Restoring Mankind (NieR Automata) Chapter 9 preview. Part 2/4 (Patreon)

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Sweat dripped down Devola's brow. Sweat she wiped away with a cloth. A look of intense concentration was in her eyes as...she chopped vegetables with quickly and efficiently with a clean knife. 

"Popola, how's the carrots coming along?" Devola asked, looking over her shoulder. 

"Carrots are almost ready!" 

Pots of thin metal stood over flaming stoves, water boiled inside of them alongside numerous vegetables cut perfectly into eatable slices. Finished with her slicing. Devola lifted the board she was chopping vegetables on and walked over to one of the pots. She leaned forward and dumped the vegetables into the stewing potage.

With the perimeter secure now, the Yggdrasil's had returned and Colonel Smith ordered for a party to be thrown. A party that involved copious amounts of food to be made and cooked considering the fact that most of the Yggdrasil pilots were newly awoken and were running on adrenaline to push them through. Now, they were absolutely famished and starving. The facility itself had supplies to feed itself but the Resistance had kept on mind about the humans that were being kept as a popsicle and also brought food stuffs as well. Devola and Popola would know considering that they were the ones who egged Anemone for such things to be delivered. 

Lettuce, cabbages, carrots, radishes, and peas for vitamins and minerals. Potatoes for carbs and for protein, boar, and moose. 

Speaking of meat, 

"Jackass! How's the meat coming along!?" Devola yelled.

The sound of a cleaver effortlessly chopping meat apart filtered into her systems. Grumbling, Jackass looked up. "Almost ready!" At her side, there was a bowl of finely chopped boar meat that was being stacked. 

"We needed that protein ready by yesterday!" Devola said, hands going to her hips. 

"I know! I am working as fast as I can!" 

"Work faster! There are humans to feed!" 

Jackass did not take it kindly that she had missed the battle. She was even more upset when the other androids described to her about the amazing missile works that the humans in their Yggdrasil suits lobbed at the enemy. "I was the one that found the humans in the first place! How come I get the sloppy seconds??" she moaned. She felt that she was owed a reward for finding the outpost and true enough, it did warrant something. 

Only when a nearby Yggdrasil remarked that he was hungry did she realize her chance at praise.

The door swung open and in rushed 1D, a white apron over her uniform and a hairnet keeping in place her hair. All of them were wearing aprons and hairnets actually. Apparently, regulations called for that. 

"I have brought the rice!" 1D said declared. And sure enough, she was pushing in a trolley with multiple sacks of rice on it. 

"Good!" Devola praised her, earning a slight smile and a earnest frown from Jackass. "Move it into the corner and open it!" 

1D nodded and pushed the cart there as ordered. Devola turned to Popola. "Sis. Help 1D in making the rice. Remember to wash it, alright?" 

"Yes, chef!" Popola added cheekily, earning a laugh from Devola. This was how they had managed to keep themselves sane throughout the years, sharing humor to keep themselves stable. But now, we humanity back, they could allow themselves to lighten up a bit. 

Devola blinked when there was a flash of light as 1D brought out her sword, the latest standard YoRHa issued blade, and held it up to cut open a sack. Her eyes widened in alarm. "1D! What do you think you are doing?" yelled Devola. 

Like a deer caught in headlights, 1D froze. She turned to Devola, her blade still held up. "Um, cutting open the sack?" 

If Devola had veins, it would be popping out out of her forehead. Jackass grinned under her breath at the YoRHa models' naivety as Popola chuckled under her breath. Devola marched forward, a knife in her hand. "With a knife, you over-engineered dummy! See, like this!" Devola muttered under her breath as she effortlessly cut open a sack, revealing a rich grains of white rice. 

"But, my sword will still have done as well like that knife?" 1D said, her head tilting in confusion. 

"You are trying to open a sack of rice, not destroy a machine unit!" Devola pointed out. She knew that the YoRHa models were...special but she had no idea they were this special. She supposed there was logic in using a sword since it was used for cutting and dicing those unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. But still!

"I...I see," 1D said slowly, her sword vanishing out of her hands. "I recognize my failings and I will do my best to correct them." 

1D had vowed that she would learn how to cook. So far so good, she was learning. 

"Good," Devola nodded in approval. "If you have any questions, be sure to ask my or Popola, okay?" Devola added, her voice softer this time. Jackass's slight giggling raised her ire again as she turned to face the short-haired android. 

"Jackass! The meat!" 

"Oh shit! Uh, right!" 

Outside the galley, the Yggdrasil pilots had now returned to the outpost and were in the process of stepping out their suits. It was a fairly straightforward process as the suits themselves would open up fairly quickly. It explained how they were able to get from defrosting and into battle quickly. 

The problem however was that they got from defrosting and into battle quickly. 

Just as Smith was when he was thawed, they were all practically naked when they stepped out of their suits. 

Damian prepared himself as his suit hissed and opened up, revealing him onto the Outpost's hangar deck. It was noticeably more noisy when he had left it as androids, both resistance and YoRHa, had now flooded in to assist the Yggdrasil pilots. At the other spot next to him, a pilot was immediately swarmed by a bunch of androids all eager to assist him in anyway. 

"Woah, woah there tigers!" another pilot remarked, Alexandra Spitz, blonde haired and with a heart-shaped face. Her voice was peppy as she was surrounded by androids that made themselves too obvious in their eagerness to help. "One at a time!" she laughed, as she was offered nearly everything from clothes to even a stick of what looked like dehydrated meat. 

What Damian needed right now was water though. His throat felt drier than the desert above. 

"Um...Sergeant Damian?" a soft voice alerted him. Damian turned to see 12H standing before him, her head craned up too look at him. In her hand was a small cup filled with water. "H-hi," the android greeted him meekly. "My name is 12H. Um, when Colonel Smith woke, he remarked that he was thirsty so I thought you were too and, um," |

She held up the cup to him, her face turning away to the floor next to him. 

Damian smiled as he accepted the cup from the blonde android. Taking it, he brought it to his lips and parched his dry throat. With a sigh, he offered the empty cup back to her. "Gracias, little lady. I needed that." 

Excitement coursed through 12H as she accepted the cup back. She swore she wasn't going to ever wash that hand ever again. "N-no problem, s-sergeant! I-um," 

Damian's head tilted. "So, 12H huh...what does the H stand for? Heavenly?" He added with a smirk. 

A pod floated by, seemingly taking a record of what was happening. It paused when it came near 12H. It swivelled to her. 

"Alert: Unit 12H's internal heating system is going into overdrive. Recommendation: Activate your coolant systems,"

"A-Ahhhhhh," 12H's voice was a high pitched whine, her pale skin not exactly hiding the reddening on her face and cheeks, earning even more chuckles from Damian. As everything unfolded, Smith watched this all on a metal chair from a catwalk overlooking the hangar bay. The hangar bay was positively massive, with crates, pods for suits to be stored and other items that offered pilot and mechanic the items that they needed to succeed in their mission. At the ceiling was a massive United Nations flag, held proudly by strong wire. 

Flanking him stood Anemone and White. The former watching her androids sternly to make sure they were behaving properly and the latter holding a datapad that was being fed with information and data. Anemone was speaking, her voice factual. "We are counting over five thousand confirmed machine casualties, mostly stubbies and bipeds, with multiple flier units and a few goliaths." 

Smith nodded. "I understand that we annihilated at least 8 battalions worth of troops," he replied, his mind taking note of the numbers. "But do explain to me the difference between the units?" 

Anemone hefted the datapad to her side. "The Machine Network is a titan of an enemy, Colonel. From what we know, stubbies are the most common machine unit. They are small, 3 foot in height. Easy enough to deal with but a nightmare if you are alone." 

"And the bipeds and goliaths? I understand what a flier is enough. I've seen the footage," Smith said, having reviewed combat footage earlier. 

"The bipeds are those six foot looking machines. They're much more capable than the stubbies but aren't as common as the little ones," Anemone replied. Their threat was apparent considering they were agile and packed a punch that could immobilize any android if they weren't careful. 

In his mind, Smith could equate the stubbies to be the Machine Network's equivalent of conscripts, with the bipeds the actual grunts to make a difference. "And the goliaths?" 

"The goliath class machine unit is a colony of smaller bipods working together to form a much larger machine," reported Pod 313, all this time being silent. "Much like most of its fellow units, it can come in different varieties, with not a single one being standard." 

"So you mean to tell me, theirs different types of these bastards?" Smith asked, turning to face the pod. 

"Correct," Pod 313 replied. At this point, White and Anemone turned to Smith, concern in their eyes as they saw the troubled look on his face. Internally, Smith was thinking about the way this new war was going to be fought. He was going to need data, lots of it, if he was ever going to formulate means for his men and him to make a difference. With this, he made his thoughts known. 

"Anemone, White, I am going to need the two of you to sit down with me on a later date. I need to more info on how my men and I are going to fight the machines. I am going to refer to the two of you since you two have fought these bastards way longer than me," Smith declared. He blinked when he saw the alarm in their eyes. "What?" 

"Sir, you mean to say that you are going to send yourself and your men to fight the machines?" Anemone said, her tone derisive. 

"With all due respect, Colonel, the Army of Humanity's sole purpose is to fight the invaders. This is our work," White asserted. 

Smith sighed. He stood up from his chair and turned to them. "Ladies. I meant every single word I said, back on the surface. This is humanity's homeworld, our cradle, and I will be damned if I do not fight for it with you all." 

At that, both women felt tense. They both remembered the speech, they were going to remember it for as long as they would live. Shit, White and Anemone knew that was going to live rent-free in their databanks. 

Still...

"You are going to be putting yourself and your men in danger, Colonel," White pointed out. "What would happen if one of your pilots or even you get injured or worse, get killed? It would damage android morale severely," Just saying that made her inner systems boil in rage and quiver in horror. 

"I concur with White here, sir. Are you sure you really want to fight?" Anemone said, walking up to him. White mimicked the actions of Anemone, stepping close with a clack of her heels. Smith placed both his hands on their shoulders. Just as quickly as their tenseness came, it left as soon as Smith held them. 

"My men and I are soldiers, ladies. Our whole job is to fight. Our oath to our species demands it." 

"Oath?" White asked, craning her head. Smith smiled, turning back to look down at the scene below. Pilots were laughing and greeting the androids as if they were real people and not robots. In the corner, he could even see one of his pilots clearly flirting with one of those YoRHa androids. Regulations dictated that there ought to be no fraternizing between service members but he supposed he could let that regulations relax for now. Looking back into his memories, Smith recited. 

"I solemnly swear, to devote my life and abilities," Memories came, of battlefields in ages past. Of his bloodstained hands from human conflicts. How those looked so petty compared to what they were going to fight from one faithful day in Tokyo. How his skills were used to invade nations contrary to the interests of the United States. 

"In defense of the United Nations of Earth," The Battle for Tokyo, the Scouring of Asia, the Fall of Shanghai, The Skirmish in Iran. He remembered how difficult it was to get everyone working together. Chinese troops, Japanese remnants, Indian sharpshooters, Filipino scouts. Questions of sovereignty were raised about the deployment of troops in foreign countries to counter the Legion. Questions that were becoming more and more irrelevant in the face of danger for humanity. 

"To defend the Constitution of Man, and to scour the Earth clean of the Legion." He was there, when the United Nations ended the question of sovereignty and the countries on Earth vowed to fight as one, until the Legion was gone. With a joint declaration, humanity became one. 

"From the depths of the oceans, to the furthest edge of the heavens," The Naval War, the Air war, each desperate attempt to hold back the Legion as scientists worked day and night to devise means for humanities' survival. 

"For as long as I shall live," Smith ended reciting. glancing at the two androids before him. 

Anemone and White looked up at him. Anemone's face was inscrutable but White was much more expressive. White as an android had her quirks. She loved efficiency, order. Oaths meant a lot to her, hence her effectivity as YoRHa's commander. She ran a tight ship while believing in its mission. 

Oath.mp4 saved successfully. 

"There really is no stopping you, huh?" Anemone remarked. 

"I meant every single word I said. And besides, I will only really be taking volunteers. The civilian personnel and refugees we do have, I assume you have places for them where they will be safe?" Smith asked. 

"Yes sir," White nodded. "High Command is converting one of our space stations to be habitable for the civilians here, as well as from the other bunkers once we unveil them." 

Smith whistled. "Damn. Do alert me when that happens. I'd like to visit space too. Been one of a few childhood dreams of mine, actually. To go to space..." He chuckled. "Our scientists, they're going to go wild about the technology that's being fielded here." 

"I am sure R&D will have questions in the application of maso in your tech as well, sir." White remarked. Compared to what they were fielding, the technology the United Nations fielded was rather...brusque. It spoke to White about a different time in humanity's history. A time where survival of humanity was paramount and thus, it required such dangerous and raw technology. 

The Legion really must have been a nightmare, when humanity's instinct was to create darting mechanized suits with enough firepower to level the battlefield. 

It was then, the PA system came to life. "Attention. This is Devola. Food has been served in the Mess Hall. I repeat. Food had been served at the Mess Hall. Come now, and eat!" 

Smith smiled. "I will be more than happy to let my eggheads out and have them gawk with your R&D but first...lunch." 

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A/N: Apologies for the delay. IT WAS MY BIRTHDAYYYY AYYYYY. bUT HERE YOU GO.