Third Life (Final Effect x Youjo Senki)
Tanya could only vaguely remember how her second life ended. After years of struggling in the war, she’d died because a train derailment. What an utterly stupid, utterly unfair way to die. On the upside, there was no sign of Being X in her new life, and she’d had the fortune of being born into a highly advanced, space-faring society...
Because, of course, there were monsters that roamed the cosmos trying to murder everyone. Grimm, they were called, and from what she’d learned of them, they’d done more than enough to earn the moniker.
The orphanage where she had ended up was surprisingly well equipped. Despite not being on a particularly prosperous world along the galactic rim, it had still had access to the InfoNet, and schooling was free from anyone who could be bothered to attend.
All in all, it was clear that the people of her new life had a healthy respect for education and the benefits it could provide to the economy. Admittedly, they were also a bit too militant for her taste. Everyone was required to undergo testing to see if they had Aura, which seemed to be this universe’s equivalents version of magic, and to receive basic training.
Not even the children were exempt although their training seemed to be more related to basic self-defence, first aid, how to hide, and how to operate communications equipment than actual frontline fighting. As warlike as these people were, they at least had the good sense not to send children to the frontlines.
Tanya was also glad that rather than be disturbed by her apparent intelligence, the people at the orphanage had been very pleased. They mentioned some people called the ‘Dia-Farron’ and spoke of a great many possibilities for future employment, many of which were precisely the sort she could appreciate. A research position in a place of safety? It would be a dream come true.
Of course, her high levels of Aura and the ease with which she handled the more martially oriented training also won her praise, albeit not the kind she wanted. She’d spent her last life fighting. She would much prefer to avoid combat this time around although the abilities she’d seen on the InfoNet did intrigue her. It was a pity her Semblance had awakened yet.
Naturally, her research into her circumstances in her new life had led her to the three major factions of the Remnant Galaxy. She was, unfortunately, not a member of any of them. Her new home was a ‘shadow world’ that existed beyond the borders of the Arendelle Empire but was close enough to find safety in the shadow the Empire cast.
However, her eyes were drawn more to the Schnee Mercantile Alliance. Although there could be no doubting the might of the Empire and its incredible ability to focus on both military and economic growth, she hoped to one day find her way to the Alliance. It was the sort of place she knew she could do well. It had a largely free economy, metered only by regulations that seemed necessary and reasonable.
Even better, there were no communists around in this universe, or if there were, they were apparently far more sensible than the ones she’d faced in her second life. The closest were a number of more communally oriented species, but as far as she could tell, their political leanings were more a product of their biology than anything else. After all, if a species had a hive mind, sharing everything, including the means of production, made perfect sense.
She wasn’t foolish enough to think that she would be able to simply move to the Alliance. Full citizenship involves several milestones. However, she was confident she would be able to earn a scholarship to one of the better academies in the Alliance and eventually parlay that into employment and from there... citizenship.
Ah, the thought of settling down on a comfortable world where she could enjoy the many benefits of this advanced civilisation only made her work harder. The discovery of another galaxy - one that contained an Earth - shocked her, especially when it turned out to be nothing like the Earth she had known. Even so, none of it changed her goals.
She wanted a safe life away from the battlefield where she could live in peace and enjoy the fruits of her labours. To do that, she needed to study, work hard, and prove to first the people on her planet and then those from other planets that she was worthy of further opportunities. It was so refreshing living in a meritocratic society where her own efforts decided her advancement.
It was a pity it didn’t last.
She was eight years old when a Grimm swarm began its attack on the galaxy. Her home world, Insulam III, did have some defences, but they were designed to deter space pirates and other riffraff. They were not designed to fight billions of Grimm with murder on their mind.
“Stay back!” Matron Emilia cried. “Stay back, children!”
Tanya watched in disbelief as the kindly matron who’d watched over the orphans turned into a killing machine who wouldn’t have been at all out of place on the battlefields of the Great War.
The old woman had a shotgun, and she had picked a spot just inside the main gate of the orphanage where she could pick off any Grimm that tried to scale the walls or bash through the gate. The shotgun fired heavy slugs that had no problems ripping through Grimm armour before detonating in fiery burst of shrapnel.
“Tanya!” the matron shouted. “I’m out. Reload.”
The matron tossed Tanya the shotgun, and Tanya hurried to reload it as the matron switched to a pair of heavy pistols. The matron had once mentioned that she’d always favoured ballistic weapons over plasma weapons or lasers because of just how big a dent they left in whatever they hit.
“Argon,” she barked into her, gaze never moving from the Grimm that were still trying to break into the orphanage. “How is it looking on the other side?”
The man’s reply was calm despite the chaos. “It’s under control for now, matron, but we need reinforcements soon. The fighting in the south part of town has gotten fiercer. It looks like the militia are being forced back, and the military has its hands in orbit.” A thunderous boom filled the comm channel. From what Tanya had seen, Argon was a sniper, and his position gave him command over the entire southern side of the orphanage and a good view of the town too.
Gunfire continued to pour in from the few windows that hadn’t been boarded up. Tanya had thought the drive to train everyone in combat had been a sign of militarism... she now saw how necessary it was. The Grimm did not negotiate or take prisoners. They killed everyone they could reach, and anyone who wasn’t killed outright was probably destined for a fate worse than death.
Having every adult capable and willing to fight gave people a fighting chance even if there were clear differences in ability. More Grimm finally broke through the gate, and Emilia snarled as her pistols clicked empty.
“Here, matron!” Tanya gave her the shotgun.
“Good girl,” the matron said. She smiled. “Get inside. You’ve done more than enough.”
Tanya took a step and then stopped. That look in the matron’s eyes...
“Go,” Emilia murmured. “I’m an old woman, Tanya. I’ve already lived a good life. You’re just beginning yours.”
In her first life, Tanya wouldn’t have cared. In her second life, Tanya had never felt overly much affection for the people who’d raised her, perhaps because of their connection to Being X. But in that second life, she’d learned how to have friends, or at least people she cared about. Her subordinates, Visha especially, had been more than just people to order around.
In this, her third life, the people at the orphanage had cared for her well. They’d done their best to help her in everything she did and to hone her abilities and skills. They genuinely wanted her to succeed in life, and their only expectation had been that she try her best.
Just then, the matron’s communicator crackled and then hissed before Argon’s voice came back on.
“Emilia, we’ve got reinforcements coming! It’s coming through on the emergency channel. The Empire have arrived! They’re in system now. At least a dozen ships with more on the way. They should be here any second now.”
Emilia laughed. “Here that, Tanya?” She began to retreat toward the door, firing her shotgun until it clicked empty. When that happened, she drew a staff from her waist, the weapon unfolding until it was its full size. Electricity crackled along either end of the weapon, and she brought it down with crushing force on the head of the Grimm closest to her. The beast went down, skull crushed, and Emilia spun, knocking another Grimm out of the air.
It was, Tanya thought, an excellent demonstration of why Aura mastery was so important. From what she had observed, humans and Faunus were both far stronger than the people of her second life, but Aura made them stronger still. It allowed even an old woman like Emilia to strike with superhuman strength.
“Just a little bit longer,” Emilia said.
“Right.” Tanya had been reloading the shotgun the entire time, and she braced herself for a moment before firing it. The recoil was harsh, but the basic training she’d had in how to use her Aura allowed her to keep her footing and put her shot roughly where she needed it to be.
Emilia grinned. “Good girl,” she said. “You always were ahead of the rest when it came to handling weapons.” She nodded sharply. “Worry about any that try to flank us. I’ll take care of the ones who get close enough.”
They continued their steady retreat toward the doors when there was a flash of light in the skies above them.
It had to be several kilometres in length, and it began to rain fire down on the Grimm with deadly precision. Areas were swept clean as perfectly aimed plasma and laser blasts thundered down. Moments later, drop pods began to fall, and Tanya was actually shocked by how quickly troops in power armour began to appear.
They bore the unmistakably snowflake of the Empire, and within minutes, the street was suddenly devoid of Grimm, their broken, battered carcasses littering the area as Imperial squads began to systematically eliminate the threat. One of those squads approached the orphanage.
“Ma’am.” The leader of the squad inclined his head. “We’ll be securing this area. Are any of the children hurt? Is there anything we should know?”
Emilia relaxed, and she was once again the old woman Tanya had known.
“The children are all fine, sergeant, although some of my staff were wounded during the battle.”
“I’ll have our medic check on them,” the sergeant replied. His power armour moved with an ease that almost made it seem alive. “This area should be clear of Grimm, but I’d suggest you stay inside until the all clear has been given. I’ll have some of my squad keep watch here.”
The sergeant’s gaze flicked to Tanya. “Was she helping you?”
Emilia smiled warmly. “Oh, Tanya was a great help during the battle.” She patted Tanya’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t have made it through the battle without her reloading, calling out strays, and then shooting toward the end.”
“Not bad, kid.” The sergeant chuckled. “With an attitude like that, you should apply for an Imperial academy. I’m sure they’d be happy to have you.”
