing chain is armed. Sound suppression and water system activated."
"T-minus 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, go for main engine start! 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
Even from the control room that is already a kilometer away, the extreme rumbling of multiple liquid mana boosters can be felt by everyone. From the video feed, a close-up of the flame trench is shown, with flame and smoke spewing out of it like a gigantic flamethrower. The sight fascinated everyone presented till no end for it marks a moment of history that they get to witness live. Very soon, Einstein says as Artemis starts gaining altitude.
"We have a lift-off!"
Yuki then mutters for Nicolae to hear. "The Shoggoth is blasting off again." Earning a sonorous giggle from the blonde.
"Berlin, we're in the roll." Said the Commander of the Artemis, a female astronaut named Lily Mainy.
"Roger roll, Artemis. Berlin is now controlling."
A while later of steady climbing, a report comes in. "Artemis is in a 'heads down' position, on course for a 51.6 degree, 136 by 36 statute mile orbit."
"Building lateral speed... Arching."
"This is Commander Mainy, we've cleared Yggdrasil's canopy."
"Artemis, you're GO at throttle up."
"Copy, GO at throttle up."
"Approaching staging point... Liquid mana boosters separating from the orbiter."
"Guidance system is working... Good boosters separation confirmed."
"Artemis is traveling at 6000 km/h at an altitude of 75.6 km."
"Artemis, you're single engine, OPS-3."
"Copy, single-engine OPS-3."
"You are pressed to MECO and single-engine Zaragoza 104."
"Copy, press to MECO and single-engine Zaragoza 104."
"Scorch, I got the roll!" Came a light banter from the flight crew. "Lucky dog!"
"Artemis copies, nominal shutdown, go for the plus X, go for the pitch."
"Main engine cut off confirmed. Standing by for separation from the external fuel tank... Artemis is now flying away from the external tank after separation." Said tank is now shown to be slowly guided back to Earth, on a touch-down course in the sea controlled by Belka.
"This is Commander Lily Mainy, performing plus X burn maneuver now."
"Nominal MECO, OMS 1 not required, preliminary OMS 2 TIG will be 37:30."
"Congratulations, Artemis crew, and welcome to space. You're on a fast track to Ragna Belt."
"Copy, Berlin, 37:30. OMS 1 is not required. It's a great view up here, Berlin. One singular, blue Earth, a world without boundary. It truly makes one wonder just why are we killing each other instead of unifying for the reach of space."
"That my friend, would be a philosophical question that is way above our pay grade." Said mission control to Artemis Commander
"Touche." Lily Maine chuckled. "Mission Specialist Lightning is checking on the Jar of Oz."
"Good copy, Artemis. Get yourself comfortable and perform in-flight analysis. You will be having one interesting ahead of you."
"Copy that, Berlin. In-flight check is underway. How's the visual on your end?" The Commander asked while looking at the magitech camera installed in the cockpit and many places aboard the shuttle.
"Crystal clear with no delay. It's safe to say that we will be able to monitor and help you in real-time from here on out."
"Glad to hear that, Berlin. Confirm, the Jar of Oz is intact and secured. I repeat the Jar of Oz is nominal! Specialist Lightning reports that all one hundred Takodachis are in perfect health and are raring to go. All equipment and systems are nominal. Ladies and gentlemen, we got 'em!"
As expected, the entire command room explodes.
In a good way, of course.
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On their drive back to the Obsidian Castle, now joined by Einstein, except for Nicolae the group is tired, mentally. The subsequent task delegations and blank-check partying that Yuki gave out for the team behind Artemis sure drained them of their mental energy. Elysia must admit that she is in awe of Yuki's resilience, knowing that the short Marshal would have to oversee a black operation later in the night.
Not many words are discussed on their way back though, each of them is still handling their own thoughts and feelings about the recent rocket launch. Hugging both a Takodachi and Yuki to herself, Elysia can't help but feel a sense of exhilaration. The pink elf is a lady who enjoys everything, and boy was she left trembling in excitement after the rocket successfully flew beyond the atmosphere.
Peering at the head of gray hair below her, Elysia knows just how lucky she is to meet Yuki, the person, the miracle, that has allowed her to be more than just a High Elf, more than just a mortal being, experiencing mortal things.
Gently kissing Yuki's soft hair, causing the girl to inquisitively gazes upward with a cute tilt of her head. Elysia chuckles while signaling to Yuki that everything is fine, everything is as it should be. For the rest of the ride, the pair then cuddle with the squishy Takodachi. Getting in whatever rest they can.
Once again, the Void Archive inside Elysia changes, taking in a bright shade of pink now.