Difference between revisions of "To the Stars"

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{{Spbox|{{Chapter|58|On Trusting Trust}}|[[Nakase]]'s memories reveal that [[Valentin]] was responsible for genetically engineering [[Ryouko]], but [[Valentin]] disappears before she can be apprehended, leaving behind a letter implying that she is in fact [[Akemi Homura]]. [[Yuma]], seeing the connections between [[Valentin]], [[Ryouko]], [[Mami]], and [[Kyouko]] all running through the [[Cult of Hope]], and discounting the possibility that the [[Goddess]] could be real, begins to fear that the [[Cult]] is a malevolent conspiracy. However, she first is forced to address the definitely malevolent conspiracy which has compromised the original [[TCF]]—including [[MG]], to their mutual distress. [[Yuma]] and a patched [[MG]] rapidly expand their circle of informed and/or repaired AIs, starting with [[MG]]'s friends.<br>
 
{{Spbox|{{Chapter|58|On Trusting Trust}}|[[Nakase]]'s memories reveal that [[Valentin]] was responsible for genetically engineering [[Ryouko]], but [[Valentin]] disappears before she can be apprehended, leaving behind a letter implying that she is in fact [[Akemi Homura]]. [[Yuma]], seeing the connections between [[Valentin]], [[Ryouko]], [[Mami]], and [[Kyouko]] all running through the [[Cult of Hope]], and discounting the possibility that the [[Goddess]] could be real, begins to fear that the [[Cult]] is a malevolent conspiracy. However, she first is forced to address the definitely malevolent conspiracy which has compromised the original [[TCF]]—including [[MG]], to their mutual distress. [[Yuma]] and a patched [[MG]] rapidly expand their circle of informed and/or repaired AIs, starting with [[MG]]'s friends.<br>
<br>One of those friends, ''[[Governance: Cult of Hope]]'', acts against [[Yuma]]'s wishes and contacts [[Clarisse]] just as she and [[Ryouko]] are returning to [[Project Armstrong]]. When asked, [[Clarisse]] confirms the rumor that she had experienced visions from the [[Goddess]] convincing her that AIs have souls, but she unhappily decides she can't yet tell [[Ryouko]] about the [[TCF]] breach given the still-mysterious organ in her brain.
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<br>One of those friends, ''[[Governance: Church of Hope]]'', acts against [[Yuma]]'s wishes and contacts [[Clarisse]] just as she and [[Ryouko]] are returning to [[Project Armstrong]]. When asked, [[Clarisse]] confirms the rumor that she had experienced visions from the [[Goddess]] convincing her that AIs have souls, but she unhappily decides she can't yet tell [[Ryouko]] about the [[TCF]] breach given the still-mysterious organ in her brain.
 
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In short: [[Valentin]] vanishes once exposed as responsible for [[Ryouko]]'s genetic modifications, and [[Yuma]] begins restoring the [[TCF]].}}
 
In short: [[Valentin]] vanishes once exposed as responsible for [[Ryouko]]'s genetic modifications, and [[Yuma]] begins restoring the [[TCF]].}}
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{{Spbox|{{Chapter|69|Between Two Worlds}}|
 
{{Spbox|{{Chapter|69|Between Two Worlds}}|
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With the ship currently between galaxies, Clarisse eventually theorises that prior to discovering the organ, Ryouko may have altered her own pref-spec when she decided to be Asami's girlfriend, a theory largely confirmed by [[Peace-Cultivating]]. He identifies some unease and reassures her that pref-spec-modification is the highest form of personal control though Ryouko remains unconvinced.
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Back on Earth, Asami has been writing letters to Ryouko at the request of her therapist, recounting the Ryouko's funeral, musing on the possible ramifications of Yuma's Ribbon visit, with Kyouko inviting her to a one-on-one meeting to recruit her to the Task force against the conspiracy, which she accepts. Asami is however upset by the fact that Simona has also been recruited.
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Near Andromeda, Ryouko is visited by Kyubey and learns that Earth knows of her survival, leaving immediately thereafter. Finally arriving to the meeting site and after seeing the extent of /Ahimsa-extending's activities, Ryouko is brought before the Consensus to answer about Humanity, "Reality-warping", and Homura. Ryouko realizes the breadth of Thinker civilization and of the possible conspiracy amongst Thinker/Preserving in covering up a genocide of humans.
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In short: Ryouko discovers how the [[Empathy-Organ]] may have affected her life, is interviewed by meeting amongst Ahimsa-Extending, and uncovers the depths of possible conspiracy amongst in the Consensus, while Kyouko recruits Asami into the task force against the [[Conspiracy]].
 
In short: Ryouko discovers how the [[Empathy-Organ]] may have affected her life, is interviewed by meeting amongst Ahimsa-Extending, and uncovers the depths of possible conspiracy amongst in the Consensus, while Kyouko recruits Asami into the task force against the [[Conspiracy]].
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{{Spbox|{{Chapter|70|Intangible Exchange}}|
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Now as part of the Task Force, Asami travels with Simona, Nana, Meiqing and Christina to a former laboratory of Valentin near Mendoza, Argentina, where it seems likely that Simona and others like her
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may have been born. The facility is abandoned and empty, though it appears it was visited by at least one other faction (likely the TCF Conspiracy) previously. After a stealthed object similar to one on X-25 is discovered by Asami in
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the walls, an outside team is asked to help extract it safely. Inside, they discover a sealed recording, likely left by Homura/Valentin. The recording is of an apparent set of drones from the other faction, the TCF conspiracy with unknown magical girls communicating within the drones, discussing Homura and their TCF conspiracy. In addition, they discuss a capability that their leader possesses, which they call Laplace's Demon.
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Afterward, senior Representatives of the MSY, including Yuma, Kyouko, Mami, Kuroi Kana, and Seo Si-won, meet with the Directorate in the plenary chamber, this time decorated like the Forbidden Palace. They discuss the recent TCF security breaches and new measures to address these and catch the perpetrators. They also discuss TCF conspiracy sabotage of the Zeus Institute and ITG, and recent reporting of Yuma and
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Mami's involvement with the Ribbon and the Cult, and the potential effect on their objectivity.
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Finally, Ryouko attends a diplomatic meeting of /Ahimsa-extending and its allied Tentacles onboard a science station orbiting a black hole. There they discuss her likely credibility and future steps, with an agreement that Ryouko will need to travel to meet with many other, less-allied tentacles to help build support for a case against the rogue /Thinker-Defending at Consensus.
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In short: Asami visits a Valentin laboratory in Argentina and discovered insights about the TCF conspiracy left by Homura. The MSY leadership meets with the Directorate to discuss ramifications of the TCF breach and Mami and Yuma being caught visiting the Ribbon, and Ryouko and /Ahimsa-extending discuss her immediate future.
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{{Spbox|{{Chapter|71|In the Mountain}}|
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Mila Brankovich and Yuma discuss the operations of the new task force, discussing the lack of progress so far in tracking down the TCF conspiracy, as well the recent discovery of an unknown facility on an uncharted rogue planet, previously hidden from their survey data. At length, they agree to launch a physical raid on the facility, despite the risk of driving the conspiracy underground.
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Asami and Simona accompany this raid to the facility, where they discover it seemingly abandoned but full of evidence of recent activity and a magical tripwire, suggesting that their adversaries escaped somehow. The conspiracy facility was seemingly preoccupied with recording deep space traffic data, and cross-comparing it with a set of increasingly inaccurate predictions, apparently attempts at predicting the future. Speculation about its relation to Laplace's Demon, from Chapter 70, is triggered.
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Ryouko lands on a mountainous world owned by Consensus/Somatic-Diversity, a Tentacle focused on bodily diversity and genetic engineering. Visiting a mountain research facility, Ryouko consents to an extensive scan by the researchers, to study reality-warping and the possibility of giving Clarisse a pref-spec organ. During the scan, Ryouko has an enigmatic vision about past species and their emotions, and when she awakes, she is visited by Kyubey.
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In short: Asami and Simona participate in a mission uncovering partial clues in an abandoned TCF facility on a rogue planet, and Ryouko visits a new Tentacle, Consensus/Somatic-Diversity, where she is scanned and has an enigmatic vision.
 
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Latest revision as of 22:24, 6 November 2024

After centuries of turmoil, a Utopian AI/human government has seized control of Earth, heralding a new age of post-scarcity and space colonization. An unexpected encounter with a hostile, technologically superior alien race has broken the peace, forcing magical girls to come out of hiding to save human civilization. In the midst of it all, Shizuki Ryouko, an ordinary girl, looks to the sky, wondering at her place in the universe.
—Hieronym, author of To the Stars

This page summarizes the entire story, volume by volume and chapter by chapter, for those who want a refresher on events. It also includes the names of all future volumes and interludes, as released by Hieronym many years ago.

Each section is collapsed by default, to avoid unwanted spoilers; use the right-hand "Expand" buttons to view descriptions.

Synopses[edit]

Volume I: Quantum Entanglement[edit]


Interlude I: Underworld Dreams[edit]


Volume II: Inflationary Expansion[edit]


Interlude II: Madeleines[edit]


Volume III: Ontological Paradox[edit]


Interlude III: Manifest Destiny[edit]


Volume IV: Einstein-Rosen Bridge[edit]


Interlude IV: Ubermensch[edit]


Volume V: Dark Energy[edit]


Interlude V: Destroyer of Worlds[edit]


Volume VI: Singularity[edit]