[center][h3]Princess Peach[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Smash City Alcamoth[/center]

While the exhausted princess wanted nothing more than to follow Nadia, Ace, and the others back through Junior’s painting to Limsa, where she could collapse at long last among the sheets and pillows that a triumphant hero so richly deserved, she couldn’t clock out just yet. It had been a very big day, especially the unconscious Hat Kid she cradled in her arms, but not just for the crew that set out yesterday morning across the sparkling sea. For all she’d been through on Blackwater Bay, beneath the Bottomless Sea, and within the bowels of curse-rotted Carcass Isle, she acutely remembered every face that set out alongside her just a couple fateful days ago. When she closed her eyes she could see them, locked in combat against the grisly Thing from the Stars or the darkly magnificent Enderdragon, but it was here in Alcamoth where she physically saw them last, when the team split into Yellow and Blue. Fox, Midna, Primrose, Tora and Poppi, the enigmatic man known only as Courier 6, the precocious Phantom Thieves…where had they gone, and how had they fared in that inhospitable desert known as the Sandswept Sky? She needed to make sure Bowser and Mirage were okay before she could relax herself, but right now she couldn’t turn down a chance to ask for any updates on the others, either.

Peach took a long, deep breath in, then exhaled, and set off across the great atrium of Alcamoth. She moved at more of an amble than a march, and she made sure to disturb Hatty as little as possible, but she moved with purpose nonetheless. Even in the dead of night the countless lamps arrayed throughout the atrium garden filled it with a soft, blue-green glow, so she had no trouble finding her way toward the place’s back half. For a moment she took a brief detour by the receptionist’s counter, but not even the hard-working Isabelle was up at this late hour. With a sigh Peach hoped that her excursion wouldn’t be for naught, and pressed on.

With the floating citadel’s adjunct domes serving as the complex’s fighting arenas, it fell to the main structure to serve the residential, commercial, and utilitarian needs of the populace, and still Peach found herself marveling at the grandeur of it all. Countless stories of shops, businesses, apartments, and more extended upward to such dizzying heights that she needed to crane her neck to see the highest one, arranged like immense shelves. It made Coconut Mall look like a shoebox. Still, the princess paused for only a moment, since she knew that her destination lay at the bottom. She made a beeline for the Garfont Center, where the Alcamoth Mercenaries -and by extension, the entire campaign against Galeem- were based. The watchman on duty, one of the Miis, offered her a bow. “Can you please get this poor girl to the infirmary?” Peach asked, and with a nod the Mii accepted her precious cargo. He then ran off, leaving the princess to admit herself to Mercenary HQ.

Stepping inside the place, she almost didn’t recognize it. In the time since she’d been here last, the place had turned from a slapdash alcove outpost into an entire pseudo-military headquarters, complete with its own wood-and-iron style tailor-made to differentiate it from the futuristic temple aesthetic of Smash City proper. It featured a wide-open central command chamber dominated by an enormous round table, where a holographic screen that took up most of its area displayed a map of the World of Light. It seemed to be based off the map recovered from her castle on the day everyone first arrived, with much of it vaguely covered by the fog of war. At least the Eryth Sea, the surrounding mountains, and much of both the Land of Adventure and the lower third of the Sandswept Sky seemed to be filled in, with places of interest marked. There were even a few bright lights in small clusters here and there that Peach realized must be mercenary teams out in the wild. Looking around the command center, she found four arched doorways that elsewhere in the building, those being labeled Dispatch, Mog Station, Armory, and Barracks. There were two strange terminals marked as Vehicle Bay and R&D, which she could only assume were transporters of some kind. On the far wall lay another screen, this one marked ‘Spirit Board’, and as she approached it lit up. Hundreds of people, creatures, monsters, and more suddenly appeared across its breadth, neatly organized and available for selection. It was by no means complete -she saw no mention of ‘Abyssal’ under A, for instance- but the scale of the compendium was already staggering.

“Magnificent, eh?” a deep voice remarked from behind her in an Australian accent. When Peach turned she found [url=https://i.imgur.com/eqW4oaK.png]Commander Vandham[/url] leaning on the table, fully dressed and styled, every bit as enormous and imposing as she remembered. “Weren’t much for a while, but once we got our ‘eads togetha an’ put ‘er to rights, she’s a beaut an’ no mistake.” He ran his fingers along his jaw as he looked Peach up and down. “Speakin’ of, you’re lookin’ spiffy, but not quite as I remembers ya.”

Peach managed a weary smile. “Hello, Vandham. No need to try and make me feel better, I know I must look like death itself. But yes, I ended up fusing with a girl named Chao Ho. There was…a battle on the sea. It’s a rather long story, and not a pleasant one.”

“Sounds intense,” the giant murmured, pulling out a chair at the round table for the Princess that she gratefully accepted. He then seated himself, causing the chair to creak. In the light of the map screen his hairdo seemed even more dazzling than usual. “Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive. No matter ‘ow big an organization gets, if the right person kicks the bucket, that’s all she wrote. I’m glad ya made it back, Princess.” He leaned back in his chair, crossing his burly arms. “I take it things went well?”

Peach nodded, exhaling. “It was close. Very close, and not just the end. We had a few losses, I’m sorry to say. But to make a long story short, we’re one step closer to flushing out Galeem.”

“Holey dooley, anotha one already?” With the news of casualties in mind, Vandham measured his response. “I don’t mean to downplay the losses you mentioned, but that’s ‘uge news. Three outta thirteen, that’s nothin’ to scoff at. Proof ya got what it takes to go the distance, even if it ‘urts. Sometimes victory demands sacrifice, but if it means savin’ the worlds, the prize is worth the price.”

“I hope so.” With a sigh, Peach looked down again at the map, taking in the scattered lights. “How are things here? I know it’s late, but I needed to see if everything’s okay.”

Vandham leaned on the table, thinking. “Well…it’s a mixed bag. On one ‘and, we’ve really started putin’ a foot’old in the area. Workin’ on solvin’ problems like transport an’ supplies. Got a few missions done, an’ our scouts ‘ave some juicy details on other areas, includin’ what became of that bloody Dead Zone. Trouble is, a couple didn’t turn out well…”

Peach bristled. “Like what?”

“I’ll get straight to the point,” the big man said, turning to place his elbows on the table. After tenting his fingers he kept his eyes on the map. “Don’t suppose you ‘eard about this bludger Eggman, sendin’ a bunch o’ tin cans to attack your castle?” Looking alarmed, Peach shook her head, so Vandham continued. “Well, don’t fret, ‘cause our guys beat ‘im off. Trouble is, they went after ‘im, followin’ ‘im all the way back to his base. They stormed the place, but once inside things went south. Team got separated. Dedede, Ness, and Wario made it out, but those crazy blokes, that li’l fella Pikachu, and Mario got stuck inside. Ain’t ‘eard from ‘em since.”

A sharp intake of breath from Peach told Vandham that he’d been right to be reluctant. After a moment, however, the princess got herself under control. “Well. That’s bad, but it’s Mario we’re talking about. If anyone can get the job done in this whole world, it’s him. I trust him with my life.”

Vandham nodded. “Right you are. When I asked ‘round, I was gobsmacked by what everyone ‘ad to sa about ‘im. ‘E’s like a bloody celebrity. I’m sure once ‘e an’ the othas are done givin’ those machines a good thrashin’, ‘e an’ the rest’ll be ‘ome in time for dinner.” He leaned back again as the tone lightened. “I do ‘ave some news ya might wanna ‘ear.”

“What might that be?”

“Well, earlier today we got some visitors. They flew in on this giant ship, a real sight to behold. Turns out they’re a joint operation between two groups called Bridges and the Centennials, connectin’ places together and keepin’ the peace, ‘cept neither got enough manpower for the job. Wasn’t gonna make any big decisions ‘til you came along, but I’m was thinkin’ we stand to gain a lot from joinin’ forces. Ya ought to meet ‘em in the mornin’, once ya got some shuteye.”

Peach nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. On both accounts. Don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay conscious much longer. Need to rinse off and sleep.”

“I can tell!” Vandham laughed. “Well, you can use the Barracks. Save ya the trouble of goin’ anywhere else. Washroom’s in the back.”

Peach dragged herself to her feet. “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll go right away.” Without further ado she turned to shuffle off in the indicated direction. Only once through the doorway did the princess turn. “...Goodnight, Vandham. Don’t stay up too late yourself.”

“Bahaha!” the giant’s shoulders shook. “Just you try an’ stop me, li’l lady!” With a wave he stomped off, leaving Peach to put herself to rights and to bed by herself. Even after all that excitement, it was looking like a busy day tomorrow.