Chương 62: 61. All Aboard The Treasonmobile

"Okay everyone, I need you to know that this is… going to be pretty bad," I say.

"You don't have to come, and you don't have to watch."

"I barely understand what you're doing, Julietta," Christine says.

"I need to see for myself what all this is for."

"That's… that's fair," I say.

"It's a lot."

"Yeah, I've kinda gathered that," Christine says.

"So lead the way."

"…Alright, one sec. Ana? How are you feeling, hon? Is it okay if I heal you?"

"Heal me?" she asks, tilting her head. I shrink down to her height for… I dunno, no real reason, honestly.

"Heal you, yeah," I confirm.

"I can do things like that now. You're pretty low on blood."

"I'm… a little dizzy," she admits.

"But I'm fine!"

"Sweetie, part of being strong is knowing when to accept help," I tell her.

"If you refuse to take care of yourself, or let others take care of you, you won't be ready to help when you need to be." Christine snorts. I glare at her.

"What?" she says.

"That's rich coming from you, is all."

"Amusement! Agreement!" Blossom declares out loud. Christine gives her a suspicious glance.

"How much does she understand, anyway?" Christine asks, pointing at the Angel with her thumb.

"All!" Blossom insists.

"Julietta translate network.""'Julietta translates for me with the network,'" I correct.

"And yeah, we have a whole pheromone communication thing going on."

"Kinky," Peter comments. Which… what? I'm ignoring that.

"Anyway," I say, growing back to normal height, "Ana? May I?"

"…Okay," she allows, and I gratefully seal her back up and fill her with a healthy amount of blood.

"Wooooah, that feels weird!" Hmm. Now I'm kind of curious.

"What does it feel like for you?" I ask.

"It's probably different if you're not the one doing it."

"I don't know how to describe it," Ana says, wrinkling her nose.

"Like sneezing in reverse?" That's… quite the mental image. I can't help but smile a bit.

"Alright, well… thanks for letting me do that, Ana. Is everyone mentally prepared now?" I ask one more time.

"Let's get it over with," Christine says.

"Yeah, I'm ready," Peter says, the mocking tone absent from his voice for once.

"Let's go," Anastasia nods.

"Alright, this way," Yellow says, flitting off deeper into the Queen's territory. She seems so different now. Yellow was always the most upbeat of the Marias, but… well, I guess anyone would be a little exhausted and jaded after what happened to her. Or… to part of her. The walk over is quiet and solemn, with little to do other than listen to Legion's colony around me. There's an odd quiet to them, an absence of the chatter and banter I grew so used to back at my own colony.

I would have thought Legion would have been more social, if anything. Not less.

"They are lamenting," Blossom says.

"They have been for some time." Lamenting? …No, that's not quite the right translation. They're mourning. But not for the dead. They're mourning the living.

"Pain. Help. Pain. Help," Maria's maddened body cries.

"We are here."

"We are here."

"We are here," Omnipresence as Worship assures her.

"Holdmekillmethankyoudamnyou." Blossom and I both shudder. Yes, I suppose I wouldn't speak much through the network if that's what I was mainly hearing in response either. When we finally see Maria again, it hits as hard as the first time, if not harder. She's not attacking anyone in a violent rage, at least, her four conjoined torsos wrapped up in Omnipresence as Worship's many vine-like tendrils.

Back to back to back to back, her bodies are attached to each other in a square formation, fused at the shoulders and the hips but with empty space otherwise between them. Each torso has two arms for a total of eight, but with the way the shoulders are fused, each one has far less range of motion than normal, and their hands are oversized, alien reconfigurations built more to claw enemies than grasp objects. Below the waist, where her torsos all join into one, things stop looking humanoid altogether.

I'd describe her mess of legs facing every which-way to be almost crab-like, multi-jointed and claw-tipped, but they're covered with thick gray skin instead of exoskeleton, leaving an eerie mix of features that isn't quite like anything in particular. They twitch and scrabble, clawing at the ground and at each other, the Queen growing a limb around any that start to thrash too violently and giving them a light squeeze, her love and sorrow calming the chaos temporarily.

Despite all that monstrousness, Maria's four faces are quintessentially, achingly her. Though her discolored skin can no longer be mistaken for human, equally discolored freckles remain where they were, dusted across her naked body. Her hair is cut to military-length, not having grown a single centimeter in the month I've been away. Her eyes are a pale, monocolor glow, but still the same shape and size. Her mouth is the same. Her lips are the same, even though none of them hold her smile.

One head chews lightly on the vine of flesh caressing it. One hisses and thrashes. One nuzzles lovingly on anything that gets close, embracing the tendrils restricting her with fervent affection. And one seems unresponsive, occasionally letting out low moans of distress and little else. Their eyes glow different colors now. Wild colors, colors I can't even identify without expanding the observable spectrum for my own sight.

Infrared, ultraviolet, and combinations of them with the other frequencies create a spectrum of colors that have no name because humanity has never had cause to name them. What good is a word for a qualia no one speaking it can experience? A few of Maria's other selves, her fairy selves, are still around. Blue floats nearby, whispering encouraging words to the more distressed heads. Pink sits off alone, not acknowledging us as we arrive. Orange is nowhere to be seen.

Behind me, my power can sense my friends' reactions, the way stress hormones pour into their bloodstreams, the way Christine has to hold down a brief urge to vomit, the way Anastasia's entire body tenses as if preparing to fight something, anything, for this injustice.

"Hey," I say, both in English and over the network.

"I'm back." Maira's four heads all turn to me as one, staring at me with a mix of surprise, joy, incomprehension, and pain.

"Ju," one of them says, her voice scratchy and awkward. Another just wails, letting out a sound of distress and despair that shatters my heart.

"Herefriendloveback. Whyhowyourfault. Hurthurthelpkill. Dyingneedingknowyouhopepain."

"It's me," I confirm.

"Julietta. We're going to help you, okay?"

"Horror. Indignation. Omnipresence as Worship, how did you create such a mockery of a Chosen?" Blossom accuses.

"We followed the principles of the Grand Queen, as We always have."

"We followed the principles of the Grand Queen, as We always have."

"We followed the principles of the Grand Queen, as We always have," Omnipresence as Worship answers.

"Escalating horror. Would not many Queens have made this mistake, then?"

"Oh yeah," I confirm.

"I don't think Maria is the only victim of this. The military has mentioned the idea of 'Demons' as a counterpoint to Angels, and this is what I think they are. Humans that were changed and went mad from it." At least I think they called them 'demons?' It was that or 'devils,' but I was a little out of it at the time. Whatever, 'demon' sounds better.

"…Who are you talking to?" Pink asks, still sulking alone.

"Actually, can we just not talk about this at all? If you're here, let's just get to fixing this already."

"…Right," I say.

"Well, there's not a lot I can do right now, but… here's the basic plan." I extend my arm, expanding it massively and growing the shipping container we hid our van in inside it. Dropping it and pulling my flesh back into me, I crack the container open and get Blossom's help pulling the van out.

"What?" Christine asks.

"What the fuck?"

"…What's wrong?" I ask.

"I just… this is your big plan?" Christine says.

"A van? You pulled an entire ass shipping crate out of your arm and I was expecting like… I don't know. Something impressive."

"Uh, sorry for disappointing you I guess?" I say.

"How are we even going to use this?" she asks.

"We're… going to drive it?" I say.

"I don't know how to drive, Julietta. Maria knew how to drive."

"I can also drive it, if needed," I say.

"I managed to drive it most of the way here using Lia's brain."

"…The girl who killed your brother in a car accident?" Christine asks hesitantly.

"I can drive," Peter says.

"Chill out."

"Look, we need a way to smuggle Maria into the ocean," I say.

"This is how we do that."

"I think the hard part is whether or not she'll let you," Blue chimes in, floating over.

"Hi, by the way. Long time no see."

"…Yeah," I nod.

"Long time no see. I'm so sorry about all of this. I can't help but feel like I caused this."

"You kind of did," Pink says.

"I don't think you did," Blue disagrees.

"And… anyway, I… it's good to see you."

"Likewise," I say.

"Even given the circumstances. How have you all been holding up?"

"Bad," Pink answers.

"…Yeah, pretty bad," Blue agrees.

"But you can fix us, right? You can save Green and the others?"

"I can't, but I can take you to someone who can," I say.

"You probably won't like it, though."

"Well, you said we were going to the ocean, so I can guess what it is," Blue sighs.

"You came back, at least. We really thought you wouldn't come back. I'm not… I'm not entirely sure if we trust you anymore, after all this, but… we have no choice but to trust you. So we'll do whatever you need." Oh. That… oh.

"Alright," I say, hiding the pain as best I can.

"That's fair." A very different kind of pain blooms in the back of my head as a certain Angel walks up and smacks me.

"Stupid," she tells me.

"…Uh, who is this?" Blue asks.

"I Blossom," Blossom answers.

"Angel friend. Julietta forget fast."

"Huh?"

"Assertion: people who care about you will care about your feelings," Blossom tells me.

"If this was not true for your kind, then you wouldn't care so much about them yourself." I… you want me to make this about me? Now? Maria has been tormented here for a month. She has every right to be mad at me.

"You have also toiled for a month, having your body torn apart and remade countless times, all so she could live," Blossom says.

"You are not owed her gratitude, not if she is in pain. But you are owed the right to make your case. You are owed your own feelings. I know how strong they are. Your beloved should know too." It doesn't work like that for humans. We can't process everyone's feelings while we're still struggling with our own. I need to show Maria I'm still worthy of her trust. I can't just tell her. That's infantile.

"It is not as though you will not be showing her either way. Communicate, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate." I sigh.

"… Maria. All of the Marias. I… I just want you to know that there was never a chance that I'd leave you here like this. Never. All month, I've been working with wonderful people who have dedicated so much to helping you. You're important. You're all important. So… please don't say things like that, okay? I'm sorry it's so hard to be… associated with me at all. I know this all happened because of me. But please believe that I won't stop working to fix things for even a second."

The various sane Marias glance between each other.

"…Honestly, Julietta?" Pink says.

"The way you solve problems is just as annoying as the way you cause them. Because it's the same thing: you do it all yourself. All on your own. You don't even try to get anyone else's input unless you absolutely have to."

"Ha!" Blossom laughs.

"Correct! Correct, correct, correct! No need network to know! Stupid Julietta."

"Wh… I…" I stammer. This is not how I was expecting things to go! What do I… no, wait, this is easy, she wants to be involved with the plan, right?

"Okay, um… well, the basic gist of the plan is that, while my powers can't fix you, Queens can fix you. They got you into this mess, they can get you out. So I found a Queen that's particularly skilled at this kind of thing, and we worked together to figure out the problems with your body's brain and how to, uh, hook it up correctly, for lack of a better phrase. So we need to get your body to the ocean, probably by going south, then swim to my Queen so she can heal you. Is that… what do you think about that?"

"I mean, it sounds kinda awful," Pink complains. Which… I mean yes, I won't deny that, but that isn't very helpful of a thing to say! This is kind of why I don't… no. No, move along, Julietta.

"I'm really not sure there's going to be a plan that doesn't sound awful," I say.

"This is an awful situation. But if your concern is that I'm just doing and deciding everything myself then I just… want to give you an opportunity to present other solutions."

"How am I supposed to have any solutions if the entire plan was assembled in the first place without anyone else's input?" Pink asks.

"Putting me on the spot doesn't help. I wanted to be part of the process. But you never let anyone into your process. You just tell people shit and expect them to do it."

"…Cut her some slack, Maria," Christine says.

"She's not a control freak because she's a narcissist or anything like that. She's a control freak because she's a pathological people pleaser with no faith in humanity."

"I like this," Blossom says, pointing at Christine.

"Uh… what I said, or me?" Christine asks. Blossom meant the latter.

"No, never mind. Look, you're not wrong, Maria, but now isn't really the time. We pissed off Agnus Dei on our way here, so we're probably on a time limit. The Air Force was preparing for an assault here anyway."

"Yes, let's stop psychoanalyzing me and focus on getting out of here," I agree. Pathological people pleaser with no faith in humanity… what the fuck, Christine?

"Ironic agreement. How dare she be so correct," Blossom comments.

"When was the last time you did something for your own sake, rather than another's?" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I said we should STOP psychoanalyzing me."

"But it fun!" Blossom insists out loud, continuing both conversations.

"Well we are not here to have fun!" I snap at her, and she flinches from the sudden burst of fury.

"We are here because Maria has been suffering for nearly a month over my fuckup. Look at her, Blossom! This is not the time for entertainment! Pink, if you want to chew me out or dump me or tell me how shitty I am to be around, fine, but can we do it after your body is no longer a twisted mess of pain and insanity?" She sighs.

"…Yeah," Pink says.

"That's more than fair. We'll do your plan, let's go."

"Apologies," Blossom nods.

"Thank you. Now we have to see if Maria is going to behave when we put her in the van. It'll be a pretty tight fit for her alone, not to mention everyone else. Omnipresence as Worship, can you release her? Slowly." While the Queen sends me an affirmative, I make my way over to her, the fairy Marias tensing up as I do. I approach the more cuddly side first, hoping that might make a good impression or something, and her eyes lock onto me, arms reaching out desperately.

"Ju?" she says.

"Ju. Ju."

"Youitsyouitsyouitsyouitsyou." Well, she definitely recognizes me. I hold out my arm and she grabs it in both hands, squeezing hard enough to shatter my forearm. I wince as the bone snaps, and she doesn't even seem to notice, yanking me closer and giving my spine a similar treatment.

"Good to see you," I manage, continuing my habit of speaking aloud and over the network at the same time. It seems to parse in her brain a little better, as if each method of communication ends up half-missing by the time it reaches her head, but together they can fill in some of the parts the other was missing.

"Ju."

"Ju."

"Ju."

"Ju," her four heads say in sequence, each with a vastly different emotion behind it. As Omnipresence as Worship's tendrils retract, Maria begins to move, thrashing and kicking. One of them lashes out at the air, another just spasms like she's having a seizure, bursts of lucidity flashing on and off her face. The one that had been gnawing on the Queen starts chewing on her own arm, instead, her teeth trying and failing to break through the thick alien skin of her wrist.

"This way," I encourage them all, sending love and encouragement over the network, and I think they try, but their uncoordinated legs stumble and twitch, conflicting sets of instincts warring with each other for dominance.

"Okay, I'm going to pick you up. I hope that's alright. I promise to be careful." Wordless chaos is all I get in response, so I shift myself underneath her, turning into little more than a table for her to rest on, and lift her up on my back so I can bring her into the van. It's a pretty large van, thankfully, but Maria takes up enough space for four people at minimum. With Peter's help, we probably don't have to worry about her breaking anything, but I still don't want her near the back doors if I can help it.

Although… it's also a risk to have her too close to the driver. Well, I'll be next to her to help ensure she doesn't cause too much trouble. Hopefully.

"Alright Peter, driver's seat. Christine, you're shotgun. Ana, Blossom, and I will sit in the back with Maria, along with… the other Marias," I say, directing everyone.

"You're even micromanaging where everyone sits?" Pink asks, and… geez, she's really gotten annoyed with me this past month, what the heck?

"I… look, Peter has to drive. Anastasia probably shouldn't sit up front because of her height, so she's in the back here. I need Blossom to help with Maria's body in case she's uncooperative, so she's also in the back. So by process of elimination, Christine is the other person up front."

"I feel like we still haven't had an adequate conversation about… Blossom here," Blue says.

"And especially why she looks like that."

"It funny!" Blossom answers brightly, sitting down in the back of the van. Demon Maria paws at her face, occasionally scratching bloody gouges down her cheek which immediately vanish.

"…She just combined the physical features of the human bodies she had access to," I explain, "which were yours and Lia's, since I needed to share yours with the Queen so she could learn to heal you. So come on. Let's go do that."

"Request: wait." Huh…? Oh. I turn and spot one of Legion's Angels approaching us, floating down from the air. It strikes me, suddenly, that I killed one of this colony's council members the last time I was here, out of rage and grief over what they did to Maria. I do regret that a little, now, and not just because of how kind they've been to me in spite of it.

This Angel reminds me somewhat of a traditional ghost or spectre, its body a willowy collection of ragged, draping skin floating through the air without an obvious means of propulsion. Not super pleasant to look at, but I've seen (and been) far worse monstrosities.

"What do you need?" I ask.

"The natives—""Correction: humans," I say, conveying the unique scent Blossom and I came up with to represent my original species.

"Acknowledged. The humans appear to be preparing for an offensive, seemingly provoked by recent events. We are aware of your strength. In the spirit of our alliance, we ask your aid."

"Oh?" Blossom stirs.

"Reminder: we are already here to correct your mistakes for you. You wish to have us do yet more?"

"Our enemies concentrate much power here," the Angel says.

"We have spoken with other colonies, who have been here longer and learned more of this world. Much time has passed since the first of us succumbed to the pull, and since that time the… humans have gotten more adept with nearly every engagement." Well, yeah. Why wouldn't they? Humans have had thirty fucking years to refine their combat strategy, to figure out what does and doesn't work. Nowadays, we've assembled something that's brutally efficient.

It takes at least a dozen Raptors to have a chance of taking out one soldier as long as everyone's doing their job right. At this point, humans are only losing because the aliens have an entire miniature universe of reinforcements to randomly drop on our heads whenever the mood strikes the gods, and because of the force multiplier Queens represent. Without a critical mass of lesser superheroes working together, you can't even try to assault a Queen.

But thirty years is a long time to get new recruits and for the gods to make more supers. There were, what, about twenty superhumans made in the Chicago incursion? Minus the ones that probably died before the military found them, I suppose. So if that happens every incursion, plus the new empowered that get made every moonfall, our concentration of powered units is a lot more now than it ever has been before. We really are at a turning point for the war here.

Humanity has gathered almost everything they need to start pushing back and regaining lost territory, banishing alien presence from their lands. And given Agnus Dei is here, they've almost certainly got the firepower to break through Omnipresence as Worship's domain. And despite everything, I really don't want her to die. That said…

"I am not going to slaughter my own people to protect you," I say.

"I do not like this war. I wish to stop it, not participate in it."

"Can you stop it?" the Angel asks.

"This would also be agreeable." Hnngh. That's a pretty major point in their favor, I suppose. The aliens are willing to negotiate for peace. The humans… hmm. The humans almost were. Agnus Dei just stopped my attempt. But we injured her pretty badly, so if she's out of the picture… damn it. I have to try.

"Proposition: no you don't," Blossom says.

"We could just leave this colony to die for their incompetence. They have served their purpose." That's cold, Blossom.

"My love for you is boundless, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate. But I have no love to spare for the Council of Legion. All of this could have been prevented had they simply listened to you when they arrived. They hurt a member of my council with their actions, and for that I will happily watch them die."

"Assertion: we'll never have a better world if that attitude drives our decisions," I say.

"…Why are all the Angels silently staring at each other with intense expressions?" Christine whispers.

"Julietta, too," Blue adds.

"I said what I said."

"Sorry guys, talking over the network," I answer.

"It sounds like the Air Force is gearing up to attack. You all get driving, I'll catch up with you. Meet at Emily's place if we can't find each other." Emily's place might be compromised, of course, but if it's not safe then I'll fucking make it safe.

"You're leaving?" Anastasia asks.

"But you just got here!"

"Agreement. Better things for doing," Blossom scowls.

"Your nebulously vague yearning for a so-called 'better world' will not be magically reached by risking yourself in a doomed fight."

"Agreement. It will be carefully reached through consistent, dedicated effort," I counter.

"This is a chance. It might not be a great chance, but I still think I should take it. I don't want either side of this fight to get wiped out, and that's the alternative."

"Thank you, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate."

"Thank you, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate."

"Thank you, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate," Omnipresence as Worship says.

"It is a much better name for you than Thief of Torn Wings," the Angel agrees.

"It is," Blossom sighs.

"You reshape fate no matter what I say, yes?"

"I've got to try," I say.

"If I don't at least try to end the war, I'm just doing all of this and causing all these problems for no reason other than my own selfishness."

"What so bad about that?" Blossom asks.

"Everything," I answer.

"Keep my family safe for me, Blossom. Everyone, Blossom isn't the best with English, but she's smart and powerful. You can trust her, I promise."

"It's nice to meet you, Blossom," Anastasia nods.

"The pleasure is reciprocated, little princess," Blossom smiles.

"I A Blossom of Wilted Chances. I protect you with life."

"Princess?" Anastasia asks, tilting her head.

"You future Queen," Blossom explains.

"Like Julietta and Blossom."

"Wait, what!?" Christine yelps.

"…I can't handle this," Blue groans.

"Can we just go?"

"Yeah, sure. All aboard the treasonmobile!" Peter calls, starting up the van.

"I can't believe you're leaving again," Pink complains.

"Well if it makes you feel better, I'll be back way sooner than a month this time," I say.

"By the end of the day, hopefully, but we'll see. I'm sorry, Maria. I know you're mad at me, I just… I have to do this."

"…Yeah," Pink sighs.

"I know. I'm not mad, I just… it has been a long and terrible month. We don't even know where Orange is. She left and just… hasn't come back."

"I see," I say.

"I was wondering. We'll talk about everything when I get back, alright? For now, just… get somewhere safe. Okay?"

"They're going to catch us, you know," Peter says.

"They're not going to miss a van driving out of an incursion zone."

"All the more reason to go now," I say.

"Even if they notice you, they're about to be pretty occupied."

"God you're fucking terrifying," Peter says.

"See ya, bitch."

"Bye, asshole," I wave back, and he lets out a surprised laugh as the girls shut the doors of the van. He drives off, leaving me alone with the Council of Legion.

"Okay," I say.

"If possible, I would like one Chosen to accompany me, as well as a squad of workers."

"You will have it."

"You will have it."

"You will have it," Omnipresence as Worship confirms.

"Broken Voices Speak as One, will you accept this task?"

"We shall," the ghostly Angel agrees, spreading their domain out over everyone as the Raptors gather. It feels like servitude to a greater whole, eternally unending.

"I wish to emphasize this is primarily a diplomatic mission," I say.

"Combat is likely to occur, but it is indicative of failure."

"Comprehension. We will follow, Twisting Scars Reshape Fate. We place our future in a Princess of Possibility." Alright, then. Easy as always. I have to say, confidence seems to go a long way with aliens. They know everything I know about how likely I think this is, and why I want to do it anyway. They want the same outcome I want, and they know they can't get it without me. So I'm in charge, simple as that. I believe I can show them victory, and they believe my belief.

"Let's go, then. Workers, follow but stay out of sight. Broken Voices Speak as One, what is your blessing?"

"This unit is capable of temporarily manifesting the bodies and abilities of Legion's servants and chosen who have perished within its domain." Ooh, that's pretty strong, potentially.

"What counts as a servant of Legion?" I ask.

"Any this unit's domain claims," they answer. Which means I count, as long as we retain synchronicity. This is normally the part where I'd suspect they intend to get me killed so they can steal my powers, but… I just kind of know that's not the case. They are, of course, absolutely going to take my powers if I die, but they have no intentions of betraying me whatsoever, so I guess that's just… fine?

Anyway, Broken Voices Speak as One seems to be able to keep pace fairly easily as I fly toward the military base, but I have them hang back a bit as we get close. It's easy to see that the Air Force and the Army are, indeed, preparing for a joint ground offensive. Not usually the Air Force's preference, but no military branch has a monopoly on infantry, of all things. And with Agnus Dei hopefully out of commission, there aren't many supers that can defend fighters or bombers.

Thankfully, though, they aren't quite ready to push in, so we have time. Broken Voices and I leave Omnipresence as Worship's domain range, so I shift out of bird form into a more humanoid angelic body. The full set of crystalline scales I used underwater might be a bit too heavy to fly, so I use octopus skin and large, bat-like wings so feathers don't end up covering the scintillating series of colors I decorate my body with, tentacles extending from my scalp and trailing down my back.

I don't really need arms right now, so I just use the wings in place of them, and I don't need legs, so I just keep a wide tail for balance in the air in place of them, but… well, I'm otherwise humanoid, I suppose. It doesn't take long for us to be noticed, and with my excellent vision, I can see familiar faces being assembled to presumably fly out here and kick my ass. Not Agnus, though. Good. I can probably take down or escape from almost anyone else. Even Sí Gaoithe.

Which is great, because that's who's heading my way, along with his team. I head for the ground, regrowing my legs as I land and allowing them to approach at their own pace, Broken Voices hovering a good distance behind me. What was that body I used the first time I tried to negotiate terms…? Right, I remember. A faux business suit, with a tie made of muscle and shoes made of bone, my tentacles wrapped up in a professional bun.

And just so everyone can recognize me, I form Seraphim's six alien eyes, the constellation of vision prominent on my face.

"Sí Gaoithe!" I call out once he gets close enough.

"Long time no see." His squad pauses momentarily in the air, carefully floating down to meet me. I recognize everyone with him from the fight against the Council of Blasphemy. All good soldiers and, as far as I could tell, pretty decent people, too. I don't want to hurt any of them if I can help it. Rafflesia is nowhere to be seen, of course, but I'm not surprised she wouldn't be let out into the field this soon after her arm regrew out of nowhere.

"Seraphim," Sí Gaoithe greets me back.

"You really are alive."

"It's Julietta, actually," I say.

"Or, if you want to be professional, the Angels call me Twisting Scars Reshape Fate."

"…And you really are crazy," my former commander sighs.

"I really am not," I assure him, a bit irritably.

"I've said it from the beginning: I can talk to aliens. But they talk through a pheromone network, so it's not like most of them can say 'Julietta.' This stuff really isn't that complicated, it's just extremely weird. Pick your jaw up off the floor and adapt already." Maybe not the best way to start a negotiation, but I suppose I've had a very long day. Besides, he's a pretty blunt and direct guy.

"Agnus Dei and one of the bigwigs both claim you killed a bunch of people and tried to run off before she vaporized you," Sí Gaoithe says.

"Agnus Dei killed all of those people and tried to kill me for basically no fucking reason," I correct.

"I… honestly don't know why the colonel is saying otherwise, given he saw the whole thing and was not happy about it at the time. I'm going to guess either threats or power shenanigans are involved."

"Is that so," Sí Gaoithe says.

"Awfully convenient."

"Uh, no, actually. It was all extremely inconvenient and very bad," I scowl.

"Seriously, what would I gain from killing a bunch of random soldiers? What were they going to do, shoot me? You know what I can walk off, Wing Ripper. Even if they had attacked me, I wouldn't have killed them." He hums noncommittally, floating slightly closer, albeit far out of reach of what he probably thinks my domain range is.

"…So what do you want?" he asks.

"If you show up now and tell the brass it was all a big misunderstanding, I doubt they're going to take you back."

"I'm here to do exactly what I was trying to do that day," I say.

"On behalf of the Council of Legion, I've come to negotiate with the United States of America for a peace treaty. The Queen is willing to return her captured territory to the best of her capabilities, and will return Atlanta in full if humanity can assist her in relocating to the ocean. Additionally, the treaty will ideally contain provisions which set the scaffolding for future negotiations with other Queens involving but not limited to the right to safe oceanic transport."

"Wh… are you serious?" Sí Gaoithe asks.

"Completely," I say.

"Can you send this message to the higher-ups at all? Record it, ideally?"

"…I'm not sure," he says.

"It's my job to capture you, mostly. All this other stuff…"

"It changes things," I say.

"You know it does. I'm a foreign dignitary, Sí Gaoithe."

"That's bullshit," he says.

"Sera, that doesn't even make sense."

"It's Julietta," I insist, snapping my fingers.

"And it's easy to prove. Please allow me to introduce Broken Voices Speak as One, Chosen of the Council of Legion under Omnipresence as Worship, Queen." The Angel floats down to me, their honor guard of Raptors following slowly behind. And then, as one, they do the closest equivalents to a bow that their bodies can manage. Sí Gaoithe and the others gain a bit more altitude, instinctively keeping distance from the horde. And yet.

"He says, 'Greetings, fellow Chosen of Legion,'" I translate, and… yeah, he is a chosen of Legion, isn't he? Damn, it's almost good that Maria got captured instead of him. …Almost.

"We express our deepest sympathies and apologies to your people. Our descent was forced. We had no control over where we arrived, or whether we would go. Our plight has caused your people much pain and suffering, and though we have done our best to mitigate it, we cannot do so if our people go to war. Please, allow us this chance to make amends." There's silence for a while after that, the aliens holding their bows. This situation, I feel, is very familiar to the one with Agnus Dei. Eerily reminiscent, almost.

I wonder how it will go wrong? Sí Gaoithe chatters into his radio, having a quiet but clearly heated conversation.

"How's it going?" I ask.

"…They're mostly just yelling at me to kick your ass," he answers honestly.

"Hmm," I say.

"And how do you think that's going to work out for any of you?"

"I admit, I wasn't expecting you to be one of the Angels I was sent here to kill," he says.

"But I've fought worse odds."

"No, you haven't," I state.

"I wouldn't even need the Angel, boss. I don't want to fight any of you, but if you make me, I'll win, and it won't be close."

"You can't bluff me, Seraphim. I've seen you fight."

"Yeah," I nod.

"You saw Seraphim fight. Two months ago. While I still thought my power was nothing more than shapeshifting. But I'm not Seraphim. I am Twisting Scars Reshape Fate. And I am offering you peace, with wildly favorable terms, because this colony actively wants to help you. No one needs to fight today. No one needs to die."

"…Well, sorry," Sí Gaoithe says.

"I'm a soldier, kid. It's not my call to make. I've been ordered to take you down and bring you in, so that's what I'm going to do." I sigh.

"Yeah," I say, preparing to fight.

"That's exactly why I've never had a problem with treason."