D-Outsiders

All humans are equal under the light.

The DNA that makes up our bodies pays no mind to our class.

There is no reason for Outlaws to be treated any lesser than a Quotidian, or for a Quotidian to be considered inferior to a Sovereign.

Why is it then that we Outlaws have been condemned to suffer?

Why is that we all live underground,

yet only we are forced to destroy ourselves from the inside while we toil in darkness?

Neither the Central Government, nor the Ark's citizens,

have ever offered a single word of explanation.

We at Heavenly Ascension must cast off these subservient attitudes that have kept us subjugated until now.

We must take action and take what is rightfully ours.

Once we do that, we will finally be...

We have decided to turn off all the lights in the Ark.

For in the darkness, everyone is equal.

Light is our right. Heavenly Ascension.

Heavenly Ascension is reported to have been responsible for two terrorist attacks on the Dome of Eternity:

one in the downtown area, and another in Sunland Park.

Residents living in these areas are in a panic,

as all light sources have ceased to function as of 10 this morning.

Many inhabitants are claiming to suffer from claustrophobia during this blackout.

... Breaking news.

The terrorist group Heavenly Ascension has revealed that they plan on carrying out more attacks in the near future.

According to a video uploaded on Tetra TV, their next target is Royal Road, and...

The next attack will be in 4 days.

If those responsible for these attacks aren't captured by then,

the top brass is considering possibly sending in troops to the Outer Rim.

I'm afraid not.

There is no way of knowing for sure.

People in the Outer Rim were wary of those from the outside.

It's a veritable cesspool of crime and corruption, and functions as Heavenly Ascension's operation base. Most agents who are sent there never return.

...

The Exotic Squad has been the only exception.

Ever heard of them?

As I thought.

To say they're notorious would be putting it mildly.

Every one of their members is a hardened criminal and outlaw. There are even rumors swirling around that they are connected with Heavenly Ascension.

Be that as it may, they are the only remaining organization in the Outer Rim that we can use for gathering intelligence.

Someone needs to get in contact with them and find out what they know,

or we may end up with a civil war on our hands between the Ark and the Outer Rim.

That's right.

You're the only one cut out for this operation.

Syuen claims that she knows a way for us to make a deal with Exotic.

Whatever it ends up being, make good use of it.

Whoa! Commander?

I can't believe you're actually at the Outer Rim.

Honey! What a lovely surprise seeing you here♡

But...

Where are all the other Nikkes you're usually with?

Good call.

If you were seen around here cavorting with Nikkes from the Central Government,

word will get out pretty quickly, and you won't be able to walk the streets safely, let alone get information.

We should move elsewhere. This place reeks.

Let's proceed to the hideout.

Basically, what you're saying is that

you want us to tell you who was responsible for

the recent terrorist attacks.

I'm afraid it's not so simple.

Technically speaking, we do belong to an arm of the intelligence department,

but asking us to sell out our friends and neighbors is an awfully tall order.

I didn't say that.

It's an order straight from the Deputy Chief. We couldn't possibly refuse.

All I'm saying is that I don't want to come out of this mission as a traitor.

Escort?

I suppose so.

If you were to start snooping around here without any escort, you'd be announcing to everyone that you were sent by the Central Government.

If we didn't look after you, your carcass would hang in the square by tomorrow morning.

Very well. We can at least do that much for you.

Jackal, Viper.

Show the Commander around. Give the full tour.

Yes, Captain!

You got it♡

What, don't you trust these two?

Don't worry.

We run things in these parts, Commander.

Not the Central Government, not the Sovereigns, and not even the CEOs of the Big Three.

We're practically saints, and everyone here worships us.

Tell me, would you ever deface a statue of a saint while you're on holy ground?

Then you understand. Now go with them.

All right, listen closely.

You'll arouse suspicion if you parade around town like a tourist.

Just act like you're part of our routine patrols.

Ah, right!

We've never been properly introduced, have we?

Our squad is called Exotic.

We work for the Ministry of Information under the Central Intelligence Agency.

In a nutshell, we're responsible for conducting surveillance in the Outer Rim on behalf of the Central Government.

Surveillance? We've never done that.

...

I can see how one could feel that way.

In truth, what we do is more akin to management.

What I mean is, when times are tough, you've got to learn to be flexible♡

You !#$!!@#)

You agreed to give us 500kg of product, so hand it over or shut up!

You better cough it up fast, or I'm gonna start chopping off fingers.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry...

Looks like something's going on up ahead. Let's check it out!

Hi there, how's it hangin'?

Gah! Viper? And Jackal too?

Things have been so pleasant these past few days, what's with all this ruckus?

My apologies, but this guy is trying to drive my business into the ground!

He promised a certain quantity by a certain date, but now he shows up empty-handed and leaves us hanging high and dry!

Interesting. Very interesting.

Tell me...

have you lost your mind?

... Sorry?

Boy, this guy is slow on the uptake. Almost as slow as you, Jackal.

Hey! What'd I do?

You see my friend here? What kind of uniform is this?

Just an ordinary Central Government unif... oh.

Um...

So you're an inspections officer from the Central Government? My mistake!

This isn't what you think it is!

There's a lot more going on here than it appears.

*sigh* You're giving me a headache.

How many times do I have to warn you?

!!

You ought to know better. If you're going to do something, then do it properly.

It's not easy always making up cover stories for you.

...

Oh... Yes... But it's just that...

Making excuses, are you?

Jackal, give that box behind him a once over.

*sniff sniff*

Huh? What's that sweet smell... is this Illuminadesine?

Didn't Underworld Queen crack down on this stuff a long time ago?

That they did. How exactly, pray tell, did some of it end up in your possession?

I take it this means you're siding with them now?

And no longer need our protection?

Wha... no, no! It's nothing like that!

I swear to you, this will never happen again! I swear on my life!

I'm sure it won't.

Now get out of here before we cart you off to the Rehabilitation Center♡

Yes, yes! Thank you! You all have a great day now!

You know it. This isn't my first rodeo.

I could have wrapped it up even sooner if he hadn't kept talking back.

That's right.

It's disappointing, but what can you do? Drug dealing is rampant in the Outer Rim.

If you want to crack down on something like that, you'll need more than the three of us.

Unless... you'd want to help us?

Aw, too bad...

Well, now that that's taken care of, let's move onto the next issue.

Hey, wait a moment!

Are you two from Exotic by any chance?

Yes, we are. Why?

No way! I can't believe I got saved by genuine members of Exotic!

It must be my lucky day!

Thank you! Thank you so much!

If there's anyone you should be thanking, it's Honey-cakes over here.

I'd have just kept on walking if my Honey wasn't here with me on patrol.

Th-thank you!

I'm Joseph. It's not much, but I run a small business in this area.

If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know.

Of course! As long as it's nothing crazy like handing over my entire fortune...

!!

Oh, yes, yes. Of course.

Come inside.

So, what you're saying is

in order to prevent the upcoming attack from Heavenly Ascension,

you want information regarding the people

responsible for the past two attacks.

Okay, I'll see what I can find.

...

Wow.

Guess it pays to help an Outlaw out.

Certainly seems that way.

You do realize that if you're caught, they'll force you to become a suicide bomber, don't you?

... Yes. I'm well aware of it.

But loyalty means something even to someone at the bottom of society like me.

You guys saved my skin back there.

This is something that I have to do.

...

To be honest, I'm a little afraid.

But there's a reason why I'm doing this.

At one point, I used to be a citizen of the Ark.

Huh? You mean you're not originally from here?

No. I was an ordinary office worker with a wife and kids.

Everyone has their own story,

but mine is more tragic than most.

One day, I was kidnapped by some criminals, and my citizenship chip was stolen.

After that, well... you can see where I ended up.

I was caught by a police officer who was on patrol.

To them, I was a criminal attempting to illegally escape from the Outer Rim.

I was tossed in with the dregs of society, who aren't even regarded as human, much less citizens.

No, it's okay.

After everything I've done, my hands are far from clean.

A helping hand can't pull me out of this quagmire of chaos.

But I can help you. Just give me one day.

I'll try and find something.

...

Um... will the two of you be coming along as well?

Not sure if it'll be me or Jackal,

but at least one of us should tag along.

I understand.

Okay then, I'll see you soon.

That was quick.

Were you able to find anything good?

Are you sure you can trust them?

After all, today's the first time you've met them.

Never mind, it doesn't matter.

My only job is to get you out of here safely once you've got the information you need.

...

It's getting late, you should get some rest.

Viper, take him to one of the nicer hotels nearby.

Huh? Which hotel would that be...

... Oh, that one!

I got ya♡

Let's go, Honey.

I'll take you to the most luxurious place in all the Outer Rim.

You mean you don't know?

This is Ephialtes, the largest entertainment district in the Outer Rim.

All the big-wigs frequent this place, from the fat-cats on Royal Road to high-ranking government officials.

So we weren't kidding when we said we'd take you to a top-class hotel.

Why do you think? 'Cause we want you to get a good night's rest.

Before you head in, should we exchange numbers first?

All we have now are each other's Bla IDs.

Give me your phone. I'll put in my number♡

Here you go.

If you're ever in a pinch, give me a ring.

Feel free to call me for other things too, hehe!

All right, let's quit standing around and head in.

You seem surprised.

I know. You expected bright red lights and windowfronts with sexy girl parading around them, didn't you?

...

The look on your face is awfully adorable, but I hate people who lie.

What's so bad about being honest?

Honesty is the best policy in my book.

So, having said that,

let's cut the BS and start being honest with each other.

Sorry to disappoint you.

Frankly, all that matters is that all communications are shut off from this place.

Don't be so dense.

What do you think it means?

Look at me.

Why did Andersen send you here?

Did he want you to gather some dirt on us?

Do they think we're linked to the blackouts in the Ark?

Are you sure about that?

Then what's this?

You've been lying to us all the time, haven't you?

We trusted you. Even though you were an outsider, we protected you.

And how do you repay us?

By hiding something like that.

Is this what you call trust?

How do we know that?

You say that, but you were clearly keeping it as a contingency.

Never mind.

Just give it to me.

You and I will swap phones.

Since you're the one who broke our bond of trust first, you owe us this much.

All right. I promise.

I won't look at anything other than this remote-control app.

Got it?

For you, it's just a matter of potentially divulging some secret information.

You don't need to worry about that.

If any orders come through, I'll notify you straight away.

Got it?

For you, it's just a matter of communicating with Andersen.

For us, it's a matter of life and death.

Good.

Then, from this moment on, you and the rest of us are partners in crime♡

Joseph!

What are you doing?

Time's up. You didn't forget about your promise, did you?

Oh... You're early.

I see that Exotic came along as well.

You say that as though we shouldn't have.

I wouldn't dream of it!

As a resident of the Outer Rim, being in your company is the greatest honor one could possibly have.

Please, come in. I'll give you the information I managed to find.

I know you're all busy,

so I'll cut straight to the chase.

These blackouts are the result of someone acting alone.

Though they do belong to Heavenly Ascension, they're one of the lowest-ranking members.

Their current location is unknown, but there's a high chance that they've returned to the Outer Rim to hide.

They probably earned enough money for the attack over such a short duration by plotting random scams.

If you're able to track down any recent large outflows of cash from the Outer Rim,

chances are you'll be able to find the person responsible for these attacks.

Yes, well...

there's a reason for that.

I have a friend who is associated with Heavenly Ascension.

After a few rounds at Ephialtes, they were more than willing to spill the beans.

...

Will any of this be helpful to you?

Great.

So, what's your next move going to be?

Are you planning on arresting them right away?

... I see.

Before you take them in, do you intend on listening to their side of the story?

Or trying to reason with them?

But...

you shouldn't paint everyone with the same brush.

If someone is so desperate that they resort to such extreme measures...

don't you think they deserve to be heard?

You do realize we're on duty right now? You're starting to ramble.

And you need to get with the program.

People like our friends here don't consider our lives to have any value.

I give you Exhibit A.

A little souvenir from the higher-ups, since we're heavily involved with the Outlaws.

If someone prepares something like this before even meeting you, what does that tell you?

...

I understand now.

In that case...

I'm afraid you all will have to die.

We've got a moving target!

Waddya say Viper, how about a friendly competition? 10 points to whoever gets a headshot first.

Sorry, but no.

Aw man, you're no fun.

Yeah, I think the dust has settled.

But there's still someone we need to take care of...

Ha, haha...

I thought I was quite well-prepared.

You're truly deserving of your reputation. Those mass-produced Nikkes didn't stand a chance.

There certainly were enough of 'em. They made for a decent warmup though.

Even a mouse will bite a cat when it's cornered. Guess we were the mice today, eh?

... Haha.

I suppose so.

It's hard to say how many chances a man like me will ever have

of going up against someone from the Central Government.

It was a risk I had to take. It seems, however, things have not ended up in my favor...

Don't you get it?

He's the one you're after.

He's the terrorist responsible for the blackouts.

That's right.

We had our suspicions, but as soon as he took the bait Viper threw at him, that's when we knew for sure.

He even took a few potshots at you.

Now the only thing to decide is whether we take him in dead or alive, hehe!

Yep!

We arranged it so that you would meet with him.

If we did that, the Captain said Joseph would reveal himself to you.

How would I know?

The Captain has always been a tough nut to crack. It's hard to say what she's thinking at any given point.

Anyway, I have a hunch.

Stay in the Outer Rim long enough, and you learn not to trust anyone.

If we're not careful, our lives could be in danger too.

Anyway, this was a win-win for everybody♡

Heavenly Ascension never agreed to these attacks,

so there's a whole lotta bickering going on inside and outside the organization.

So the Captain wanted to wrap up this whole thing without overstepping our boundaries.

If our Captain were to capture him personally, our friends in Heavenly Ascension might see it as a betrayal.

So we decided that's where you'd come in handy.

Hey.

How does it feel to apprehend a terrorist?

Do you feel justice has been served?

Or do you feel excited because you might be up for a promotion after this?

I see.

I suppose even people like you are still human.

I'd spent so much time in this hellhole, I began to think that everyone living in the Ark had gaping black holes where their hearts should be.

... Not that it matters.

At the end of the day, people like you don't see us Outlaws as humans.

My only regret is that I didn't get to kill you myself.

Oh, is that right?

When did you ever take time to listen to our side of the story?

You have no idea what we've been through,

because you were never interested in listening.

Hey.

Spare us the sermon, and let's get a move on.

Our Captain is waiting at the hideout.

When you say Captain, I assume you mean Crow?

Who else?

...

Captain, we're here.

Look what we brought back! Did I do good?

...

I knew there was something fishy about this guy.

You can never allow your emotions to get the best of you, no matter how just you believe your cause to be.

In doing so, you've allowed yourself to be bested by your own peers.

...

Before I get taken in,

I have one last question for you, Crow.

Do you really believe what's happening here is fair?

Huh? Me?

Why wouldn't I?

You've got your fingers in more than a few pies here at the Outer Rim. You of all people should know...

Where that person works.

The Central Government doesn't even treat us like human beings!

First, they erect a wall to separate the Outer Rim from the Ark and deprive us of food.

Fine.

If you risk your life and go up to the surface, you can earn a few credits by scavenging for Rapture parts.

Then they encourage and foster conflict among our own ranks, and pilfer the bodies of those who died for unknown experiments.

Fine. I'll let that pass.

There are always places where you can hide from the worst of the fighting.

But...

they don't even grant us basic human decencies. Like light, for example.

Just look at the Dome of Eternity! How much could that be worth?

How can they not shine a single ray of light into an area where so many people live?

During my time at the Ark, this was the one thing that I learned.

Human life can never be quantified by dollars and cents.

But to shine some light, even for just one hour a day...

is that really too much to ask?

They could make the sun set an hour earlier in the Ark, or redirect excess light over here.

You're right. It would be easy.

But they'll never do it.

They have no reason to give up something of theirs to someone else.

Of course, there are some exceptions who are like our Commander.

Hearing a story like yours would infuriate them. But some would feel disgusted.

Some would consider you a charity case and try and help, if only to make themselves feel better.

And that is the reason

there is no light in the Outer Rim.

They gather all the things they don't want to see,

shove them away in a dark corner, and pretend that they don't exist.

For them, it's the easiest solution.

Commander! Over here!

What's gotten into her?

I know we're saying goodbye to each other soon, but she's practically beside herself.

Yes?

Wha...

You moron, can't you see that we used you?

... I'm at a loss for words.

...

Here, you can have your phone back.

I hope you're planning on giving mine back as well?

...

Did you check your photos?

Maybe later, then.

I left a little surprise for you♡

Ooooh, you did?

I hope you liked what you saw.

There's more where that came from, so feel free to ask me for more whenever you like. After all, we have each other's numbers now.

Enough chit-chat.

It's time to get the citizenship holders over the wall.

What?

Why are you asking me that?

You're the one who came here to arrest him in the first place.

... Not sure.

I might extend an olive branch to Heavenly Ascension

and hand him over to them.

They'll deal with him according to their own procedures.

Whatever lies in store for him, I'm sure it won't be good.

Do as you please.

If you feel that's the right thing to do, then so be it.

The gate heading towards the Ark will open in a moment.

The grounds outside this gate are a prohibited area.

Please ensure no non-civilians are killed.

Goodbye, Commander.

I hope you won't have to come back here.

... And continuing on, we have a happy story for you all.

After a week of intense repairs, the Dome of Eternity is once again in working order.

Authorities confirm they are closing in on the Heavenly Ascension member responsible for the attacks,

so citizens can finally return to their peaceful daily lives.

Nicely done.

The military has managed to clean up the Outer Rim,

and life can go back to normal for all who were affected.

You seem out of sorts.

Did anything unusual happen while you were out there?

...

Is that right?

So long as you continue working for the Central Government,

there won't be a day in your life when you don't ask yourself that question.

Especially when it pertains to that cesspool we call the Outer Rim.

However.

With some things, it could be argued that in order to protect yourself,

you may need to turn the occasional blind eye.

...

Well, do whatever you please.

Society needs misfits like you.

It helps them realize there's more than one way of living your life.