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Sessrumnir, Knight of Jupiter - Talking to Belmont and the Code.

As amused by the Code as Sessrumnir was, he was slowly realizing that it sounded a lot like his Nana. Complaining about not having anyone visit, then throwing around some insults because you’re a disappointment to the family, maybe a few underhanded compliments. If all went well, you were going to leave with a pocket full of candy, or maybe some cash to spend on whatever kids are into these days.

He almost felt bad about not visiting her more often. But she was also in Boston, so it was a bit out of the way.

“We’ll go home soon,” he said to Belmont with a small nod as they waited for the other Page of Jupiter to say his piece to the Code and then wander off when he didn’t hear what he wanted to hear. “I’ll give you my phone number in a bit,” he said, surprising himself with the offer. “I don’t want you ending up somewhere dangerous with no way to get home. I doubt we’ll be dumped back in the field, because ******** us, right?”

He spoke quietly enough. The intention was just for Belmont to hear him, but there were so many other around that he wouldn’t be surprised if he was overheard.

Sessrumnir was by no means the perfect Knight. That was probably reserved for others like Valhalla -- the golden boy of their family as it was. There were other Knights too -- transcended Knights who likely knew more about the Code and their Wonders. They were probably better about putting it back together, uncovering its mysteries, learning about the past.

His felt… haunted, almost. Not because there were ghosts, and he didn’t have frequent memories. Maybe he ignored them when they tried to play out.

But he heard the call on his own. Found his power on his own. He visited his Wonder for the first time without the guidance of another. He found the large wolf-dog that protected him and those he cared about, hidden away in a locked drawer of the previous Sessrumnir's desk.

He knew that if he tried and accepted the heavy despair that seemed to have fallen over his Wonder, he would likely discover more and more, very quickly.

But he wasn’t sure he wanted to stir up the past.

There was a gentle warmth and pulse against his palm that drew him back from his thoughts. He didn’t remember lifting his hand to grasp at the small golden orb he wore around his neck, but it was there, and he was holding onto it like a lifeline.

“Several weeks ago, the Velencians arrived on Earth. They wanted to build a machine that would remove Chaos -- destroy Metallia. They asked us to help gather energy for them. They wanted to use Archideus to amplify the energy to break into Negaspace, on a much larger scale than when Caedus helped us get in when we recovered you,” Sessrumnir explained, since the Code at least deserved to know what was going on. No one else seemed willing to potentially stand in the line of fire.

"Turns out their Commodore Lyndin had other plans and set up an ambush. He wanted Caedus’ starseed so he could have it healed in the Cauldron, then reborn and awakened to restore Velenia. I only heard parts of their conversation, but it seems like Velencya is dying and this was what Lyndin decided was their last option to save their people. Whatever their weapon was actually for, it looked like it overloaded and blew up Archideus instead,” he said, although his tone said he wasn’t convinced it was an accident.

“Sessrumnir,” he added as a last minute introduction.

“Some think that destroying Metallia would upset the balance. That there would be others to come take her place. Fill the void she leaves behind. Before Metallia took over, was that the case? Was there another entity allowed to exist so that there would be some evil and Chaos in the universe? Is that the balance we’re supposed to protect?”

There was a quiet challenge in his voice as he spoke. Not for the Code. He sincerely wanted to know what the Code thought about the opinions of others. But he did glance around the room to see which of those among them might think that the horrible things the Negaverse did was okay because of balance, or whatever bullshit they made up in their heads, like it was some Hollywood movie that they missed the point to entirely.

Page Yetzirah

So this was, truly, one of the worst times to decide, Hey why don't I do more of this knight stuff? Yetzirah had the thought in the moments as the central console began to blow, and again after the rather wonderful trip to wherever this was. "G-glad you're alright," he'd said to Belmont, blinking somewhat owlishly at him as the Cosmos Page started to take a slow gander around their new location. It was beautiful. But he was feeling more than a bit of whiplash...

Another Knight approached, and Yetzirah remained silent, aware he wasn't apart of their conversation. But the big guy (Sessrumnir) did have information that Yetzirah was interested in. He'd followed after them after Belmont had given him a look that signalled he wasn't being a jerk for doing so, and he remained silent all the while. There was so much going on. His head was still reeling.

He did overhear Sessrumnir's quiet words to Belmont, but. Well. They weren't for him, so he said nothing, only stared at the. Code?

Code for what?

He only cared that information was coming out, little by little--Sessrumnir's summary of what had transpired helped to connect some dots for the Page, and the snappy way the Code spoke to the others was amusing, if not still informative.

But when Sessrumnir--and hey! A name!--talked about how the Negaverse was part of a balance, his nose scrunched up. "Uh... sorry, this is probably a really stupid thought since I'm... well, stupidly new to all this," he started carefully, snorting a little about his own status of activity. He'd only powered up a couple times since awakening in the winter. Mostly cuz he'd been trying to find that Dark Mirror girl again cuz she seemed friendly and might have more info he could use.

"There's a balance to fungi and other things that break down dead and decaying material, so that nutrients can be recycled back into ecosystems, by other things eating them, so on. But how is forced corruptions, killing people, and that other crap balancing... anything? What is that a counterbalance to? I get the whole, Order-Chaos thing, and, yeah, gravity brings a level of order to the universe, but other forces cause chaos, and more science stuff that I never understood. But... yeah, I guess my main question is, what is the Negaverse and what it's doing counterbalancing? Is it just... fungi and bacteria that recycle material to be reused for other life, or like... what sort of purpose does it... have?"

And then his voice trailed off, and his cheeks took on a pink tint. Because Yetzirah realized he was babbling, and he really wasn't sure if what he said even... made sense.

He braced himself for whatever you are the weakest link, ******** you remarks the Code might dish out at him, not to mention whatever commentary anyone else sent his way.

"Um. Yetzirah, uh, by the way," was the lame finisher as he winced.

Cadet Neryn

They listened quietly, taking it all in. Caedus was betrayed just as much as the White Moon was. It was a lot to think about, but they could now see how Lyndin formulated this plan. It still did not make it something they wanted a part of anymore, but the logic was sound. The only thing they didn't understand was how that starseed got that way.

"Caedus... how did you starseed get like that? Why... why could you not awaken as Velenia?" they asked quietly. What experiments had occurred that would lead that destruction? That volatility? Did the invasion long ago threaten so much it led to this?

The Space Cauldron

Cadet Lixian

Someone yelled and Lixian huffed quietly to himself as he dropped his chin into the palm of his hand. More yelling was probably the last thing any one needed right now. Especially someone who'd just had their very being ripped from them, by someone they trusted. Lixian scooted to the side to make as much space for Scylla as he possibly could without crowding her or someone else. "...Are you okay?" He asked softly, watching as she rubbed at her temples.

He glanced to the side, trying to scan faces better. "I don't see Caelyna or Velyria..." Lixian muttered absently, to no one in particular. He hoped they were okay. No. He couldn't think like that. Wouldn't. Now was not the time. He had other things to worry about now.

The Cadet turned to Caedus when he spoke again. "...Bad decisions help you grow. It's all a part of learning." Growing. "...Everyone makes them..." So his original plan didn't work... That didn't mean Caedus had to give up. There had to be something else... He fell silent as Caedus spoke again, to someone else, gathering his own thoughts.

[Page Basiluzzo of Uranus]

There was something about Caedus' reactions that felt... familiar.

As he watched the way Caedus seemed to falter between hiding and simply curling up, he couldn't help thinking back, back to the way Ignacio had once looked at him with too-wide eyes before rushing to hide. As he watched the way Caedus grabbed at his hair and rocked, he thought of all the times he had to stop Ignacio from ripping his own hair out by the fistful. The way he nodded but didn't quite respond to either Encke or Pendour felt like the times where Ignacio had been too numb after a panic attack to do much else.

It spoke of trauma, and Basiluzzo's heart reached out to him.

Scylla spoke of letting them stay in a hotel for now until they could determine if their energy was trackable. Basiluzzo frowned. On one hand, he wanted to protest that; if they were trackable, it seemed keeping them in a separate spot would be a bad idea. On the other hand, if Lyndin and the other cadets had left with the Negaverse, it might be a bad idea to have them in their houses until they could determine what Scylla said. "Whatever decision you make in that regard, Caedus, we're here for you."

I am very good at making bad decisions brought a smile to Basiluzzo's face, despite. It also felt familiar.

"And I agree with Scylla. Your heart's in the right place, and," he frowned again, "don't think anyone expected that."

Maybe, except, for the queen of the Negaverse--

Cadet Valyr

They swarmed around Caedus, a little like locusts. They had also swarmed around something else in another room and she did have to wonder if humanity, was by their nature, a touch suffocating when it came to community activities. She had questions of course and she would have very much liked the opportunity to have answers for them, but while they continued to drown him in bodies it would have been otherwise pointless and inefficient.

Neryn's question was a good one, and one she hoped he would answer - but if he was otherwise preoccupied by the babying of those around him and the somewhat inefficient coddling, then she would understand. She knew he had been through a lot, but then again, so had everyone else here. She failed to see on this occasion why he should be snuggled and tended to with anymore interested than everyone else.

...Not when there were more important things to discuss.

Still, if this was the White Moon's priority then far be it for her to demand otherwise. She could perhaps agree, even distantly, with some of the Commodore's remarks in that respect.

"Mmm, perhaps you can show me around?" she pointed towards the ceiling and smiled at Aogashima. "You have been here before, yes? What is it all for?" she asked curiously. Aoga had at least advised her it was some sort of theatre, but did it have anything else in it, or was this all there was. A strange ceiling that moved, a dusty old piece of technology, and whatever else lay in the room beyond...

The Code’s attention shifted to Coco and it seemed briefly interested that a Mauvian was questioning such a thing. “I didn’t bring you here. You have Cosmos’ blessing. Unless you believe that computer in the other room, in which case, you scheduled an appointment. Either way, you’re not here because I brought you here.”

It watched as Vígríðr left but didn’t seem keen to harass someone who was already gone. Instead, it addressed those that were still there, “If you have an issue with borrowing my magic, you don’t have to be a Knight. The power can be passed to someone else. Take a hard truth from me so you don’t wind up dead out of hubris or ambition. A sword cuts the same whether your intentions are pure or not. I’ve been here since before the first Knight, and I’ll probably be here after the last. If you don’t like what I say, you don’t have to talk to me. Really isn’t going to hurt my feelings. But if you want to live, and you want to succeed? Take the information, and take the advice I give you. I don’t like ignorance. I don’t like incompetence. Fortunately, both things can be corrected.”

It swirled a bit, still oozing with power.

“You are not the Knights of old. You haven’t spent your lives training. Some of you have been a part of this ‘brotherhood’ for days. Minutes. Things were different, back when the Academy still held. It’s not your fault it fell, you weren’t born then. And even if you had been, you couldn’t have predicted what the Negaverse would do. Just as I suspect you couldn’t have predicted what the Velencians would do,” it said, attention on Sessrumnir. “For as foolish as it is to trust anyone you do not know, I can find little fault with an attempt to destroy the Negaverse.” It seemed a bit begrudging, but continued, “I would be hypocritical to say you were at fault the first time you let yourself be convinced to attack the Negaverse.”

It was quiet, contemplative, and then seemed to shrug. “I don’t care for political affairs of worlds, or starseeds. But ‘balance’ is subjective, don’t leave here thinking you must hold Chaos in one hand and Order in the other. There is a balance, but this isn’t some recipe you can follow. It’s not a cup of Order, a cup of Chaos. Chaos in small doses is all it should ever be. Chaos like Metallia tips the scales. It’s never supposed to grow that large. ‘Natural Chaos’ in itself disrupts the natural order, but that isn’t always a bad thing. A volcano erupting is ‘chaos’. We see the destruction it leaves, and then we see the growth that follows. Metallia is not like that. She is a world of volcanoes, perpetually erupting, eating away and burning up the world before it ever gets to grow anything.”

It provided a moment to let this sink in and then continued, “There was no ‘Chaos’ like Metallia on Earth before she existed. When she is destroyed, I don’t know that there will be any Chaos to replace her. Chaos grows in the hearts of the broken, it is born when our worlds change. You cannot have life without Chaos. But you cannot let it flourish. When Metallia is destroyed, of course there is the possibility that something might grow in her shadow. If you let it. You have the power to heal a Chaos-ravaged world if you put your heart into it.”

With that explanation out of the way, it focused on Saqqara again.

“If I could call pieces to myself, I would have done it a long time ago. But I broke pieces of myself off to make sure no one could abuse this power. I am excluded, and for good reason. If the Negaverse had found me and I had that power? The things they could have done.”

There was a heaviness in the air, but it continued, “Realistically? A Code Piece on any world might help them grow. But I can’t risk that in the time you spend on Earth something comes to sabotage your world. It would be better to have pieces protected and not just lost. But to have any one Senshi tasked with that? No, not now. You’re all focused on Earth. If I were going to move pieces of myself, or make more? I would do that somewhere that could have guaranteed protection.”

It was quiet for a few seconds, and the fine mist of energy continued to drift around it.

“I don’t think it’s safe for any of you to travel right now. Keep your eyes on Earth for the time being. Tend to your worlds and your wonders. I will think on this. I can only assume that Archideus’ explosion is what’s spread this much energy. A phenomenal amount, really. You shouldn’t even be upset. I feel stronger than ever. Perhaps there is something to gain from this betrayal.”

Distracted by some greater thought, the Code did not even seem particularly keen to harass to Yetzirah. “The Negaverse is not the balance you should maintain. By all means, destroy them. Just, do it safely. You’re a Page,” it reminded. “I don’t care how much heart any of you have, don’t be stupid. If you get yourself killed, we’re down a Knight. If you bide your time, and practice, and train, you will get stronger. Your Wonders will heal. You’ll grow your strength--and the Code Piece you protect will grow with you. Find your balance first. Yes, save Earth. Stop Chaos. Look out for each other. Don’t think you can do anything alone. Don’t get yourselves corrupted, either. That’s what the Negaverse will prioritize. Making you a tool to fight for them. The Negaverse has no purpose. But you do. So stop them. And be smart about it. If you want to know if you’re ready to take them on? Come see me. I’ll tell you. And I’ll tell you when you’re being a fool, too. So don’t underestimate the value of someone willing to teach you where you can improve before you get yourself killed. I won’t coddle you. I will be hard on you. But, don’t ever doubt that I want you to succeed.”



There was a sort of obvious lostness to Caedus right now; he was listening to what they had to say but seemed to keep getting stuck in his head. His brows were knit and he was juggling what he could, and ignoring what he didn’t want to deal with.

“Velencians do not corrupt like humans, I do not think,” he said, because that was easy information; he’d said that before. He did not recognize Dejanira as being one he had discussed that with before though, and he did not seem to mind repeating a familiar, comfortable topic. “I do not know what it means that I am here, except that I have very good friends looking out for me.” He glanced to Vela briefly, and considered her words--that something good had come from this. He nodded, but he did not think she owed him her thanks. He glanced to the Royal Senshi around the room and wondered which of them actually deserved her gratitude.

Scylla’s weight against him was grounding, and he found himself curling in just slightly even as he rested against her. Just a little extra protection to keep his starseed away from her, just in case. He was mindful of avoiding her crystal, just in case.

“I do not think any of you are bad Senshi, you are so hard on yourselves. I am proud of you,” he said, even if his voice was still too quiet, still too gravelly. “I wanted you to be able to do what you wanted to do. I did not want you to have to keep fighting. I wanted to help. And, foolishly,” he exhaled. “I wanted revenge. But I suppose if my comrades were never betrayed by the Negaverse, there is no need for that. They were only doing what they thought was right.”

And yet, it still hurt, and he was undoubtedly thinking about the faith he’d had in that team, and the faith he’d had in Lyndin, and the faith he’d had in the Vanguard. The faith he’d had in an idea that was never meant to be.

“I hoped you would not have to fight anymore,” he said to her. “I do not feel like dreaming right now. I do not feel like doing much of anything right now. I do not feel very good right now. I am very tired. And everything hurts. And I do not have a plan, or any hopes, or any future right now.”

His chest ached, more so when Neryn asked about it, and he gave them a look but avoided answering as he tried to massage out the throbbing from his starseed.

He looked at Kerberos, in all his ‘full glowy regalia’, and considered his words. He needed information, too, and he knew what Kerberos meant when he said Caedus couldn’t give him all of it.

His eyes fell to the ground again and he exhaled.

He didn’t want to disappoint Neryn, or Lixian, or Valnyr--who he watched as she moved away, just because he needed to make sure they were all okay. “My starseed is, I do not think, my bad decision,” he said to Lixian. “But perhaps was my shortcoming, anyway. It has been this way for a very long time. I was young, we did not have time to wait for me to grow into my full potential. We had a Royal Senshi just before me. They thought I should be that, as soon as possible. But starseeds were not made to handle that much power. They are supposed to grow with you, to need more. As soon as we were attacked, they needed the strength to defend our world. A Mauvian would not come, our world was at war. It was too dangerous. So, the Council did what they could. I underwent many trials, but nothing worked. When we escaped, it was more important. We were at the mercy of the universe and those around us. We were weak, waiting to be preyed on. My parents were gone, we had no military. We had desperate people who just wanted to survive.”

He was quick to assure, “No one meant any harm. This was not an act of cruelty,” he insisted. “They were our elders, our leaders. They knew what was best for us, and they did everything they could to try and awaken me with that power. But--my starseed just--it would not. It was damaged in the procedures. But they fixed it.”

Enough that he was alive, not so much that it worked.

“They did everything they could, until the resources ran out. We could not find more, the crystals they used were on Velenia. We could not go back for more. It was a mistake. But they have said Velenia was so damaged that they did not even know if it had a core to awaken. But we are connected.”

He was quiet and then said, “I feel it, sometimes. Like a second heartbeat, next to my own. I know Velenia is alive. I know it has been hurt. And I know it can heal. I do not think I am enough to restore it. I have said this. They said they understood. I thought that meant we could find another way. I did not think that meant that they wanted to replace me still. Not like this. I know Velencya is in trouble, but I thought--”

Again, he looked ashamed. “I thought if we could help you, we could find a way to help ourselves. I think Earth is amazing. I think all of you are amazing. I do think that if anything could help save us, or any of the life left in this universe, it is you, here. You perform miracles, all the time. To escape the Chaos? To come back from the dead? To hold onto your hopes and dreams and convictions in the face of war? You do not know how special you are.”

He sighed, and swallowed his emotions, and tried to force himself to stay focused. It was unbecoming to let any emotion claim him, he knew that by Velencian standards he had already made a fool of himself. By Earth standards, too. But, he hadn’t started crying, or screaming, and he hadn’t just melted into the ground or exploded.

Maybe, that was a good start.

He looked at Basiluzzo and Encke. “I am grateful for your kindness. I think, my people deserve the chance to go home. I might have some crystals that can get them there, I think I have some charged.”

He had collected enough energy to return home once before, though it had taken him some time to do that. When he pulled out the crystals now, he paused, looking at them curiously as they glowed. The power seemed to hum from them and he considered this for a few seconds before returning them to his bag.

“If you could help keep them safe until then, I would be immeasurably grateful. They did not know this was the plan, I do not think. And even if they did, please do not blame them. They are good people, I have not known them for long but I know they are kind, and I know they love your world. I have told them how wonderful it is. And how wonderful all of you are. I want them to be safe. I will do whatever you ask, any information, any resources, anything I can, if you can help them.”

He didn’t want to die, and Oberon’s had been reassuring, because the one thing he really didn’t want to do was give up his chance to live. He didn’t think he deserved any power, but he didn’t really feel like he wanted to provide everyone a list of all the bad things he’d done.

Oberon’s words continued to be reassuring, adding to the kindness the others had shown him. He managed something of a smile, faint as it was, when he talked about the starseeds they’d saved, the Code they’d recovered.

“I do not know what would be safest. But I know that we do not have an energy signature like you do. But we can find each other by using the ComTech.” He did not reach for his to try and show them, but he did not try to hide it on his arm. “If we need to hide, we can turn off the location tracking. That should be enough to conceal locations and identities if we need to.”



When Lacaille asked for a damage report, the computer answered, “Damage report inaccessible. Security clearance required. Would you like to submit a request for clearance?”

It did not wait for an answer; instead, the kiosk hummed a bit after Scylla told it to keep the appointment but it offered no confirmation that it was a little after noon, and no suggestion that there was a proper time estimate for when they would be seen.

It seemed to have renewed enthusiasm when asked about the map, like it was glad to return to its true purpose. “This celestial map is a resource to connect worlds. The universe is large and expanding and Queen Serenity feels like the space between us only seems large when we cannot see the bigger picture. The Celestial Theater is a reminder that we are all connected. Cosmos grants her protection and assisted in the construction of our star map. Our star map is connected to the Cosmos. We cannot scan for life forms but we can review the status of worlds. If you would like to update information about your world, please use the kiosk. This information is accessible to all guests.”

It seemed like it was functioning just slightly better, though the voice warbled a bit every now and then as it spoke.

“This map can be used to observe Cosmic disturbances and changes. The Cauldron is at the center of our universe. All life begins and ends at the Cauldron. The cycle of the Cauldron is not always predictable. We can estimate rebirth cycles but accurate updates must come from Cosmos herself. Would you like to connect with a Celestial Body?”

The waves of light continued to spread across the star map--slowly, but surely. Every world it touches lit up, even if just for a second.

And, maybe, each and every Senshi and Knight might feel something spark inside of them when it reached their world.