#iterators can function without a puppet I imagine. somewhat

[iteratorsex]

Also to be noted: The fact that gravity never turns off in LTTM's GSB/Neural Terminus, even though it fluctuates everywhere else, implies that the GSB has special properties possibly pertaining to gravity disruptors or collapse events, which wouldn't surprising considering how honestly important the puppet seems to functioning

[akirameta84]

...imagine if part of the reason Aiura made it so Akechi would literally rip out Kuusuke's Rarefaction Cell if it came down to it, was because a part of her wondered if Saiki's collapse was intentional. Rationally she knows that isn't the case. Rationally she knows the only reason Saiki was unable to communicate with anyone was due to him prioritizing survival and a desperate attempt to negotiate via the creation of Aren over talking to anyone. But that doesn't stop a part of her, an overly emotional part of her that's full of anger and grief from wondering if Kuusuke used his seniority privilege to keep Saiki from asking for help. If he drained all the water to cause Saiki's eventual collapse.

Logically she knows otherwise, but that didn't stop her from letting her emotions bleed through in the creation of Akechi and ensuring that no matter what, he will be able to grab Kuusuke's Rarefaction Cell. And no matter what, Saiki will be better off. If it's given up without a fight she'll be happy.

But if there is a fight? She'll feel VINDICATED.

YES agh the emotions

Part of her is also viciously happy about how decayed the Rot has left kuusuke, when her overseers see the inside of his can while following akechi (for the first time in ages because kuusuke is no longer capable of maintaining a lockdown from overseers), simply because it means kuusuke will not be strong enough to stop even a weak slugcat from frolicking in his superstructure, let alone a powerful, purposed one

she feels horribly bad at the same time. but she stays focused on the goal. she knows he has at least one cell left, because zero gravity is still somewhat functional inside of his structure. she just doesn't know if its the only one he has left

when scug akechi gets to it and rips it out, and all anti gravity shuts off...its clear that it actually was his last one. but kuusuke caused the literal death of her closest iterator friend, and with this cell, kusuos communication arrays might become functional again. and besides...the Rot was just going to destroy this rarefaction cell like it had the rest of them.

a lot of her anger dissipates when she sees the sorry state of kuusukes chamber and puppet, but honestly? she mostly feels a sense of bitter revenge. because he got what was coming

shes glad her slugcat didnt stay in the chamber long regardless. she didnt want to see anymore. and he had a duty to do, one her overseers needed to be present to guide him through, because gills or not, the submerged superstructure was still horribly dangerous

also: when akechi enters kusuos chamber, the other slugcats visiting him that cycle nearly maul him on sight because hes holding a suspicious orb that radiates power that could be a bomb for all they know. but kusuo speaks before they can do anything.

"That's...a Mass Rarefaction Cell. The emergency power source of an iterator's superstructure. Even one of them is enough to keep one of us functional. Where...where did you get that?"

the others have marks of communication from their past visits to kuusuke, so they can understand that this is an important object that akechi is amazing for bringing to kusuo

even in his current sorry state, kusuo can piece together the situation. someone in his local group created a purposed organism to deliver a rarefaction cell to him. and he has a guess as to which iterator it was stolen from.

he tells the slugcat where he might find the access shaft to the submerged ruins of his structure anyways, because its already been stolen, so it might as well be delivered to where it needs to go, provided akechi can survive the dangers of the trip, which he does. being able to potentially communicate with his local group again, and access his overseers so he can see places other than his chamber, sounds so nice, too..

thank you for the ask it made me FEEL at 2 in the morning i adore your asks so much <3 at lesst im assuming all this iterator saiki au stuff is thr same person ahdhah maybe even the same person who sent a ton of my scug saiki au asks eheh

regardless tyty again <3