Author note:
Please do comment and if you like the story, provide power stones.
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How?
How the fuck did I not see this, I mean I've…no. I haven't. I'm such an idiot. How could I miss such a huge change. Oh god, if there's a change this big that I've missed, it's highly probable that there's likely a lot more out there that's changed.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
What a fuckin start to the day.
Analysing Earth's world map again, my hands traced the European landscape. A continent that was supposed to be under the African Union but…it wasn't. Instead, an independent bloc stood there.
San Magnolia.
A nation that's summed up as, ' No honey, we got Nazi Germany at home.'
A nation that scratched the back of my brain and for good reason. I had a brain blast which reminded me of where this nation was from. An anime I had watched but I don't think I ever finished. It was so far back.
The only reason I remembered at all is cause of all the info I had uncovered about the natinew-ageAlba supremacist, old-fashioned oligarchical economic bloc that's extremely isolationist. Basically, a richer North Korea of the world.
A perfect comparison considering that the nation was backward in everything but their military force, which is likely why they were allowed to do all the shit they've been up to. Though even their advanced military was a mishmash of outdated traditclear-cutparts running new age tech.
Meta knowledge and the few articles about the country's inner workings told me that despite their menacing appearance, they were paper tigers and the fact that they had never actually used their military for anything since the Calamity wars supported this fact.
This was huge.
This knowledge didn't personally affect me. Not yet anyway. It solidified something I really didn't want to face and it's the fact that this universe isn't as clear cut as I would like. What are the chances that there's only one change to this verse?
Well, luckily I have this.
Walking over to the safe in the corner of the room, I entered its passcode and pulled out the black box inside. Entering another ten-digit passcode and the subsequent personal password. Opening it, I carefully picked up a book and flipped to a specific page where a small sealed USB lay. I picked it up and inserted it into my tablet.
Navigating to a file in a file in a dozen more, I finally got to what I needed. On the screen, a younger version of me appeared.
" Hello, future me. You know what this is mish-mashed if for whatever reason you forgot, I'll say it anyway. This is the beginning of what could be hundreds of videos of all the knowledge you have in your past life."
Skipping past the intro video, I quickly made my way to the media section. As good as my memory is, it's not perfect so I saved all the knowledge I could remember in one good USB. If only I knew I was going to an alternative world full of mish mashed media, I would have rewatched, well, everything. Still, what I had could be extremely dangerous if it got out but I couldn't allow the possible treasure trove of knowledge to decay.
Dangerous? Yes. Needed? Definitely. I've used it many times, even though some of the knowledge was not detailed.
Before I could find what I was looking for, I got a call.
Another sigh escaped my lips as another duty was dropped on my lap. Seeing who called, I felt a smirk tug at my lips. At least this one should be amusing.
*********
Harley Pov:
(A little earlier.)
She blinked, her throat dry and head pounding with the ferocity of something otherworldly. She swore she would carry water the next time she got this buzzed cause she was sure her throat was drier than mars at this point.
A look around told her that a dry throat was not even the worst thing of her morning.
"Shit."
The groan slipped out of her before she could stop it, and Cassady stirred beside her, mumbling something incoherent that sounded like "I told him I could fly the drone with one eye shut."
Fantastic.
Running a hand through her messy hair, she staggered up and grabbed the bars of the cell they found themselves in, peering out with a tired glare that didn't even try to hide the building anxiety in her gut. It wasn't her first time waking up behind bars, but she didn't think it was the best look for her new bosses.
It was fine.
She was sleeping with one of them after all.
"Cass," she said, nudging the other woman with her foot. "Get up. We're in jail. Again."
Cassady groaned louder this time and rolled over, blinking blearily. "Did we win?"
"If the game was pissing off the local authorities, absolutely." She sighed, rubbing her temples. "My memories are coming back and we need to figure out how to spin this cause I'm looking forward to wasting my beautiful ass in prison."
The ginger merely groaned, rolling away from her. She let out a groan of her own and leaned her head against the bars.
"This is going to be such a pain."
Around an hour or so passed before someone remembered they had two pretty girls in their cells and she hit the jackpot with the type of cop who came to see them. He was young, pervy if the way he ogled them told her anything and easily folded when with just some words and some accidental bending.
She managed to get some badly needed water and a phone call. Now, she normally had a few people to call but most were either off planet or she wasn't close enough with the ones that came to Earth to want to ask them to bail the duo out.
Well…maybe one.
She just wasn't looking forward to seeing the smug look on his face. Especially considering the fact that she had mocked him about the fact that he couldn't handle his alcohol.
And she was right
The look he was sending her now was really irritating. She was certain that he had practiced the smug, almost condescending look he was sending her." I have the right mind to leave you here for the day. I mean, do you guys even know what you're in for?"
"Public indecency? Aggravated charm? Being too hot to handle?" she offered with faux innocence, her hands resting lightly on the bars as if she were posing for a glamour shot. "Don't keep me in suspense, boss man."
Cassady, from the bench behind her, groaned. "I told them the roulette dealer was rigging it. That one guy was cheating, I swear. He deserved to get socked."
"Come on Darius. I promise to be a good girl from now on. Me and Cassady promise to show you how sorry we are." She accentuated her claim with her best sultry expression.
" I promised to spend the day with you but I think you need to learn that actions have consequences. I had a talk with the Sargent here and thankfully, your charges aren't too serious, the man has a good sense of humour and empty pockets to allow me to leave you girls here just for a day."
He gestured to the two boys he had brought along with him, one she recognised as his assistant, Ricky or something, standing outside their view to come. Said boys came, one holding two plastic bags and dropped them into the cell while Ricky dropped sleeping bags and a change of clothes. A quick glance into the plastic bags told her that it was groceries; from food to toiletries.
The fucking comedian then placed their tablets in next to the goods.
" Have fun. I'll send someone to pick you guys up tomorrow." he said, turning to leave.
She blinked. Once. Twice.
"You're kidding," she said flatly, picking up a can of beans like it had personally insulted her. "You brought us groceries? Are you bailing us out or sponsoring a weekend getaway behind bars?"
Darius didn't answer. He just raised a hand in a lazy wave, already halfway out the door.
She lunged to the bars, calling after him. "Darius!"
He didn't stop.
Her fingers curled around the cool metal, her expression shifting rapidly between disbelief, amusement, and outrage. "You smug, manipulative bastard! You think this is teaching me a lesson? You just gave me a sleepover with Cassady!"
From behind her, Cassady was already rifling through the bags like it was a picnic basket. "Ooh, did he get the good chocolate? Yep, he did. Not all bad."
She slowly turned around, unsure whether or not she needed to punch or shank the ginger while she just shrugged, opening up one of the sleeping bags with said chocolate in hand and eating away like she was in a damn hotel.
She turned back to the door, her eyes narrowing even as a smirk was forming on her face. "Good one Darius, but this means war."
***********
Darius Pov:
As soon as I entered the mobile armoured car we came in, I let out the barking laughter I was holding in throughout that meeting, Richy even giggling beside me.
" That was genius, boss. I don't think I could have ever thought of that." Richy said when we calmed down.
" I know. My genius…it frightens even me.
I wish all my problems could be like that.
With my day now open, I had a million and one things to go through and do. For one, plans need to be made for the expansion and the creation of our Tekkaden earth branch, then begin with a budget plan, then I need to meet with the minister of defence to talk about the role Tekkaden shall be playing with the Arbrau Armed Forces or AAF.
Keep in mind, all this is only Tekkaden related.
I still needed to keep up with my learning, finally deliver on my end of the bargain with Pete, check up on Cody and my gambling dens. They should be operational by now but I haven't heard from the boy in a while with how busy I was, then check up on how exactly my Portfolio managers were investing my money and why they had done so.
Then Mars.
Fuckin Mars
One doesn't even realise how bad it is up until they plan to start a few businesses there. You see the Boar Hat Bars LLC; I'm only allowed to operate it in Chryse. If I wanted to expand into another city, that would be like trying to expand into an entirely different country.
Mars is a bloody Anarcho-feudalist hellhole. Something that was never really explored in the show. Since the nations on earth can't control jack shit on Mars but still needed to extract resources from the planet, they simply hired locals, from PMCs like the CGS to merchants and businesses willing to try their luck protecting thAfter alls, ports storawarlords' and any other financial interests.
Stress the word financial as everything else like service delivery is more of a suggestion then obligation to most of Mars.
So long as their interests are protected, they would look the other way if those protecting these assets proclaimed themselves royalty and abused the locals, which is a large reason why child soldiers came back into fashion. Afterall, it's in the warlords guidebook 101 to hire kids.
Cheap, expendable and if they manage to grow up, they would be veterans by the age of twenty.
That reminds me, I need to make my own private security. With all I want to do, I would rather have my own band of killers loyal to only me and off the books than share with Orga Diesel.
Anyway, I'm getting a little off topic.
A perfect example of this system at its best is the Bernsteins. Merchants that managed to play the game, get good with Arbrau, proclaim their nobility and have the power and money to legitimise it.
All this chaos is a large reason why Mars is underdeveloped. The only places where fighting isn't a regular occurrence, at least out in the open are the cities. Funnily enough, if Orga and I want, we could just become nobles now. We had the power and chunk of land necessary to do so. With Daddy Arbrau's approval, it would be official in a matter of moments.
The only reason Mars isn't an endless warzone is Gjallarhorn's fat fingering but things are changing cause of the McAizen wannabe in their forces and their devastating defeat to our hands, revealing the corruption under their mask of law and order.
Now that I think about it, I wonder what he's been doing? Haven't seen him or his disguised self once. You know, maybe he's the reason why we were not attacked on the way here or the reason why this city was not filled to the brim with blue coats.
I could see it.
Well, it didn't matter
as I had better things to think about.
When I thought my problem lessoned, they seemed to have only doubled.