Sankta Miksaparato

[Code Name] Sankta Miksaparato

[Gender] Male

[Combat Experience] 54 Years

[Place of Birth] Laterano

[Date of Birth] Dec 26

[Race] Sankta

[Height] 210cm

[Infection Status]

Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physical Strength] Excellent

[Mobility] Standard

[Physical Resilience] Standard

[Tactical Acumen] Excellent

[Combat Skill] Outstanding

[Originium Arts Assimilation] Standard

Patrizion is a citizen of Laterano entitled to the rights listed in Clauses 1 through 13 of the Laterano Constitution, and the longest-tenured active gun-knight of Laterano. He is intimately familiar with the use of various types of firearms.

In accordance with the memorandum of cooperation between the Lateran Curia and Rhodes Island, he is currently stationed on Rhodes Island as a collaborating operator under the code name Sankta Miksaparato.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, this operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0%

Operator Sankta Miksaparato shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.10u/L

Operator Sankta Miksaparato has many scars on his body, but all were properly treated, and in his fitness examination he demonstrated the physical prowess befitting a gun-knight, surpassing many younger field operators.

There is irreversible damage to his left hip joint. Surgical replacement is recommended, considering his age and the associated risk of bone fracture. I am available next month to perform the operation.

—Mon3tr

'I'm a little concerned. A gun-knight's presence on Rhodes Island represents Laterano's trust in us, but... Operator Mon3tr isn't nearly as meticulous as Dr. Kal'tsit was when it comes to dealing with people.'

'Don't worry, I just saw her pushing Mr. Patrizion's wheelchair through the corridor at great speed. He was laughing heartily.'

[A Day in Patrizion's Life]

05:00 - Wakes up and changes into full gun-knight armor. Typically takes one hour (he refused to pick a squire, insisting on wearing and removing his armor without assistance).

06:00 - Morning prayer. Typically takes one hour, though 10-15 minutes may be spent deciding which scripture ribbon to display on his armor (scriptures issued during Yvangelista XI's reign are excluded from selection).

07:00 - Arrives for duty. Patrizion leads his squad to patrol the designated district, wearing a halo amplifier (a.k.a. helmet-mounted supplemental halo light). Laterano guidebooks recommend that tourists in need of assistance seek out the brightest halo in the crowd.

13:00 - Change of shift. Patrizion climbs the walls and uses city-defense artillery loaded with special ammunition to clear obstacles in Laterano's route. Laterano is the only nomadic city that maintains its route by such means, and only the gun-knights are skilled enough to destroy large obstacles (typically overgrown Originium crystals) without compromising the terrain of the route. This is his favorite part of the day.

17:00 - Change of shift. Patrizion arrives at the firing range for practice or to train new Pontifica Cohors recruits, and demonstrates the usage of large firearms to the numerous Lateran citizens who gather to watch. Typically takes much longer than expected due to the large crowds, but he never turns down citizens seeking his advice.

19:00 - Audience with Yvangelista XI to report on Laterano's security matters, discuss the Law, and share cactus tarts (as the previous item on the schedule tends to overrun, Patrizion typically only has time to do the latter).

20:00 - End of work day. Patrizion blocks Yvangelista XI's work account, removes his personal account from the blacklist, picks out a message that includes movie tickets from the many unread messages to reply to, then turns off his terminal.

20:30 - Watches a movie with Yvangelista XI.

22:00 - Attempts to sleep (usually unsuccessful, in which case he turns on his terminal and attempts to send a message to Yvangelista XI's personal account, only to get a popup message that he has been blocked).

[Audio Log]

'Why don't you answer his messages? Weren't you the only one to realize that he disappeared when we were dragged into the dream by the Law? I thought you guys were good friends.'

'Mm... all I remembered was that there was this old man who gave me the habit of eating cactus tarts, but I couldn't remember who it was. Speaking of, you're friends with Mostima, aren't you, Fia? Why don't you answer HER messages?'

It took six months before Operator Fiammetta and Operator Sankta Miksaparato met on Rhodes Island. She promptly looked up his mission logs and found that the gun-knight, despite claiming to want to find a place outside Laterano to get some good rest, had participated in a large number of field missions, along with other even more outlandish activities:

At Roberta's introduction, he starred in the Wrankwood action blockbuster Kingdom of Outlaws. He had showed up at just the right time—the filmmakers were having trouble casting someone more than two meters tall who could play a villain, wear a special suit of armor, and carry a massive weapon that sprayed fire. Conveniently, he was able to do all this without special effects or even a custom costume: all the crew had to do was spray-paint his gun-knight armor. He was extremely interested in acting, and turned out to be a natural, finishing most of his scenes in one take. The producer called him 'the last piece of the puzzle for this film to become a classic'...

He also took part in a Columbian off-road rally—it took the combined efforts of Closure and Chiave's team and a full month of work to create a vehicle that could carry his weight and that of his armor, but the final result was unsatisfactory at best: though no one was foolish enough to clash with him, the machine lacked the necessary performance, and the massive rider and his massive bike were the last to cross the finish line at sunset. Though the photo album 'Gun-knights and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' became the subject of much discussion on the intercity net.

Items such as 'helping Engineering with deck repairs' and 'learning qinggong from Yanese operators' were dismissed by Fiammetta as being mundane.

'Is this your idea of rest and recuperation, Patrizion? You're even busier than you were in Laterano.'

'Did you think I'd spend my days on the deck basking in the sun?'

'Sure, that sounds like what an old man on the verge of retirement might do. But I've spent my entire life as a gun-knight and nothing else. What's wrong with a chance to experience other ways of living?'

'I didn't even say anything!'

'Look, Fia, I won't interfere with your life anymore, so I hope you won't interfere with mine either... There might not be much left of it, but there are still so many possibilities.'

It is difficult to define the relationship between Patrizion and Fiammetta.

They are not your average grandfather and granddaughter. He took her in when she was seven, vowing to his fallen comrade to raise her into a Lateran any parent would be proud of. Their first 'war' broke out that very day, when he attempted to comfort the young Liberi with movies when she stubbornly refused to show her sorrow. The attempt was a failure, with Patrizion being forced to defend his choice of films (though he insists it was a win because he achieved his original goal of making her forget her sorrow). The adoption documents at the Notarial Hall record their relationship as grandparent and grandchild, but they rarely call each other that. Indeed, during what little time they spend together, they are like two bickering friends, arguing over each other's fighting styles, interests, hobbies, behavior, and even diet, before going back to their own lives, satisfied.

They are also not your average mentor and pupil. Patrizion was indeed Fiammetta's mentor, and he was involved in the important moments of her life, from choice of school to choice of career. According to her, however, he only seriously exercised his role as a mentor on three occasions: accompanying her when she upgraded her grenade launcher, encouraging her to join the gun-knights, and attempting to rectify her tastes in cinema. He did not deny these claims, and simply reiterated his disapproval of her prejudice against Wrankwood movies.

[Medical Department Audio Log]

'Ah, it's nothing I can't talk about... I've always felt that my role as her mentor was to be the embodiment of Laterano for Fia. As a Liberi child who lost her parents at a young age, she had many questions growing up that 'Paradise' had to answer, questions that couldn't be answered by the papers of the Notarial Hall, or the 'faith' that every Lateran speaks of yet can't properly explain. For Fia, I was a gun-knight, someone who was in a position to interpret the Law. I was a Lateran she could talk to... Honestly, I was in the same boat. After Gia left the Holy City and Pag distanced himself from me—when I realized I'd never truly shared anything with the Liberi I lived side-by-side with—I began to have doubts about the Holy City, and needed a 'Laterano' I could talk to. That was when Fia came into my life. Who's to say who couldn't leave whose side?'

'I see. But why don't you want her to find out that you'll be hospitalized for a while because of arthritis?'

'Because I don't want her to think of me as a bedridden old man.'

[Postcard]

Dear Grandmother,

I will graduate soon. I would like to apologize for the impulsive decision I made behind your back... Perhaps you already realized that I've felt out-of-place studying theology these past four years. I still believe that my childhood dream is my destined path, and that I can do so much more as a gun-knight than as a priest.

I'll be applying to become a cadet gun-knight, so I won't be coming back for the holidays. The training and approval process may take a while, but I'll be in full armor the next time I come see you.

With Love, Patrizion

[Notice Letter]

Mr. Patrizion Pozzo,

We regret to inform you that we have held the remains of your grandmother, Marion Pozzo, for the maximum period permitted. As we have been unable to contact you, we have cremated her remains in accordance with the Law. You may retrieve the ashes at your convenience.

With Apologies, Ecclesia Requietum Stevonus

[Permit]

Patrizion Pozzo, Apostolic Knight, is hereby authorized to supervise the departure of the long-range landship Twinflower and accompanying vehicles from Laterano, for the purpose of deporting Lateran citizens afflicted with Oripathy in accordance with the Law.

Patrizion Pozzo is hereby granted absolute discretion over all personnel on the ship, and is authorized to make any modifications or cancellations to the schedule as necessary.

[Notification]

Citizen Gia Lopez, you have been diagnosed with Oripathy, and are now scheduled to depart Laterano on the landship Twinflower in accordance with the Law.

Cooperate with supervising personnel during the journey, and remain in the Infected cabins on the lower levels except when necessary. Detailed instructions are attached with this notification. Please read them prior to departure.

[Recommendation]

Your Holiness:

I, Patrizion Pozzo, hereby recommend the cadet gun-knight Aurela, who demonstrated extraordinary performance during the assessment process. While her pride can still get in her way at times, I believe that with proper guidance she could be the most promising gun-knight of the next generation.

Patrizion Pozzo

[Rejection]

To Patrizion Pozzo, Apostolic Knight:

As the Pontiff of Laterano, I hereby reject your resignation. What happened to Aurela was not your fault—not entirely, at least—and there is still much for you to do in your current position.

If you still insist on resigning and nothing will change your mind, write another resignation letter.

Yvangelista XI

[Unsent Letter]

...Gia.

I retired today. I've been a gun-knight for fifty years... It's plenty, but at the end of it all, I still don't understand what a gun-knight is.

At first, I thought becoming one would let me protect everyone.

Later, I thought becoming one is what made me lose everyone around me.

Recently, however, an even scarier thought occupies my mind. Maybe all the ups and downs in my life had nothing to do with becoming a gun-knight at all.

That it's not that being in this position made all those choices for me, but that I was unwilling to make them myself... Was becoming a gun-knight the only choice I ever made in my life?

If so, a 'gun-knight' might be no more than a symbol, an ideal, an answer for me that I'd taken for granted.

But that's not what a gun-knight should be, and it's not what Laterano should be. No one should allow a symbol, an ideal, to dictate all their choices in life. Do you think I still have a chance to help the children understand this?

Or maybe they've always understood it better than I have.

I hope so, Gia. I really do...

It has been a long day. You were unable to get out of work until quite late, and the movie has already started by the time you arrive at the theater. You feel less guilty when you sit down and see that the seat next to you is empty; it would be rude to be half an hour late for a meeting with an old man, but not so much if the other party is late too.

The movie ends, and the old man never showed up. As you get ready to return to your office, someone pats you on the shoulder.

'You were late, Doctor.'

You turn around to see the tall figure of Patrizion, his head wrapped tight in a scarf that almost covers the top of his head. It has been a cold winter.

You express your dissatisfaction. After all, it was he who never showed up. He sighs and apologizes.

'The people behind me complained I was too tall, so I moved to the last row. Sorry, I forgot to send you a message.'

Now you are the one in the wrong. You blink.

'I usually pick the late shows, where I won't have to worry about blocking someone else's view. For some reason, though, I always have someone sitting behind me, so I always have to go sit in the last row. At my age, it gets really hard to see the screen from there...'

Patrizion keeps talking along the way, right up until you have to part. That is when he realizes it—

'Oh, look at me, I've been babbling, haven't I? It's been so long since I've watched a movie with someone, and I was just too excited.' He shakes his head abashedly and turns around to leave.

You stop him before he rounds the corner and tell him you were planning to get some ice cream. You can walk with him for a little while longer.