Author's Note:
I finished this year's exams, I managed to pass them all, now I can write better without worrying about studying.
Here's a short comic story.
I took the exam three times to pass it, on the first attempt I got 4.35; on the second attempt a 4, on the third attempt a 7.
On my third attempt, the teacher came to me to talk before the test, in the class I was the only one taking that test for the third time, there were two other kids but they were giving a test on another topic.
He told me: "In the previous tests you wrote a lot, especially in the second test, two full pages, but I gave you 4 because I don't understand that's how you write. Please write nicer."
I wrote two pages in block letters instead of cursive, got a nice 7, and passed my last exam.
My old comrades in Italy are right, I have the handwriting of a dog.
However, without school I will have time to put into practice several of my ideas as a writer.
Type-Moon fans, MiHoYo fans, Super-heroes fans, you will see/read some great things.
XXX
Story Arc: Benvenuto Herrscher of Reason
Episode 1: A Hermit and His Toys (II)
Chapter 2: Two Illegal Immigrants in Paris
Plot: Raphael and Stelle wanting to leave Moscow, which is a ghost town full of zombies, have created a contraption to do so. Will it work?
XXX
POV Narrator
Over the past three days, the underground parking lot of the Lotte Hotel Moscow has received something of a makeover.
The entrance door was sealed with a five-meter-wide wall of ice and ugly cars, which were crushed and stacked on top of each other like a sandwich.
The rest of the machines were divided into two categories: recycle or move.
The cars that Raphael considers ugly, close to breaking down, have been dismantled, becoming spare parts or construction material.
Everything that was inside the cars destined for recycling was thrown into the incinerator or Stelle took them because she thought they were cute or funny.
The beautiful and expensive cars were simply moved somewhere else to be used later.
Once the underground parking was cleared, Raphael began working on his ticket out of Moscow and welcome to Paris.
Now in the parking lot a path that leads straight to a wall, has received a yellow paint job and some nice star-shaped graffiti.
On this path there are a set of five metal rings, large enough for a fire engine to fit through.
On the left side of the path is a chair with a terminal in front of it and three orographic screens, with equations in an alien alphabet and a geographical map of the Earth.
On the right side of the path there is a kind of large rectangular shaped generated two meters high, three meters wide and six meters long. In plain sight you can see a kind of glass capsule with a fluorescent blue substance inside.
Several metal cables connect the terminal and the generator to the rings.
At the moment, Raphael and Stelle are in front of this invention, behind them are as usual Pod-423 and Pod-703.
Next to the two of them is a trolley covered with a white blanket, which was brought by Stelle.
"Raph, now that the big day has arrived to turn this thing on, can you tell me exactly what?" asks the gray-haired android girl.
The Herrscher shifts his gaze from his engineering masterpiece to his female friend, wearing a bewildered expression.
"You've been helping me build this technological marvel for three days and you still don't understand what it's for? I'm sure I've said this several times?" Raphael said, confident that he had made his intent clear with the creation of this device.
"My internal systems have two programs dedicated to a civilian career: Adjutant/Assistant/Secretary and Mechanical Engineer." Stelle replies, placing a hand on her chest, knowing from the first moment what her job is.
The gray-haired girl raises her hand and points a finger at the large invention made of large metal rings.
On the right side of the path there is a kind of large rectangular shaped generated two meters high, three meters wide and six meters long. In plain sight you can see a kind of glass capsule with a fluorescent blue substance inside.
Several metal cables connect the terminal and the generator to the rings.
At the moment, Raphael and Stelle are in front of this invention, behind them are as usual Pod-423 and Pod-703.
Next to the two of them is a trolley covered with a white blanket, which was brought by Stelle.
"Raph, now that the big day has arrived to turn this thing on, can you tell me exactly what?" asks the gray-haired android girl.
The Herrscher shifts his gaze from his engineering masterpiece to his female friend, wearing a bewildered expression.
"You've been helping me build this technological marvel for three days and you still don't understand what it's for? I'm sure I've said this several times?" Raphael said, confident that he had made his intent clear with the creation of this device.
"My internal systems have two programs dedicated to a civilian career: Adjutant/Assistant/Secretary and Mechanical Engineer." Stelle replies, placing a hand on her chest, knowing from the first moment what her job is.
The gray-haired girl raises her hand and points a finger at the large invention made of large metal rings.
"This project is far beyond my level of mechanical engineering knowledge, but if I have clear instructions, and I'm not the woman who takes care of the most delicate components, I can contribute to the construction, which I did very well," Stelle said, her voice proud and happy for the work she had done.
While Stelle has a lot of fun playing "actress" and "news presenter" for her Herrscher, she also loves getting her hands dirty and putting her knowledge to use.
"I think it's some kind of portal like in science fiction movies, my deduction is based less on scientific knowledge and more on the knowledge gained from numerous movie nights together." Stelle said, hoping he had guessed right.
The Herrscher walks in front of his large machine, moving his hands in an exaggerated and dramatic way.
"What you have before you is based on Space Bridge technology." Raffaele explains, starting from the basics, with the name of the machine.
"Space Bridge?" said Stelle, slowly repeating the name of the ship.
"Space Bridge is a form of interplanetary transportation that allows its users to travel from one planet to another almost instantaneously without the need for a spaceship, by taking a 'shortcut' through the extradimensional realm of trans-warp space." Raphael said, providing a more thorough explanation.
The gray-haired girl raises an eyebrow and begins to look dubiously at all three members of the "Space Bridge".
"Raph, I know you're a genius and I don't mean to insult you, but I don't think a Space Bridge can be built in three days using materials collected from ordinary Moscow shops and powered by only a vat of Energon." Stelle said, believing that his Herrscher had miscalculated.
The gray-haired girl's "brain" is practically a science fiction computer, her personality matrix is developing, but her data bank is ever-expanding, and her program as a Mechanical Engineer is the equivalent of a genius with a first-class degree.
The "brain" of Stelle is saying that such a device to work according to Herrscher's words, would have to have a much larger, much larger power source, something that is beyond their current manufacturing capabilities.
Raphael, instead of taking offense and proclaiming that he was right, smiles and gives a little applause.
"You're right, Stars, you're absolutely right." Raphael said, stopping his clapping.
"A true Space Bridge would be a massive ring capable of allowing a warship to pass through." The Herrscher said, spreading his arms, as if to emphasize the colossal size of a legitimate Space Bridge.
'Big enough for the Titanic to pass through!?' thinks the synthetic girl, her eyes widening, surprised by the size for a real Space Bridge.
"Building a Real Space Bridge to my specifications would be a job that could take years, not even mentioning the quantity and quality of materials needed." Raphael said, fully aware that a nation could more easily build a nuclear factory or a nuclear warhead instead of a Space Bridge.
"If this isn't a Space Bridge, what is it?" Stelle asks, sure there's a reason Raphael mentioned the Space Bridge.
"You have before you, a Ground Bridge, a simpler and more limited version of the Space Bridge, should allow safe travel within the confines of the planet. If it is forced, it could bring someone into Earth orbit." Raffaello explains, being able to build only this at the moment.
"Now we have a portal that allows us to reach every corner of the planet, we could go around the world in 80 days." Stelle said, smiling, planning a long journey full of fun.
The synthetic girl's smile becomes smaller, but does not disappear, after all, a free ticket to every place on the planet.
"There are 195 countries in the world, if you wanted to use the Ground Bridge to visit one country a day, you would go around the world in about 6 and a half months," Herrscher said, introducing logic into Stelle's tourism plan.
The synthetic girl's smile becomes smaller, but does not disappear, after all, a free ticket to every place on the planet.
"Raph, I have one more question for you," said Stelle, having a curiosity to satisfy.
"Let's hear it, then turn on the Ground Bridge and see if it works." Herrscher said, reaching for the terminal, specifically an on/off lever.
"I'm happy with the thousands of opportunities that the Ground Bridge can offer us, but if we just want to go out to Moscow, wouldn't it have been easier and faster to use my Flight Unit and your IS (Infinite Stratos) to fly over the wall?" Stelle asks, having in the main program a file dedicated to piloting the Flight Unit.
"If you think it's easy to fly out of Moscow, tell that to the Russian army that surrounds the city, ready to open fire on anything that comes out of here," Raphael said, preferring to avoid facing an army face to face, even if the odds are on his side.
"You're right, Raph, better to build a portal that allows us to come and go as we please." Stelle said, understanding her Herrscher's choices, better to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
"Pod-423, turn on the video camera, I want you to record this moment." Raphael said, feeling compelled to record this moment for the sake of himself, history, and science.
"As you wish, Lord Kaslana." Pod-423 replies, his voice robotic and stoic.
Knowing that she is being filmed, she decides to smile and wave at the camera.
"Long story short, I'm Raphael Kaslana, me and my female assistant, Stelle, we're about to turn on the Ground Bridge. If it works, we'll never have to worry about crossing a border or buying plane tickets." Raphael said, giving a quick introduction, sounding like a child who wants to try out his new toy.
"I'm starting test 001, if this thing blows up, well, Moscow is a city that's been deserted for three months, full of zombies, there's nothing to lose." The Herrscher said, raising the terminal lever.
The rings of the Ground Bridge begin to activate, a green-blue light forms inside the metal rings, creating a vortex of energy that seems to come from a mecha cartoon.
"Now that's a quality light show," Stelle said, looking at the working Ground Bridge.
Raphael keeps one eye on the Ground Bridge and the other on the terminal's holographic screens.
"No explosions, no black holes, everything seems stable and functioning perfectly." Herrscher said, wearing a happy, but cautious expression.
"If someone or something crosses the Grand Bridge it should end up in an area of Paris, probably a dead end if the satellite images and my calculations are correct." Herrscher explains, without moving away from the terminal.
"Pod-423, call one of the disposable drones, let's see if a small drone can make the round trip without getting damaged." Raffaello suggests, wanting to start small.
At that moment, the android girl approaches the trolley she brought with her and with a movement of her hand, removes the white blanket.
On the bottom of the cart is a large metal suitcase, large enough to hold a corpse if it is placed in the fetal position.
On top of the cart is a heavily modified remote-controlled toy car.
"Can we use my latest project?" asks Stelle, picking up his toy car, which is about the size of a school backpack.
"When did you have time to do it? We've been working seriously on the Ground Bridge for three days." Raffaello asks, looking at Stelle's invention, tempted to put his hand on it.
"I am an Elite Tactical Doll/YoRHa Androids and can control and guide up to 10 Dummy Dolls at once. While I am carrying out my main duties, I can guide the Dummy Dolls from afar to perform simple tasks." Stelle explains, using her advantage as a synthetic being to multitask.
"I'm almost jealous, one mind with eleven bodies at his disposal." Raphael said, having several tricks at his disposal, but none that allow him to be in more than one place at once.
Herrscher looks at Stelle's remote-controlled car, before giving a verdict he touches the toy's carcass and closes his eyes.
In Raphael's mind, a precise diagram appears of how the remote-controlled car is built and its components.
"This is less of a toy and more of a little Batmobile. If you want to build your own full-size custom car, you're free to do so," Raphael said, wanting to encourage the gray-haired girl's creative and practical side, whether it's her "role playing" or her occasional personal mechanical projects.
"You're not the only one who can build wonderful toys, even if everyone else has to use traditional methods." Stelle said, as he positioned his four-wheeled creation on the path that leads straight into the Ground Bridge.
"I don't see any problem, it certainly attracts less attention than my drones." Raphael said, granting permission for Stelle to act as she wishes.
Herrscher takes out of his coat pocket a gadget that everyone should have, a sticky disk with a location tracking chip inside.
"Start the engine and speed away." Raphael declares, attaching his gadget to the synthetic girl's toy.
With a happy expression worthy of a little girl who has convinced her older brother to take her to the rides, Stelle pulls out a remote control with a small screen.
"Let's go Star-mobile!" exclaims Stelle, pressing a button on the remote control.
The toy moved forward with astonishing speed, passing through the luminous vortex of the Ground Bridge.
Raphael looks at the holographic screen of the terminal, the map no longer shows the entire globe, but a map of Paris.
For a moment nothing happens, then a bright red dot appears on the map.
"The Ground Bridge works, the GPS shows that the Star-mobile has arrived in Paris." Raphael said, with a smile, proud that his invention works well on the first try.
"I'm turning on the camera." Stelle declares, pressing the button on the remote.
Raphael moves, positioning himself next to the synthetic girl so he can see the small screen.
The remote control screen shows an alley near a restaurant garbage bin, you can see the sidewalk where several people are coming and going.
"So far so good. We're getting clear images. Can it move?" asks Raffaello, curious about the integrity of the Ground Bridge.
Stars presses the buttons on the remote control, the Star-mobile starts moving and reaches the sidewalk, showing lots of people of all types and shapes.
"Raph, look, there are so many humans and they're alive!" The android girl exclaims, as if she saw a herd of unicorns.
"Stelle, my female friend, I remind you that the norm is cities filled with humans and not zombies, Moscow is a more unique case." Raphael said, remembering that the robot-girl has only been alive for three months and each of them have been spent in a nightmare city.
"I know, but seeing them with my own eyes in person is a completely different thing." Stelle said, her expression full of joy.
"I wonder what you'll do when you have to talk to someone other than me or one of the Pods." Raphael said, slightly concerned about the synthetic girl's social future.
"I can do it, I have practiced with many video games, Visual Novel." Stelle declares, she is sure she can make new friends if she gets the chance.
'I'm happy that Stars is excited to meet other people, but 2D people are different from 3D people.' He thinks
"Poor girl tripped and dropped the box of cookies on the floor." Said Stelle, she is sorry for what happened to a girl with blue eyes, blue hair tied in two short pigtails.
'Strange, I think I've seen that girl somewhere? Something about a Ladybug and a Black Cat.' Raphael thinks, vaguely remembering something of his life before his transformation into Herrscher.
The Herrscher of Reason had a blast having the entire city to himself, doing whatever he wanted, living like a king, and playing the brave zombie slayer.
"Stars, bring your toy back, let's move on to the next test." Raphael said, his voice calm, but you can feel the impatience and excitement.
But even an introvert like Raphael has a limit to how much solitude he can tolerate, not to mention the horrible weather that is getting worse and worse and the declining state of the city.
Stars nods his head, flicking the buttons on the remote control, his four-wheeled creation, backtracks.
The synthetic girl welcomes her toy as if it were a dog who just won a dog show.
"You did very well Star-mobile, your first mission was a success." Stelle said, hugging the Star-mobile.
"Now you stay here, it's mommy's turn to take a ride." Comments Stelle, placing the Star-mobile in its place, on top of the cart.
"Pod-703, prepare the camera!" exclaims Stelle, wanting to have photographs of his first moments outside of Moscow.
"With great pleasure, Stelle." Pod-703 replies, in a more feminine and joyful voice.
"Be careful, Stelle, and make sure you don't draw too much attention to yourself. If anyone asks, tell them you're a magazine model." Raphael said, hoping this excuse would work.
"Don't worry, I'm maybe three months old, but I have an encyclopedic knowledge of France and I've killed over a thousand zombies," Stelle says, giving a thumbs-up, a new sign he's picked up from movie nights.
With these words, Stelle and Pod-703 crossed the Ground Bridge. Raphael turns his head toward the terminal.
The little doubts in Raphael's mind disappear when he sees the signal from the Black Box of Stars on the holographic map of Paris.
The android girl she arrived safely at her destination.
"I think it's my turn, I have a long range remote control for the Ground Bridge, but just in case, Pod-423 stay here to guard the Ground Bridge terminal." Raphael said, wanting to have all the bases secured.
"As you wish, Lord Kaslana." Pod-423 replies, floating near the terminal, focused on his new task.
The Herrscher of Reason walks toward the glowing vortex of the Ground Bridge and stops just steps away from entering it.
"I am a Herrscher, in some ways I am an energetic entity that mimics the human body, composed of energy that defies the laws of physics, I have nothing to fear from crossing a Ground Bridge." Raphael mutters, hesitating to take the final step to reach Paris.
The two tests he has done so far have shown that inanimate matter does not suffer any side effects.
But can living matter or anything a Herrscher is made of suffer a side effect?
'Maybe I should catch a bird first and use it as a guinea pig for the Ground Bridge?' Raphael thinks, tempted to backtrack.
At that moment, the Synthetic Girl's arm comes out of the Ground Bridge and grabs the Herrscher by his shirt.
"Raph, come on, I want to have some fun!" Stelle shouts, pulling his Herrscher across the Ground Bridge.
Only Pod-423 remains in the underground parking lot, which proceeds to close the Ground Bridge and start telecommunications.
XXX
Meanwhile, as the two new illegal immigrants from Paris walk through a living city, something bad is happening in the sky.
A plane carrying hundreds of people, a mix of French citizens and tourists from around the world, has just suffered an engine failure.
Who will be the heroes who save the day, gaining fame nationally and internationally?
Continues ...