Chapter Text
Chains of Body, Chains of Pride (other potential titles include - Running Wild, Lost Fight; Ongoing War, Who's Really in Control)
- Klaus Wulfenbach has an even lower opinion of jaegers than Bill/Barry did
- He thinks they are all irredeemable monsters that can't be trusted
- Instead of hiring them, he takes Mechanicsburg by force, forcing the jaegers to flee to the Wastelands or die
- There are no 'Wulfenbach jaegers' only 'wild' jaegers
- Without the Baron's protection, the hoard is fair game to anyone who wants to hunt them down
- They try to stay together for safety, but must balance strength in numbers with staying hidden from threats
- Over the next decade and a half, it becomes a status symbol to have a captured jaeger under your control
- The few remaining free jaegers desperately continue searching for a Heterodyne
- They try to free their captured kin whenever possible, but rarely get the chance
- It doesn't take long for Beetleburg to have visitors with 'pet' jaegers
- Captured jaegers are kept heavily restrained, and sometimes drugged to keep them more docile
- The jaegers that retain their senses DO recognize Agatha's scent, but even hinting at who she is could get her murdered or worse, so they don't dare act
- The jaegers must endure the horrors of being captive war trophies, while their mistress is unaware of anything
- Agatha's parents are disturbed by what's going on
- They fear what could happen if Agatha was ever discovered
- Being a Mechanicsburger is extremely unsafe, so they disguise her locket with a plain cover
- They teach Agatha to avoid any kind of attention, limiting her socializing
- They also quietly pull her out of public school at a young age, secretly getting books for her to learn at home
- Unfortunately, Agatha is still an extremely pretty young woman
- Without the public stigma of seeming mentally deficient, from trying to attend TPU with her crippling headaches, she has a number of men trying to court her
- One of her suitors is an aspiring monster hunter
- They have not one, but three captive jaegers (They are of course, Dimo/Oggie/Maxim)
- The aspiring monster hunter suitor [AMHS] tries to show off by gifting Agatha Ognian as a guard dog
- If Oggie fails to keep Agatha safe, the AMHS will torture/kill his brothers
- Oggie recognizes Agatha's scent/identity, but can't act on it
- He's stuck in chains & a fancy muzzle, which can be partially opened so he can eat, but prevents him from talking or biting people
- (All jaegers are legally required to wear muzzles in public, due to sharp teeth)
- Agatha is NOT pleased by this situation
- Her parents are hidden constructs, and she is morally opposed to the jaegers being enslaved
- She can't publicly speak out without endangering her parents, so she just tries to be gentle with Oggie, and show she won't hurt him
- Oggie feels conflicted about the situation, he's restrained/silenced, but he's with his rightful mistress, who is kind to him
- He wants to return her to her rightful place as the Dread Ruler of an unassailable Mechanicsburg, but doesn't see how it could possibly be done
- Later, the AMHS becomes very ill
- Agatha pretends to be distraught about it, so she can stay close and prevent him from taking his poor feelings out on Dimo/Maxim
- The AMHS dies, leaving his 'pets' to Agatha in his will
- Agatha now 'owns' three jaegers, which are seen as unusually well behaved
- She starts getting approached by other jaeger owners, for advice on keeping their own jaegers in line
- Agatha starts encouraging people to take a soft approach to their jaeger 'pets'
- The jaegers that are brought to her usually recognize what/who she is
- They make a point of being more obedient after she looks them over, so their 'owners' will bring them to her again when they 'act up'
- Agatha still doesn't know who she is
- Adam/Lilith see Agatha gaining more and more notoriety, and fear for her
- They decide she needs to be told the truth so she can actively hide herself, instead of relying on passive ignorance
- Agatha doesn't want to hide
- Agatha is angry
- If she's the Heterodyne, then the jaegers are HER people, and they are SUFFERING
- This will not stand!
- Agatha takes off the locket
- She is now old enough that Breakthrough would not be too strange, and too well known to be easily 'disappeared'
- Agatha's Breakthrough project is a combination repair clank/VR headset
- She can send it into Castle Heterodyne to make repairs remotely, without being discovered
- She also makes a series of Ding-bots to be her public Breakthrough project
- She tells people they are meant to monitor any misbehavior from the many jaegers brought to her to 'train'
- In reality, they are meant for keeping the jaegers/Agatha informed about each other
- They also secretly release jaegers at immediate risk of being killed
- The released jaegers get in touch with their uncaptured kin, letting them know what's going on
- The remaining free Generals are Gkika, Koppelslav, and Higgs
- Zog, Goomblast, and Khrizhan were captured by the Baron
- Øsk and Zadipok died protecting/freeing Gkika/Koppelslav from the Baron's forces
- Higgs is the only jaeger who can move freely
- He tries to keep track of who's still alive, where they are, and what condition they're in
- He starts working with Agatha directly, as they make plans to restore/take back Mechanicsburg
- Eventually, the Castle is secretly repaired; it keeps itself looking outwardly damaged until Agatha gives the signal to reveal things
- Agatha is now in contact with the Mechanicsburg council/seneschal through Higgs
- When Agatha is ready, she will simultaneously free every jaeger/activate the town Castle/defenses, taking her place as the Heterodyne
- The grudges between Agatha/Europa will lead to a war between the Empire/a Mechanicsburg back at full strength
- Lots of horror/violence occurs