Operation Troubleshooting

Outcome| * Dispersion of Elysium Philharmonic
* Near complete destruction of the Cardenas Division
* Maestra Nequitia flees to the Normalside as her core is destroyed.
* Immediately causes the National Foundation Day Explosion

Belligerents| Administration* Cardenas Division†
* Fenrir Division
* Akshas Division
* Maze Division
* Camelot Division

Commanders| * Sid†
* Hilde
* Lyudmilla (?)
* Alice (?)

Strength| * **Cardenas Division**
	+ Montagne
* **Fenrir Division**
	+ Lee Sooyeon
	+ Na Yubin
	+ Gleipnir
* **Akshas Division**
* **Camelot Division**
* **Maze Division**
	+ Alex
	+ Yegor
	+ Valeriy

**Miscellaneous*** Administration Rifleman
* Administration Shieldman
* Ifrit
* Estaques
* Tarrasque
* Moneka
	+ Shena
	+ Carmen
* Gha'agsheblah's Apostle

Casualties| **Severe*** 70% of the Akshas and Cardenas Division became incapacitated
* Near complete destruction of the Cardenas Division, along with its commander
* Carmen is subdued, and assumed destroyed. She flees into an imaginary space
* Shena flees intact

**Operation Troubleshooting** was a combined assault operation initiated by the Akshas, Cardenas, Maze, Camelot and Fenrir Divisions of the Old Administration with the goal of eradicating the Elysium Philharmonic group of Shadows, including the Demogorgon Maestra Nequitia. Along with this, apostles of the Demon Lord Gha'agsheblah were used to stall the Fenrir Division before they could arrive to confront the Elysium Philharmonic. The operation resulted in the near total annihilation of the Cardenas Division, with Pio "Montagne" Vargas as the sole survivor. The status of the Akshas Division is unknown, but it can be inferred that it was destroyed alongside Cardenas Division as its units were affected by the Mental Printing attack as well. It immediately resulted in the events that followed the National Foundation Day Explosion.

## Description

Occuring in a location known only as the Philharmonic Hall, at variable depth coordinates within the Counterside, through the use of Mental Printing, Maestra Nequitia implanted "memories" within the Cardenas and Akshas divisions that made them lose their minds, including believing that there were bugs in their stomachs and trying to tear them out. The Division quickly turned on each other as their minds were being slowly warped out of control from the Mental Printing. Prior to a rescue by the Fenrir Division some time later, Cardenas Division Deputy Commander Montagne signalled that nearly 70% of their allies were incapacitated, most of the survivors unconscious and that the operation was believed to have been a failure. Dimension jump was being blocked and the survivors of the operation could not retreat.

She was then found out by one of the Elite Members of Elysium Philharmonic, Shena, who described her as a beautiful instrument to add to Maestra's collection. Maestra reprimanded Shena for stepping out of line, as it is Maestra's job to choose her instruments. Maestra then asked Montagne what she believed of her "performance", to which Montagne called her a monster, to Maestra's annoyance. The Elysium Philharmonic members discuss what to do with Montagne, to which Carmen suggests she be given to her to play with, as she believes that the more wounded an animal is, the more it adores its owner. By raising and getting Montagne to birth a child like livestock, it would provide a perfect way to avoid having to waste effort on seeking a test subject for a future experiment.

Montagne lashes out again, but is severely shut down with an attack from Maestra. Maestra Nequitia commends her for staying alive so long and acting as a shield for her friends. She reveals that she had tortured her brother, Sid, the commander of the Cardenas Division to death through the use of Mental Printing, by performing an experiment to see how many personality transplants his brain could withstand. Sid was rolling around as if nothing more than a mindless beast, becoming incontinent and crawling around on the floor snorting like a pig in front of his own men. By the time a 21st personality was implanted into him, he had committed suicide. This indecent death had a profound effect on his own men with already low morale.

Montagne agonized over this revelation, to the Elysium Philharmonic's delight. Carmen indicated that she would love to put a muzzle on her and train her properly, and Shena proposing to simply kill her outright. They are however, soon to engage the most elite combat unit of the Old Administration, the Fenrir Division, whom she calls VIPs.

The Fenrir Division arrives after having engaged Gha'agsheblah apostle, and asseses the situation. Maestra Nequitia greets Hilde. Hilde realizes that the current situation where the Cardenas Division must have happened because there is a traitor in their midst, with Maestra confirming that it is not only thoses outside of the Old Administration that disagree with its ideals.

Hilde orders the Maze Division, Fenrir Division and Camelot Division to engage with the Category 5 C.O. Maestra Nequitia on a formation of Fenrir carrying out close combat and the rest providing support. During combat, the Fenrir Division defeated Elysium Philharmonic, managing to incapacitate Carmen while Shena fled. Maestra's core was destroyed, which caused the rest of the Elite Members to flee, with the Maze and Camelot Divisions in pursuit. Lee Sooyeon was panting at the end of it, considering it a tough battle. Na Yubin wonders if Maestra is really dead, with Hilde saying that destroying her core felt different from usual, having doubts wether or not they actually finished her off. They find Montagne sobbing with her dead brother Sid in her arms, lashing out at them in anger and sorrow that Sid would not have died an indecent death if they had come a little bit earlier, Sid would still be alive. Hilde explains that they were forced to prioritize the more dangerous threat, which was Gha'agsheblah's apostle. Montagne lashes out at them in grief and due to mental contamination from Mental Printing, but she is quickly restrained by Na Yubin and taken to the infirmary while screaming. Lee Sooyeon asks if she would be alright, and Hilde replies that in her state, time is the only cure...

Hilde asks Moneka to check for the space time response, and Moneka is troubled to find a space jump response to the Normalside at a time when space jumping was supposed to be blocked. The response was so weak that it was classified as a sensor error. Maestra had managed to cling onto life and escape. Moneka indicates that pursuing her would be difficult now as the stasis field preventing jumps had not been disabled yet. Hilde orders Moneka to locate Maestra's arrival coordinates and to send all available divisions on the Normalside to that destination immediately.

## Aftermath

*See also: National Foundation Day Explosion*

Maestra Nequitia's emerged in the Normalside at the National Foundation Hall in Tanaberin, Gronia, triggering a massive explosion that killed hundreds of people. Louise Schneider and her daugher Leah were the only survivors, but the latter only survived because Louise made a pact with Maestra in order to keep her alive. Maestra would hibernate within Leah for the next two decades until her reappearance on the anniversary of the explosion.

## Trivia

* The Elysium Philharmonic and the Fenrir Division had clashed before this battle, as Shena recognized Lee Sooyeon's and expressed annoyance at her presence. Maestra Nequitia's dialogue even implies she knew of Hilde before the latter became a Division Commander within the Old Administration.