"What, chaotic and messy? Any time Order gets together, yeah," Kerberos laughed, quietly, and then shook his head. His little wisp companion bobbed over to nudge up against Nile's cheek, as if it, too, was attempting to offer some comfort and shoring-up.
He frowned, slightly, as the aliens described their feelings on energy draining, and looked down at his own arms, bright and aglow. He knew he could generate excess energy--perhaps, then, this was something he could be useful for. Give more, so that others had to give less. That was a nice idea, and he softened a bit at the thought, but looked back up at Nile and shook his head.
"That's true, I agree--our choices do define us, and there are officers who chose, in every way, to give into the poison of Chaos." Including him, once. Perhaps Nile no longer remembered the way Kerberos had once killed with abandon, but Kerberos would never be able to forget.
But that was the thing, wasn't it? He'd made his choice to leave. So had Nile. So had Lyonesse, and Necromanteion--each of them had chosen better than the Negaverse offered. What would happen when that choice was forced upon officers who would rather not?
Kerberos would have to speak to their visitors, privately.
Still, he laughed at the comment about Natron.
"Oh, he'd lose his mind. We'll have to introduce him to the concept as gently as possible," he said, and he laughed, shaking his head. "And I'll have to come back here by myself, to speak to them again. I promise, I'll tell you everything they have to say."
[Mistress Morbid]
Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:50 pm
Eternal Caliban, Senshi of Sealing
So basically, they had to gather a bunch of energy and somehow nuke an opening into the Negaverse? Somehow Caliban thought that they would be able to get in better if they were captured on purpose. Where would they even be able to find an entrance? And the fact that they needed energy... It didn't sit right with him. If they needed energy from the people why couldn't the Senshi offer it? And was anyone going to watch them and where they stored the energy? How did he know that the aliens wouldn't be using it for some other purpose?
It gave him a bad feeling and he had no fond memories of the alien named "Caedus" and felt no reason to be biased towards him.
He could see why many others were ready and willing to accept anything at the cost of destroying the Negaverse. They could finally stop fighting, perhaps bring Agents to their side and gain the Knights they so desperately needed, and all they could do from now on was work on their Homeworlds and Wonders, only worrying about the Dark Mirror if they got out of hand.
Still, it felt like they were promising too much. There had to be a catch besides needing to drain energy. There always would be. And he certainly wouldn't be giving them any energy that they wanted, nor would he lead them to anyone who could give it to them.
He wouldn't do anything against them, for now. But if they showed any signs of becoming the next Negaverse but Aliens, he wouldn't hesitate to fight any of them if need be. And he could tell that some felt the same. What was the use of fighting them right now though? It would be the waste of energy. He wasn't transcended either, even if he had no desire to be at this time. He had no idea how it worked anyway. He had only just gotten rid of the problem on his planet and most likely the rest of it was a barren wasteland. He could only hope that the last settlement there would be brought up to shape while he was alive.
If he transcended though... perhaps he could do more. That was in the future however. For now all he could think of was going back when he had the time. He had a new goal, one that required him to be there as often as possible, to finally learn about what his planet really had been and not just be intimidated every time he went back.
He decided he had heard enough and exited the area. He made sure to keep a note of all of the faces that he saw however. He wanted to talk to some of them afterwards.
((Caliban exit))
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Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:08 pm
Sumner, Squire of Neptune
So, that was their big plan huh? Somehow it felt too easy. Rip a whole into the Negaverse and then just destroy the queen with their army? He wasn’t sure what the Negaverse was like, but he was sure it couldn’t be that easy. Unless the aliens had guns or projectile-weapons that did some damage. Surprisingly the Negaverse didn’t have those, but perhaps it would take too much energy to use if one had to continually use Nega bullets.
But while the alien, Caedus, as he was called and Sumner had never seen, had been back to his planet gathering an army the Negaverse had grown as well, and Sumner had been “lucky” enough to see some of that power himself.
It was, intimidating to say the least. And considering how powerful the Generals were, if there were those above them, this Queen Beryl, was she just as powerful as Senshi Prince and Princesses? Was she more powerful than they? He didn’t know what the ranks were above the Generals, but he was sure that a Queen was more powerful than a Princess.
He took the harp from his back and started to strum it a bit. It brought him some piece. Even if his heirloom mini guitar was gone, he could still strum the strings a bit and produce sound, melody, a calming tone. It wasn’t lost, it was just in the shape of something else. And how powerful it was had yet to be seen considering when he had tried to use it, it had basically been negated. Maybe when he was a full Knight, he would finally be able to see it’s true power. But for now it was something that he used to calm himself down.
He could understand the others who were uncertain at the alien’s proposal. They were basically expecting them to drop a giant energy bomb, would it be equal to a nuke? On the Rift just to open it? If he understood it correctly. If they were wanting to use it on the Agents and Queen Beryl herself then it was a little more understandable to want to go with their plan, but to expend so much just to be able to open a way felt silly.
Still… was there really anything they could do at this point? He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to make friends with any of the aliens, but he would make sure to keep any important information that he wouldn’t share with an Agent to himself. The aliens appeared to promise something that was just too good. What happened after the Negaverse was destroyed? Would the aliens just leave? Or would they decide to invade? It was too soon to tell, and it was starting to get late. He had come after work, and he was already tired. He decided to make his way back to his home. He had enough to think about tonight. And if he was correct, he had seen others here he knew. He would make sure to see if he could contact them later to talk about all of this.
((Sumner exit))
Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 10:18 pm
With Puck’s approach, Caedus looked a little more relieved. His nerves were frayed, he was tired. The trip had been long and arduous, but he was humbled by the additional volunteering of energy. He held his Source Stone still, very careful with it.
“Thank you. Your offer is generous. I do not want them hurt, either. I would not ask if this was not important. But a little energy now could save lives later.” He sounded genuinely convinced, at least. “If you want to share energy, I will touch this crystal to your skin, for only a second. I am not the most experienced with these, these are much stronger than my own. It absorbs quickly, so it does not take much time. It feels like getting sleepy. You can put your finger on it, just for a second. If you get dizzy, I will not let you fall. But do not touch it for too long, I do not want to take much from you.”
It was incredibly easy for him to answer Asphodel’s inquiry, even as he explained the process to Puck. “There is nothing violent about it,” he responded. “Even children use them. Well, not these. The Vanguard’s are very powerful. But I have some of my old ones.”
He reached into the pouch at his side with his free hand. Briefly, his eyes drifted to the wisp in Asphodel’s sleeve and he looked delighted with such a curious thing. He didn’t allow himself to be distracted for long and he drew out three simple, white crystals. They were round and polished, but otherwise didn’t seem particularly impressive. They were roughly two inches in length, and shaped like a multi-faceted raindrop. at their tallest point and fit easily in the palm of his hand. “These are the ones most people use. They are clear when empty but turn white when they have energy.”
The white mist swirled lazily inside the crystals, as if for emphasis. “These crystals have some of my energy. I use them when I cannot sleep. Or when I am stressed. Or over-thinking. I prefer them to the Source Stones because they are more comfortable to hold. But the Source Stone is more effective. They are the same crystals, only larger, and more refined. It is not painful. My crystals take fifteen minutes to drain to sleep, but the Source Stone can do it in seconds. They are much more effective. Sometimes it feels a little cold, but it is painless. And it stops as soon as you are asleep. If there are irregularities in your vitals, it will not drain. It is a safety precaution. No one is supposed to get hurt from them. They are common. We give energy when we have extra. Most of the time we use them for healing ourselves. But they have many uses. We do not have many naturally renewable resources on Velencya, but the extra energy we make is stored and recycled into other things.”
He hoped the answer to be satisfactory, and in the few seconds after he finished speaking and while he was still letting the others digest this information, he turned his attention to Encke and smiled. "I would like all of that. Tonight is busy, but I will have much time in the future So, please come by again. I will make time for you. I want to meet them. I would gladly go to 'a place'. I trust you. And if something goes wrong, I know Commodore Lyndin can help get us back. We will not be trapped anywhere," he insisted; even now he seemed unnerved by the idea of being trapped somewhere.
His time in the Rift had been enough for one lifetime--for several.
It took a second for Basiluzzo to realize that Viatrix was talking to him. He'd been trying to follow the back and forth--without much success given how little context he had for a lot of things--and only on a delay did he look down at the cat in his arms.
"I don't know what I think about the convenience of a giant space laser using a comet to blow a hole through the fabric of the universe, or even the nature of it." He looked around them, making sure he knew where Encke was in the crowd, then back down to her. "I'd say the physics seem weird, but the hell do I know about physics? The hell does physics have to do with anything most of us are capable of?" He shifted Viatrix in his arms.
It did seem too convenient. Where had the aliens been all this time? Why had it taken so long for them to show up and offer their help? Had it just been the limitations of even their technology? Could they just not get there any faster?
He hoped that's what it was.
As long as it was help, and not anything with strings attached that would get them later, he guessed. There hadn't been any mention of a trade of any kind... He wasn't exactly sure what Earth would be able to offer a space-faring people. Hopefully there was something, because Basiluzzo didn't really like the idea of it being a one-sided affair. Sure, it could be done out of the goodness of their heart, or for the greater good, or something like that, but...
Tikal had opted to remain quiet during the flurry of talking and questions. There wasn't anything she could think of to ask that someone had not already tried, so better to conserve her energy and listen in on what the responses were to other people. A space laser? Sounded farfetched, but as long as they weren't creating a vacuum for something worse to show up later, Tikal figured it was at least worth a gander.
She recognized very few others. Perhaps she would be better served powering up more often, doing things with that ability. It would be more useful to her, that was for sure. At the same time, she made sure not to wander away from the people she'd decided to stand nearby.
She had vaguely overheard their conversation and had more or less agreed with what she'd heard--and her name was Ganymede, Princess Ganymede. Even still, she startled a little when directly spoken to.
Tikal cleared her throat with practiced grace and took this as her indication to approach them closer. She dipped her head politely toward Ganymede. "Nice to meet you." And she meant it, and she meant it when she repeated it toward the others that Ganymede had pointed out. "My name is Tikal."
She supposed this was a good reason, or at least as good as any, to get pulled away from the relaxing ride through the woods on her ATV... It would be waiting for her when she got back, after all. It and the nice hot bath she felt like she needed after hearing everything she'd been listening to.
She gave him a squinty look and stuck out her tongue as she braced her hands on her hips and wiggled them, making the rainbow ruffles bob.
"Being a senshi is dangerous, of course I don't do it often. But this seemed important, I guess. Might as well come and see what was going on, just in case." Eros said as she settled again, turning her attention from her friend to the gathering. She watched as the larger... Alien retired back inside the glowing dome, thoughtful as to what this was all going to mean and how it was going to shake out.
She wasn't as convinced as Puck that this new weapon meant they were going to win, though she was sure it was going to do a lot of damage and make some people very mad. That could be very bad for some of them... this wasn't going to be a blood-less campaign, she was sure of it.
The senshi of passion didn't comment on that though. She would see how things panned out before she got involved and risked her neck.
"Its your energy." She said with a shrug when he mentioned going to donate. "Just make sure you don't give so much you can't get it up any more."
That last comment came with a wink and another tongue wiggle, flashing her piercing. Eros followed as Puck moved closer, but the more brightly colored senshi hung back a bit, watching with very curious and wary eyes.
tatterpixie
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 11:44 am
Transcendent Eternal Sailor Megrez
Lyndin's departure seemed to signal a tapering off of the "festivities" for the time being. Still, some others still had their attention on Caedus, and that included Megrez. From what she was hearing, a few supporters had gathered around and were offering their energy to help where they could. Her eye contact lingered on Caedus for perhaps a bit too long before she addressed him again. "Excuse me," she began. "If you are in fact taking energy donations towards the project... I would like to volunteer. In fact, I'd argue that I'm one of the best volunteers for... a few reasons." She tapped one of the glowing "cracks" on her cheek, then realized that Caedus probably didn't know their inherent significance. "Energy flows through me easier than most. Basically."
The Space Cauldron
Super Sailor Sadachbia
Sadachbia looked unusually brooding, standing off to the side with her arms folded. She knew better than to believe any solution was a clean-cut one-and-done deal these days. When she'd first started out, she'd be right up there with Megrez, asking how she could directly contribute. Now, however? She felt more aligned with the people who questioned the motives behind and outcomes ahead of this operation. Even if destroying Metallia somehow automatically purified all of the Negaverse's agents, there were bound to be side effects from such a sudden conversion. Chaos would be expelled, but at what cost?
She watched Megrez as she approached Caedus and volunteered herself for the project, and her right hand tensed into a fist. It was half an accident, half not. This operation was bound to determine a great many fates one way or another, and supporting it or denying it was not a decisions that could be made lightly. For now, she would wait and see, but she hoped that Megrez wasn't supporting something that they would all live to regret.
Einhornhohle nodded her head, her expression unreadable at first as she processed this bit of information. Lips pursed into a thin line she seemed to be displeased by the proposal. "The Dark Mirror, Negaverse Agents, and Corrupts all have one thing in common; they steal energy."
She paused a moment, still sorting through the information she'd been given. "I don't know if this is more of a 'use their own methods against them' but something about this feels very wrong, Sava. It's like the enemy of my enemy is now my friend; their objectives are exactly the same except the weapon is pointed away from us." Not that it made her feel any better. Collateral damage could be just as devastating.
"Even though you've defected from the Negaverse, I know you still have former comrades you worry about. Even if they do purify against their will, what's the price they'll pay with their memories?" Understanding her struggle, Ein placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder for support. Sava lost her civilian memories which was a large chunk of her life and that was through a willing purification. There just seemed to be too many unknowns to be in full support of the alien's proposed plans.
"You've met Cosmos once before. Maybe we can ask for her opinion on all of this?" That is assuming that their princess would answer a call from her knights. With as many years as she'd been powering up, not once had Ein ever been given any sort of guidance from the one she was supposedly destined to follow and protect. Was skeptical that it would work or that she'd listen, but with Sava, maybe they had a small chance of getting some answers.
Orangeish Sherbert
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:29 pm
Transcendent Squire Pendour
The Commodore was leaving, now, back to his own people, but that was okay. He'd said what he needed to say, giving them all a lot of hope and a lot to think about. There were concerns, and valid ones, but to Pendour, the hope won out in the end. She already had ideas about a few of the problems that might come up, after all.
Well, at least for the problem of the energy.
Caedus was still out there with the rest of them, which meant that Pendour could still see what she could do to help with that. There were no chairs on the hillside, so she just collapsed cross-legged to the ground instead, smiling gently up at the tall, foreign man. His explanation about the Source Stones made sense, and she nodded. Renewable energy was something that had always been interesting to her, and the thought that people's excess energy could be one of those resources made sense. After a moment, she held her hand out to him, palm up.
"I think I'm ready, and I'm still willing to try it," she said.
Even if she fell, she knew there were still people around who would pick her up. They might give her a quiet lecture about being too trusting while they did it, but they would.
The Space Cauldron
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 4:44 pm
Super Sailor Cybele
Cybele watched the Commodore slink back behind his protective barrier with narrowed eyes.
"I see no reason to stay here if he is finished answering our questions," she said crisply to the group gathered around her. Caedus may have remained, and while according to Lyndin he had the higher ranking among them, Cybele had her suspicions about who was truly in charge.
In fact, she had many suspicions at the moment.
She would linger for a few minutes more, just long enough to say her goodbyes and to promise to speak later with any of her friends who would like to process things, but for the moment, what she really wanted was to collapse in an empty room with a cool drink and to take some time to get her thoughts in order.
Polyhymnia stayed and she listened, trying to put together what was going on as best as she could, listening to questions -- protests, even -- while keeping her expression somewhat neutral. Her cheeks were still flushed from exertion, arms carefully wrapped around her body as if hugging herself.
She didn't do very well around large groups that she didn't know, and theoretically she knew she was safe. These were people who were on the same page as she was, at the least, if not completely the same side. Even the aliens were almost certainly allies, even if she...didn't understand.
There had never been a time for her to share her energy -- she didn't even know if she knew how to, or how it would feel -- but all things considered...if that was what it took to help make this world, her home, safer? She would do it. She would ask questions, but only to clarify as opposed to trying to find a way out.
Hostility as it seemed was coming from a few, was...not entirely unexpected, especially given the large cluster of a battle that had happened not too long ago. There were many things out there, that they didn’t know, didn’t understand, and that was okay. But to immediately be hostile...wasn’t going to help anyone.
Caution was warranted. She’d be the first to say so, but hostility… Weren’t they supposed to do whatever it took to protect the people around them? To help? Or maybe her limited contact with anyone else had in turn made her more idealistic than she ought to be.
...but if there was a way, a way to prevent further death, to help save people, save those who’d been corrupted...she would take it in both hands and dive in.
For those we’ve lost. For those we can yet save.
But for now, they needed space, they needed to get things taken care of for themselves to settle in for however long they would be there.
And next time...she would take a car. No way she was walking all the way out here again. Forget that.
Hearing no shouts of alarm from Caedus only had Myrrha wishing she could stay longer to observe the barrier. It was clear to her that she would want to meet one of these visitors from afar if only to ask them a million questions. Well, maybe not a million. But she would have questions ... oh yes - of that there was no doubt. But first she needed to find one on this side of the barrier. Would she camp here in the evenings hoping to catch glimpses of their visitors? Would there be success in her own little mission?
Shaking her head at the silent barrier Myrrha looked to the gathering and briefly considered walking around the boundary of the dome before discarding the idea as foolish. Nothing would be accomplished, would it? Taking her leave the senshi of scents cast another glance at the gathering of order, before disappearing into the night.
[[ Myrrha exit ]]
Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 7:36 pm
Squire Nile
"That's one way to put it I guess..." Nile sighed softly as the little wisp brushed up against him like a cat. His gaze drifted to it for a moment before returning to Kerberos. "I think.. Before we commit to anything, we should probably talk it over with Sam." The other Knight would be beyond pissed if they went off into some potentially dangerous stunt involving the Negaverse and didn't tell him. Especially if they got hurt. Nile ran a hand over the glowing marks on the Senshi's arms. "Just be careful." He said, almost as if he was reading the others mind.
"Maybe sit him down first... Get him something to drink." Nile snickered. He made another quiet noise as people started to take their leave. "I'm not a big fan of you coming back here on your own... But I suppose better you than me. I'm still too new at this."
Noir Songbird
[Mistress Morbid]
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Kyuseisha no Hikari
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 8:41 pm
Eternal Sailor Malus
Honestly, Malus didn’t know why he was here. Aside from the obvious, which was, to see what was going on. He didn’t like being around large groups of people. He didn’t like being around things he didn’t understand. He didn’t like aliens and space lasers. He stayed close to Lupu and Necromanteion because that seemed like the logical thing to do in this situation.
He had hooked his arm around Necro’s to give him quiet support, but he found himself with great difficulty when it actually came to speaking. He listened. He watched. He waited until there was a quiet moment to say, “Nobody has to know.” He spoke in only a whisper, reluctant to draw any attention.
“I don’t usually like to say anything in situations like this. I don’t like to draw attention to myself. I like to stay quiet and listen, and that’s okay. Other people ask good questions, I don’t have to say anything just so people know I’m here. But you’re okay, we’ve got you. You don’t have anything to worry about. Promise.”
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