DxD: Celeste 3

DxD: Celeste 3

…

Commissioned by Althero and Chaosbrain

Wordcount: 2000

…

Azazel held onto the first modern computer I’d made and teared up at me.

“No. Don’t take it away from me! I need it!”

The first computer I made wasn’t all that good compared to what I worked with back home, but I had the benefits of over fifty years of hardware build-up and software evolution backed by AI. In this world, I had to make do and scale up production later to keep adding onto it, but I still had decades of software and hardware know-how to utilize in the cornerstone of my budding computer network.

Naturally, since Azazel was a giant nerd, he couldn’t go back to shitty computers after using one of mine.

“You’ll get one in a few days, but I need this one to design the next one.” Azazel feigned tears when I took it away from him and started making use of it. The interface recognized me and configured itself to my preferences instantly. That was probably the biggest reason why he wanted it. The computer worked and functioned with our enhanced reflexes and minds, instead of being suited only for humans, thus being too slow. “You’ve got what you need for your project, so get on it already.”

“You can’t expect me to go back to my worthless hunks of junk after letting me use that! Let me help you make the second one right now, so I could use that one for myself!” Azazel’s argument was sound. We’d both benefit from two computers being involved in the system. I thought about it for a bit, before recalling my schedule. “Please, don’t say no!”

“Sorry, Azazel, but there’s a deadline coming up. Can’t afford to mess things up right now.” I snapped my fingers and one of my constructs helping me out trundled over on its wheels and picked him up by the scruff of his suit. Azazel went limp like a puppet in the claw-hand of the robot. “Besides, you’ll get a better computer instead of this piece of crap, so just be patient.”

Azazel, being a fellow engineer and scientist, understood my words on a logical level.

Azazel, being my kid, was still hardheaded though.

“Screw that! Give me the blueprints! I’ll make my own and keep my deadlines!”

I knew better than to try to dissuade him from working his butt off, so I had the memory stick filled with the design ready and threw it his way. He caught it, was surprised for a second, and looked at me with thanks until he saw the smirk on my face.

“I bet a million dollars you can’t manage it, kid.”

Azazel’s eye twitched, before he let out a snarl, and hit the robot carrying him out.

“Either go faster or let me off! I needed to start working yesterday!”

He’ll probably get it all done, but not without asking for help, instead of doing everything himself. Which was a good result, that was worth a million dollars, since it’ll teach him to not do everything himself.

He and I were alike in that way too.

We’ll do everything ourselves, until we get it pounded into our heads that we shouldn’t.

Since this world didn’t have Miyakuro to harass everyone into working together, and Song to hold everyone together after he did, it was up to me to make that happen.

…

Infrastructure was proving to be a more difficult problem than I expected.

My first reflex when it came to creating my own network was to work on an orbital system that would allow me to access my computational systems from anywhere in the world. That would allow me to have access to a cadre of specialized robots and machinery without setting up a datahub nearby, which could be found and destroyed. Unfortunately, unlike Sheridan, I couldn’t just ask for some space on some mass drivers and put up a lot of satellites up alongside my orbital WMDs.

So, I had to make a launch platform for my satellite network… in a world where multiple nations were keeping eyes on the sky to make sure that no one was out to nuke one another or set up secret WMDs. Sheridan, to my memory, only started making inroads on Earth’s orbitals after making a lot of diplomatic overtures, gaining a lot of trust, and having both Drones and AI at his beck and call, while the world was undergoing several crises at the same time.

The world I was in wasn’t united, was looking out for any potential wars, and liked its current status quo, while I had far less funds, political sway, and technology to back me up.

In short, I had far, far less than what Sheridan had for my “basic” infrastructure plans, despite being the Aspect of Creation.

Man, I know that dire circumstances allowed him to get away with a lot, but he still got away with a lot more things than he should’ve.

Anyway, I had to modify my plans a lot for my project to gain power, stifle evil, and keep things in order.

I went for quality over quantity with a design courtesy of the LRU.

The LRU Landships advanced immensely since they were first created to tank shockwaves from nuclear weapons fired against the Chimera. They went from giant machines on treads that guzzled resources to move to massive floating fortresses that could tango with ludicrous amounts of Chimera, even when they started evolving. Even when Vimana started being made, and an navy started getting built in space, the Soviet Union kept building them so that they could hold ground in the future and upgraded them accordingly.

I had to cut corners, even with Azazel’s resources and my access to the world’s markets to build one with a few hundred robots at my disposal. Anyone from the LRU would’ve either laughed or been offended with the Landship that I made, since it was “only” the size of a wet-navy destroyer, and didn’t have enough armor to face-tank a fusion warhead, let alone a horde of Chimera. But it had big enough guns, a VLS system, stealth for sensors, magic, and the naked eye, and the ability to carry around the systems necessary for my army of supporting robots, and eventually AI and a platoon of Drones

It didn’t just hover, either.

It flew.

Eh.

The Soviets would still think that it’s a half-assed piece of shit and I’d tell them to less be obvious about their need to compensate.

It was always fun to work with those guys, and I honestly felt bad that they didn’t exist in this dimension. Competition equals innovation and all that. Although, given the current lack of interdimensional locusts out to consume everyone’s biomass that carried massive amounts of rare and valuable materials without them, it made sense that their economy turned into a massive mess.

In fact, a lot of people lived in a mess at the moment.

I should really do something about the resource issues, the housing issue, and everything else… but all of that had to wait for later. Focus on the right problem, solve it, and move on to the next. I couldn’t let myself be buried, because that would make me less capable and reactive to any changes that I encounter in this world that could be a problem.

Until I could find people that I could trust, and had an organization backing me, I’ll leave anything world-changing for later.

Firepower and numbers needed to come first.

…

Kuoh city was one of many smaller Japanese cities that got folded into the first Arcologies in Asia. Japan was an American ally, and they were one of the first to receive new technologies outside of Canada and Mexico. Tomoko coming from the place probably helped as well, although Sheridan was willing to give anything to anyone willing fight and change with the times, during the first Incursion.

Anyway, I found the sprawling concrete and homes a bit charming, even if some part of me thought that it was inefficient and a waste. I knew that part of me was talking out of her ass, and lived in different circumstances. The plenty these people had was astonishing to me, but probably the norm for them, and I was one person amongst billions with that idea.

I was the strange one here, so I just put aside my weirder thoughts, and took it all in with as an open mind as I could.

And, an open stomach.

I was on my fifth bento from the convenience store, and looking up local restaurants, while I ran scans from above the city. Literally everything tasted amazing, and I was rapidly considering making a gate between this world and mine, just so that everyone could enjoy food from here. Technically, they were advanced enough to be involved instead of left alone and to their own devices with some monitoring to stop them for killing each other.

But, I’m being distracted by food, as per usual.

I came to Kuoh to check on Issei Hyoudou. My surveillance system and information from Azazel gave me a decent profile, but I wasn’t one to take risks when it came to Longinus Sacred Gears, especially on people as powerful as Hyoudou. So, I decided to set up a passive surveillance network in the city and maybe leave him a protector just in case something happened.

However, as my scans came in, I nearly choked as my surveillance bots found signs of powerful individuals and sent me pictures.

“Holy shit, Rias is STACKED.” I wiped the rice off my face as my drone gave me a good look at one of the Twins of Destruction, who wasn’t a twin in this universe, in one of most fetishized school uniforms I’d ever seen. “Did all of Aria’s existence go to this Rias’s T and A in this universe!? Damn!”

Rias Gremory in this universe was born as Sirzech’s younger sister and sans a twin. According to Azazel’s records, she was a normal heiress to the Gremory family, with an adequate understanding in the Power of Destruction. The Devils won the Great War here, and their Civil War hadn’t gone as badly as it did in the past, which meant a more stable and comfortable world for them. Thus, she wasn’t nearly as powerful as I expected her to be. Here she counted as High-Class, but she’d barely be counted in that rank back in my world, since the ranks were refined.

But, in all honesty, I’d give up a lot of power to look as good.

“Those have to be at least 1 kg each. She’d have back pain if she weren’t a Devil.” I was probably staring too long at this world’s Rias Gremory. In my defense, I hadn’t enjoyed any one’s company since I found myself here and I was getting hit in the eyeballs by an 11/10 beauty. After a few seconds, I managed to get my libido under control, after reminding myself that I was here to save the world. Not ogle, even if the ogling was great. “Alright, moving on… and Sitri’s a cute chick with glasses.”

I had to take a deep breath at that particular revelation, because it was essentially a sneaky uppercut after the barrage that was Rias Gremory in this dimension.

It took a while, but I managed to get myself under control.

“Right. Somehow food-utopia is also filled with more attractive and female people that I know. Not a big deal.” I talked to myself in an attempt to make reality reflect my words. It probably wouldn’t work, but it's worth a shot. “Moving on… and that’s Akeno just being herself, but in a short skirt and the tightest blouse-thing in existence.”

Rias Gremory and Female Sitri stirred up some conflicting emotions inside me, but seeing someone that I knew and had very, very fun times with in that outfit only had one end.

“…Welp, I’m time to go to my bunk.”

It wasn’t a bunk, since I had the ship to myself and gave myself a sick room, but it was a bunk in spirit.