Echoes of Self, Echoes of Water

Everyone thinks the way to end the fighting is with more fighting. Just how long will the fighting continue? No one knows.

Fish splash. Ruri wakes in her spartan room after having a recurring dream. The Nadesico is engaged in another battle. No one's heart is in their actions. Ruri sits on the bridge. She has been studying the history of man. The history of man is the history of war. If she lives to be 100, 90 years will take place during conflict. There were no wars in the 10 years prior to her coming to the Nadesico. She has no memory of that time.

She asks Omoikane why she can't remember. She has asked 1257 times. There is no answer. Seven years ago, an infant was adopted by a Nergal Research Laboratory. She was raised by foster parents to be the perfect computer operator for the ND-001 currently in production. That is her history. That is her entire history.

Ruri dreams. She sees her mother and father silhouetted. The first words she learned were "Father", "Mother", "Archimedes", and "Pi". She is taught by silhouetted teachers on a large screen. She is trained at every moment of the day. A Japanese lesson. She asks her teacher about a new word. Baka.

Her darkened parents reward her.

Fish splash.

Megumi wakes the girl. Someone has arrived to see her. A Peaceland Peace Emissary Vessel hovers beside the Nadesico. Peaceland is an artificial nation originally built as a themepark. It has since grown into a corporation and declared itself a kingdom. It is permanently neutral and known for its legalized gambling and money laundering. Nergal is a big client. The entire world economy revolves around Peaceland's banks.

A Peaceland Emissary enters the Nadesico and bows before Princess Ruri. The King and Queen of Peaceland tried desperately to bare a child, but they could not succeed. They finally went to a fertility clinic. The clinic, however, was bombed by terrorists and the test tube containing the Peaceland heir was lost. Ruri was in that tube.

Back in her room, Ruri is collapsed on her desk. She asks Omoikane for an analysis on princesses. Magical Princess Natural Lychee appears on screen. Ruri instructs Omoikane to eliminate anime titles. She proceeds to watch the computer's research.

Ruri, in a pretty dress, heads off to Peaceland. She rides inside Akito's Aestivalis. A princess always needs a knight to guard her... So anime says.

The King of Peaceland -- Ruri's father -- greets the girl. She is introduced to her mother and younger brothers. This is not the place in Ruri's dream. She asks her father for time to think.

Ruri and Akito go shopping. The girl fills the request list of the entire crew while Akito plays pack mule. The two stop to eat at one of Peaceland's many, many restaurants. Akito's eyes shine as a table full of pasta is placed before him. A chef brags how pizza is the greatest of Peaceland's native foods. Ruri immediately notes that pizza was created in Napoli, Italy. Every aspect of Peaceland has been taken from other countries. Nothing is native.

The chef just tells the two to eat the pizza. It's horrible. Cheap olive oil. Peppers, flour, mozzarella cheese of mediocre quality. Unripe tomatoes. An overuse of poor spices. Absolutely terrible.

The chef attempts to punch the girl, but Akito gets in his fist's way. A fight ensues which leaves Akito bloody. Ruri brings about a swift end with a shot to the chef's head. His assistants, though, attack. Ruri watches as Akito is torn apart.

Later on, the two sit overlooking Peaceland. Ruri apologizes. Akito shakes it off. Soon, the two are off. Akito's Aesti burns toward a fjord in Scandinavia. There is a school there. According to Peaceland's investigators, that is where Ruri grew up. The girl wishes to return to the people that raised her.

The two arrive at the remains of La Homaro Instituto. Ruri immediately knows the halls. She runs to her room, a large fish on the door. The girl breathes hard as she opens the gate to her past. It is broken and grey. It is only dust.

A man appears behind her. He worked at the institution. The vials from the clinic bombing were taken here. Those that were still alive deserved a chance to live. To justify the expense, genes were changed. Illegal genetic re-engineering would turn these unborn children into the perfect beings.

Ruri is superior to any creature on Earth. The girl asks about the other children. Failures do occur. Ruri is the only survivor. The man hands her a card. When she was four, Nergal approached the institution. A large sum was handed over for her training. That money now rests in Ruri's hands. It is all in a Peacebank account. As a princess, she will never need it, but a young girl can never have too much spending money.

Ruri asks about her parents. The man laughs. He touches a remote. Her father and mother appear on screen. They were recordings. They were programs. They never existed. For the special children, special parents were required. They showered her with praise and love, never angry or upset.

Ruri returns to the man. She thanks him for letting her live. She then slaps him and throws the money at his face. She returns to her childhood chair, bowing her head. Then, she hears something. A memory. Ruri stands and runs. She sprints, ever faster, through La Homaro Instituto toward her dream. She comes to a locked door and strains and bleeds to open it. Akito rests his hand on her shoulder. The boy throws his weight into it, breaking the wall down. Ruri stands outside. She looks before her to a stream. Fish splash.

Salmon return to the streams in which they were born. Ruri returns to the idiots and fools of her Nadesico.