Nier: Revengeance - ch 2.2

Big Human on Earth (2)

The androids in the base are almost all gathered together on the base's patio, whispering amongst themselves about the rumors of a human in the base, with most of the androids being skeptical of the news. When Jack and Anemone arrive at the improvised palanquin, the soldiers turn silent.

Jack stoically regards the assembled troops with a neutral expression, allowing them to use their sensors to confirm his claims of humanity before addressing them. “You probably heard rumors that a human has arrived on Earth, foregoing protection on the Moon to arrive on the front lines.”

Jack pauses for effect, building anticipation in his listeners. “Those rumors are correct. Some of you might have already suspected when taking a glance at me, while others are currently gaining confirmation by seeing me face-to-face. It is true, I am a human, and I am on Earth. I came here to help you all.”

Jack takes a deep breath, noticing how the android's gaze follows the movements of his chest. “First off, let me congratulate all soldiers who fought bravely for the sake of Earth and Humanity. You were all alone for so long holding on to hope, following your orders for distant masters hiding on the Moon, and you all performed admirably. I speak in the name of Humanity when I say, ‘I am proud of all of you. You did a good job, and it is worthy and right to celebrate your accomplishments.’”

Jack slowly claps his hands, breaking the dam holding back the androids' emotions as they jump in the air, some cry from joy while others fall on the ground as they can’t contain their emotions, with years, decades, and maybe even centuries of hard work finally acknowledged by their master, one of their Living God standing in front of them to commend their actions.

After some time passes Jack raises his hand, putting an immediate stop to the android celebration, and with robotic efficiency, they all return to their lines in a parade rest.

Jack once more addresses the soldiers in front of him. “Your actions must be praised and acknowledged, but like anything in the world, they weren’t perfect. I don’t blame you, as you were left without instruction for so long, and you were forced to relearn harsh lessons that took humanity’s ancestors tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of years to perfect.”

The androids remain still, almost like statues, showing none of their previous joyful expressions.

Eventually, Jack returns to his original position. “Unfortunately, amongst humanity, there was discord in how to proceed forward, and the Council of Humanity could only send general purpose instructions when it could organize itself, trusting that their creation could do everything by themselves. However, the truth is that we couldn’t set aside our differences and stalled making a proper decision until now.”

Some of the androids started to talk among themselves using their internal communications, whispering and speculating among themselves about the politics of the Council of Humanity, with the androids trading excited messages between them about learning first-hand accounts of the Council drama.

The Human on Earth senses the disturbance among his listeners and clears his throat to catch their attention. He observes some worried glances thrown his way, but he ignores them for now. “That all changed recently. The Council of Humanity has finally made a decision, electing a Commander-in-Chief to represent the interests of Humanity and sending a new General of the Army down on Earth to help with the war effort, and that person is me.”

Jack sweeps his arm across his chest to emphasize the point. “As the newly appointed General of the Army, I have complete control of the war assets down on Earth, and I can request the Orbital assets at any time to provide support to the ground troops. It is my responsibility to direct, aid, and lead the campaign against the Machine Lifeforms, and in the unlikely case that it proves possible, I am also invested with vast Diplomatic powers to pursue a non-aggressive end to this war.”

Some of the androids break into an open murmur, questioning why the Council of Humanity would seek peace with the hateful invaders and their creations.

Hearing the whispers from the androids, Jack decides to drop another bomb on them. “I am also granting amnesty to all androids that abandoned their posts, became deserters, or were accused of commiting crimes. As of this moment, the hunt for deserters stops, and they are instead invited back to base to debrief and stay under observation.”

The other androids start to openly raise their voices, questioning the wisdom.

“What if those traitors come and try to harm you, my lord?” An android asks with fervent worry, “We can’t lose, we can’t bear the thought of losing you, my lord!”

Anemone yells at the screaming Androids. “Silence! General Jack isn’t done yet! While under his command you will also address him as ‘sir’, per military protocols!”

The offending android shrinks at the reminder of going against his god.

Jack nods to Anemone. “Thank you, Anemone.” He turns in the direction of the dissenting android, smiling at him. “Your concerns and worries are appreciated, however, I am not an easy target that a few potentially unbalanced androids can take down. Beyond that, I will also elect a group of bodyguards to protect me in the near future, but rest assured, I understand the weight, significance, and responsibility of being the only human on Earth.”

The addressed androids sigh in relief before standing straighter once more.

With order restored, Jack continues with his speech. “Now, androids of the Army of Humanity, members of the Resistance, young YorHa androids, are you willing to follow me, not just as one of your creators, but as a fellow soldier, superior officer, and experienced leader to bring mankind to victory?”

“““Yes, sir!”””

“Then go back to your posts, as soon you will receive my direct orders for yourself or your unit. I might call you to my office, or personally seek you out to give your new assignments. Currently, my first general order is to increase the base's level of readiness for further assignments! Glory to Mankind!”

“““Glory to Mankind!”””

“Dismissed!”

The androids rush to their previous posts, spreading the news to the unfortunate soldiers on guard duty, while others share the captured video of their new General's speech. A few enterprising androids are already editing the footage with tactical closeups tracking down the movements of his eyes, lips, nose, chest, and the rare well-defined butt close-up.

A few minutes later, Jack has a new office set up with Anemone attached as his NCO to provide insights on the base and the general mood of the troops. With access to a working area, Jack calls 2B and 9S to his new office.

They both salute Jack with enthusiasm. “Glory to Mankind!”

He nods at the two YorHa androids. “I want you two to stay here while I contact your Commander. I believe everyone in the bunker is worried about the status of the mission and those who carried it out.”

9S agrees. “Yes! At some point, the signal jammed and we couldn’t contact HQ, and with all the commotion we didn’t find the time to talk with Commander White.”

Jack smiles, making both androids blush. “Now, let’s contact her, shall we?

An assistant sets up a secure communication channel with the Bunker, and the displeased expression of Commander White appears on the screen.

Like all androids, her appearance was sculpted to perfection. Her long blond hair is styled in a high ponytail, with a pair of large golden ornaments adorning her hair. She wears a white dress with gold ornamentation, distinguishing her from the other YorHa androids' black uniform. Her dress shows the YorHa logo on both sleeves, with the dress cleavage covered by golden-patterned fabric. Her black ridding crop sticks out to the side of the screen, as she dispassionately regards the androids on the opposite side of the call.

She tries to speak first, but she stops herself. Narrowing her eyes, she tries to discreetly come closer to the screen.

Seeing this, Jack focuses the camera closer to himself to give Commander White a better view. Upon seeing her new expression, he chuckles. “Did you find what you were looking for, Commander White?”

She stammers her response, trying to articulate what to say next. “I, no, I mean, who are you, sir?”

Watching how her eyes track his movements, Jack nods at her before smiling. “My name is Jack S. Wily, Commander White. I am the newly appointed General of the Army for the Army of Humanity on Earth. It was a recent decision from the Council of Humanity.”

Her posture shifts with her back turning ramrod straight. “The Council of Humanity?”

Ignoring the commander’s discomfort, The Human on Earth continues. “Yes. I recently made landfall on Earth and aided the YorHa unit’s mission on the Factory at Pearl Harbor. Due to the time sensitivity of the mission, I prioritized aiding them before contacting the Bunker. My apologies.”

White looks lost for a moment. “Ah, it is, alright?”

Pleased with the response, Jack gives White a bright smile. “Thank you, Commander White.” He motions for the assistant, “We will upload the introductory speech I gave to the members of the Resistance, however, I wish to inform you personally about a few key points.”

The blond woman finally regains her composure, acting naturally despite having a human in front of her. “Of course. I am listening, sir.”

“First, I am taking control of all war assets on Earth, and I am authorized to ask for orbital aid for my operations. Will that be a problem?”

She shakes her head. “Of course not, sir. Naturally, it is your right to command the forces of Humanity as you see fit, and the Bunker will do everything in its power to meet your demands and attend to your needs.”

“Good, I am glad that we won’t be having any problems on that front. However, my next order might cause some controversy amongst the rest of the command.”

Her expression doesn’t change, but her tone of voice gains a hint of trembling in it. “I assure you, sir, that every YorHa unit under my command will follow your orders without fail!”

Jack takes a deep breath.

“Under my authority as General of the Army, and as the only human on Earth, I issued a general amnesty to all androids who abandoned their posts, became deserters, or are accused of committing any crime.”

White immediately responds when she hears the order. “But sir, I must protest! The effects this order will have on morale, and those other androids, it might cause chaos, not counting how the traitors might take this opportunity to harm you!”

Jack glares sharply at White. “I understand well enough the consequences of this order, Commander White. However, due to extenuating circumstances, and the previous neglect of the Council to guide their children more closely, I decided to wipe the board clean and re-start from zero, under the powers I hold.”

The Human on Earth stares directly into White’s green eyes, pinning her in place with the intensity of his gaze. “Commander, let me remind you that I am granting amnesty to all androids of past crimes. Humanity can’t afford to be divided right now. If it becomes necessary, I will pass judgment and execute any traitors myself. Is that clear?”

She straighten up once more. “Yes sir, sorry sir.”

The tension hangs in the air for a few seconds, until Jack disarms it with one of his smiles. “I said it to the androids on the ground, but I also need to say this to those in the bunker. You were alone for so long, and had to relearn harsh lessons that humanity took a lot of time to discover, and did an admirable job thus far. I am proud of you all, and your actions and sacrifice up until now are worthy of praise and celebration.”

The woman on the other side of the lie blushes, and noise and whispers start to filter through the call, interfering with the communication between Jack and White.

Amused, Jack chuckles at the Bunker’s excitement. “How about this, Commander. I am sure the Bunker needs renovations to allow a human to visit for long periods, so once the reforms are done, I will visit the orbital station and greet you personally along with the rest of the operators.”

A distant “kya!” echoes in the call. 

Jack shakes his head. “Could you please connect our call so that the rest of the operations can listen and hear me more clearly?”

Hesitantly, White nods. A second later, the monitor changed to show all Operators standing up at attention. All Operator units under White’s command are female-type androids, and they are also sculpted to an ideal of beauty for the sake of their creators.

“It is good to see you all in good health, soldiers of humanity. You fought long and hard so far, toiling for the sake of distant masters, plagued by uncertainty and fear. That ends now, for I am here!”

Discipline breaks instantly as the operators squeal like high school girls, hugging each other and acting excited at the proclamation, while a frantic Commander White tries to reestablish order among her forces.

The Doctor listening to the call rolls his eyes, sarcastically commenting on how pleased Jack is with this new development. “The savior of humanity, ladies and gentlemen.”

‘Oh, shut up. Let the girls have their fun. The androids on the ground will have my direct attention while they will only have video calls to entertain themselves.’

The Doctor sighs in disgust over what’s to come. “Just make sure to impress on them the importance of hygiene for human health. I hate to contemplate what will be traded on the black market paraphernalia once the situation stabilizes”

Jack wisely ignores the implication, focusing on Commander White once more.

Despite the interruption, she smiles back at Jack.

“Thank you, sir. We will do everything in our power to meet your expectations.”

“That’s all I ask, Commander White. Once I arrive at the Bunker, we will speak of serious matters that require a face-to-face meeting. Until then, keep fighting the good fight. Glory to Mankind!”

“Glory to Mankind!”

Jack cuts off the connection, before turning to the remaining Androids. “Alright, we still have work to do.”

Post Chapter Notes

The chapter became chunky, so I broke it down into two parts. Since the rest is being edited, the next chapter on Tuesday and Thursday will come on schedule.

Now, speaking a bit about this past week's experiment. On one hand, I managed to make a big outline that gives a lot of content, and once I edit the scene I can get somewhere between two to three times more word count to post as chapters. On the other hand, I need to better organize myself. Once I deliver those overdue chapters, please let me know here or on the Discord server if it was worth the wait.