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 Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2021 5:31 pm
Takes place November, 2nd 2021 in the afternoon. Jet drew in a deep breath and released it slowly to steady himself as he approached the breathtaking aura that belonged to the Queen on the other side of the imposing double doors that lead to her throne room. This would make it the third time he’d been in that room in less than three months.
It had been a long day before, and he knew that the Queen had already been in talks with the Velencian Commodore earlier that day. The less time of hers he wasted, the better.
He replayed the events over in his mind on the battlefield. How Princess Ganymede had so flippantly used her magic on traitors, pulling them away from Metallia’s will.
They all deserved to die, in Jet’s opinion. Once they made that decision to leave the Negaverse, there was no reason to return them to power. However, he knew that was his personal opinion. There were others who had gone to the Royals on the White Moon’s side, but still received unwarranted mercy from Metallia when they found themselves in her embrace once more.
For Ganymede to so insultingly show off her magic in front of Queen Laurelite--...? But more than that. Knowing that Ochre had once been trusted by the Queen, only for him to practically spit on her shoes? Jet could think of no other resolution than the one that had been handed to the traitor.
He knocked on the door, waited for the Queen to respond, and stepped inside.
“Your Majesty,” he greeted with a respectful bow of his head, similar to the bow he’d shown her on the battlefield. “Thank you for meeting with me. I’ve brought you the traitor Ochre’s starseed, and the medal he didn’t deserve,” Jet explained, his head still bowed as he pulled open his subspace pocket and drew out the items in question to present to her.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2021 7:45 pm
Laurelite was standing already, pacing in the throne room as she read over something on her tablet. Her eyes flicked up to Jet and she smiled sweetly, kindly. She didn’t have to pretend to be happy to see him. “You can stand, General. You’ve always shown me respect. You’ve earned quite a bit, yourself.” She closed the tablet and dismissed the pen to subspace. The room was large and empty, and every little noise seemed amplified. Her heels clicking against the stone floor echoed for what sounded like miles as she crossed the little distance between them. Laurelite reached out with both hands to accept the starseed, to draw it up to her eye level. She scrutinized it, as if somewhere in the facets there was the secret to disloyalty. To weakness. The medal, she let him hold onto for a moment longer, and it was only after she dismissed the starseed that she moved on. She lifted the medal tenderly, running her thumb over the front of it. “A pity,” she mused. “I was so very grateful to him. Metallia thought he would go far, and I was inclined to agree. Such a shame. I suppose you can’t tell who you can trust these days. Well.” She paused, and her eyes returned to him. “You wouldn’t let me down like that Jet, would you?”
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:22 pm
He straightened at the Queen's request, allowing her to take both starseed and medal before placing his hands behind his back, one over the other. Reminding himself to breathe. And ignoring the way his face felt hot when she suggested that he'd earned respect.
This wasn't the first time he'd been this close to the Queen. Unfortunately, the last time he'd been fumbling over his own nervousness on top of trying to keep Aquamarine from embarrassing himself (and Jet). With such an impressive aura, and around a lot of others, it was easy to miss just how tiny she was. Not that size ever had anything to do with worth or power.
By Metallia's grace, his own uniform had grown with him over the years. Six years later, he was no longer the somewhat scrawny sixteen-year-old of average height he'd been when he first donned his General's uniform. Lovely had already dumped most of his old wardrobe in exchange for what didn't look like cropped pants. But his current uniform had never felt uncomfortable or tight or too short.
He was glad he was only just now noticing that the Queen was nearly a foot shorter than himself, otherwise he might have had to extract his foot from being shoved further down his throat by suggesting something about being too big to fit probably.
Jet did his best not to stare or even look at the Queen as she inspected both the starseed and medal. He didn't want her to think he was being rude, or maybe some lovesick pup as Aquamarine tended to imply that he was. But he did meet her gaze when she asked if he would ever let her down.
While he didn't answer immediately, not wanting to sound insincere or perhaps too blinded to be able to think for himself, there was also no hesitation.
"Never, Your Majesty."
Maybe there was too much conviction in his voice, or fire in his eyes, but he didn't want her to think that he'd ever questioned his place in the Negaverse. This was where he wanted to be. He asked to join. And in lieu of seeking justice for his brother, he wanted to protect the only family he had left. Wanted to make the Negaverse greater than it already was. And traitors threatened his family with their knowledge.
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Posted: Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:07 pm
For a few seconds more, Laurelite just watched him. Her eyes seemed to move slowly over every part of his face, taking in every little microexpression. She was satisfied, and her face relaxed again. She was pleased. She was proud. “Good answer, General, that’s what I like to hear.” The medal and starseed had both been dismissed to whatever pocket of subspace she had claimed for herself, but from it she withdrew something else. Another medal, identical to the first. Cleaner. Fresher. Untarnished by betrayal or battle. “I was going to let you keep his,” she said, somewhat absentmindedly. “But then, I thought it must be a foul thing, to wear something so disgraced. I think I’ll destroy it. But I had this one lying around, and.” She took a step forward and smoothed out Jet’s uniform before she carefully pinned the medal. “Well, I think I’ve let it collect dust for long enough. Besides,” she paused, and took a step back to admire it. “It matches your uniform.”
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Posted: Wed Nov 17, 2021 7:04 pm
Jet’s eyes widened in surprise when the Queen pulled out another medal. A new medal. He tried not to gape open mouthed at her, or at the medal as it was pinned to his uniform, and he quickly clamped his mouth shut. Because he could respond with dignity and poise, just like the Queen.
He was not blushing. It was just. A little color in his cheeks. From the honor the Queen was bestowing on him. And his heart was definitely still beating at a completely normal pace. And he absolutely wasn’t at a total loss for words, and when he spoke it would be nothing but eloquent appreciation.
“T-thank you, Your Majesty,” he sputtered and cringed at himself, not having Aquamarine to blame this time. He was doing his best to stand still and not vibrate with overwhelming admiration for the Queen. Oh, but he should definitely try to say something other than that he was thankful. “It matches yours too-- I mean… of course it matches yours. Obviously. You’re very pretty-- it! Is very pretty! You are too, but the medal is pretty and--”
It might help if he remembered how to breathe, which he tried to do, although not very well. For a moment he wondered if he should try to put his hand over the medal as if to deter her from trying to take it back.
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Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:28 pm
Laurelite smiled at this raw display of emotion from him. She didn’t laugh this time, maybe because she was making a conscious effort not to embarrass him. “You’re sweet, Jet. I know you’ll take good care of that one. You won’t let me down. Which reminds me,” she paused, as if she were thinking--or giving him a moment to compose himself, “I was wondering if you might be up for an extra task for me. You’re more than welcome to decline if you’d like some time off, of course. But I’ve just gone over the plans earlier. I think you’d be quite impressed with what our Mauvians have come up with. You’ve done such a good job here on Earth. I wonder, if I told you we found a way to do more damage to our enemies, would you do whatever it took to see them destroyed?” She watched him closely, but it seemed like she’d already made up his mind. She already knew she could trust him. “If I told you that you could pick any Senshi, and Knight, and target their world, how long would it take you to pick a target?”
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Posted: Mon Nov 22, 2021 7:42 pm
He was grateful that the Queen didn’t laugh, and it allowed him some time to breathe and to try and relax again. Not that he was ever fully relaxed around the Queen, but he didn’t feel as though his brain was continuing to short circuit.
The offer to let him decline was heard, and promptly dismissed from his own mind. He didn’t need a break. He hadn’t been injured as badly as some of the others that had been fighting. He was fairly certain that Aquamarine hadn’t been attacked at all while they were tasked with protecting the generators.
Part of him was a little surprised that they had the technology to attack the Senshi and Knights worlds directly, but then again, they did have aliens that were currently under their watch while on Earth.
“I have a list of targets already prepared, Your Majesty,” he said easily enough, confidently. He didn’t think it would be difficult to transfer his list of known traitors to target their worlds instead, and he’d already demonstrated his resolve to see his tasks through. “Whatever it takes.”
But he paused, already imagining Aquamarine’s reaction when he spoke again.
“Ganymede might seem like an obvious first target, but I want to destroy her allies first, and then bring her to you, alive. But if anyone could find a way around their barrier that makes them glow and resistant to Metallia’s will, you could, Your Majesty.” A Princess would certainly be more durable to experiments than any of the so-called transcended Senshi and Knights.
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Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2021 7:21 pm
Laurelite’s little smile twitched on her face, like Jet did actually bring her some measure of amusement. Nothing in her expression implied that she was anything less than delighted to hear his answer, though. “Always on top of things. You continue to please me. And flatter me. I’d like to give you the resources to give a preliminary test of our capabilities, then. Our Mauvians have developed a way to directly target their worlds. To poison them. It takes an immense amount of resources, but I think for the right target, that sacrifice would be worthwhile. Especially if we can cripple their forces.” She tapped her finger thoughtfully on her thigh. “So, I want you to find me a good target, and I want you to report back to me so I can set up a meeting with some of our Mauvians. I want you to coordinate with them, and they’ll get it programmed and ready to go. I trust that you’ll keep this whole thing under wraps. It’s still in the trial stages, and with the threat of traitors in our midst, I’d rather not grant anyone information they can’t be trusted with.” Not like Jet, who said all the right things in all the right ways. There were others on her list that she wanted to invite to help test and improve this weaponry, but they needed to start somewhere--and Jet was a check in all of her boxes.
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Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 10:59 am
Jet had no idea what the Mauvians had come up with other than what the Queen told him, of course. Something that could do more damage to our enemies. Possibly see them destroyed. Obviously they would target their worlds, the Queen had said as much, but poisoning them implied that this might be a lengthy process, and one that should be treated delicately.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied with a polite bow of his head. “May I have permission to work with General Aquamarine on this, please? I swear on my life that he can be trusted.” Jet wasn’t sure how he would be able to work on things alone without Aquamarine knowing. He could feel the aura of a General close by, no doubt Aqua waiting for him.
“And since we are dealing with Senshi and Knights’ Worlds…” he started and then paused, hoping that he wasn’t asking for too much. Hoping that he wasn’t getting himself in too deep or trusting the wrong people. For so long he had been cautious about who to trust, and for good reason with how many had abruptly sought out the White Moon, but he knew he couldn’t do everything alone.
“General Ashanite may have a unique perspective on what to target on each World, given his history,” Jet explained. It was probably known that he and Ashanite had a somewhat rocky relationship, but the General had come to his aid when they needed to protect the generator, after Ashanite’s was destroyed. There were others he might have trusted more, of course.
“May I have permission to work with him as well? Also-- I apologize if I’m overstepping by offering my opinion,” he said, obviously tense and concerned about being too ambitious too quickly, but he’d always jumped into things without looking when he was younger. Now, at least, he was trying to plan things out. “General Faustite is recovering from the injuries he sustained, from what I understand. But once we have this process worked out, I think he would offer some unique creativity for future targets, Your Majesty.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 7:28 pm
Laurelite seemed to share a similar train of thought; how could he work on anything without Aquamarine knowing? The other requests seemed to surprise her a bit, if such a thing was possible; her brows arched and she looked at him with an amused, pleased smile. “I trust you,” she repeated. “You all performed remarkably well. You may share this task with Aquamarine, and Ashanite, and Faustite, when he is well-enough to return to his duties. Make sure he doesn’t rush himself, though. Those injuries warrant a bit of recovery, no matter how many magical blessings he finds himself under. I believe they can all be trusted, and if you do too that only cements it, I should think. I’d like you to keep me updated about all of it. Shall I set you up an appointment with a Mauvian who can go over the finer details with you or would you prefer to do that in your own time?”
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Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2021 5:13 pm
He couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved when the Queen agreed to let him work with Aquamarine, and then when she said Ashanite and Faustite as well. He knew he didn’t want to burden Faustite with too much, and he hoped that he wasn’t going to regret talking to Ashanite about this, but he did have a unique perspective that Jet, as someone who had recruited directly into the Negaverse, wouldn’t have.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said as he bowed his head politely once more. “I… am not actually familiar with any of the Mauvians,” he reluctantly admitted, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment. Normally he would have just said he could figure it out on his own, but he didn’t want to just reach out to any Mauvian, not knowing who he could trust.
“I would greatly appreciate any suggestion with who we should work with,” he said and then frowned in concern. “And… the Mauvians can be trusted to not spread this information…? Forgive me, I’m just not familiar with any to know for sure.” He was going to take his mission seriously. He didn’t know about any of the Mauvians.
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Posted: Thu Dec 02, 2021 8:19 pm
“Really? I’m surprised you’re not familiar with any Mauvian. You’ve such skill for finding the Senshi, I thought you might have caught the Mauvians’ attention as well. No matter, I’ll be happy to set you up an appointment with one.” She smiled still and took no offense at his question. “I think they’re incredibly trustworthy. I can’t think of one that has ever left us or betrayed us. They’re clever and wise, for the most part. If the option is to save a Senshi or kill them, of course they’ll choose to save them. It’s in their nature. And they love tinkering and experimenting and we have more than enough resources for them to help themselves to whatever they like. They’re all different, but we don’t have one amongst us that I don’t trust with this information.”
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Posted: Sat Dec 04, 2021 9:51 am
Jet opened his mouth, but then shut it again, annoyed at himself when his cheeks felt hot. No, he hadn’t gotten to know any Mauvians. He usually left them alone to do their work. And while he needed them to provide a pen for his recruits, there wasn’t much technology he needed help with-- mostly because he didn’t use much.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said again. “I will get to work right away, and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on our research and when we are ready to proceed.”
He wanted to say more, to thank her for the opportunity to try out their new weapon, or maybe how he wouldn’t let her down, or any number of things, but they had work to do.
Jet waited until the Queen gave him permission to be dismissed before turning to head out of the throne room to where he was certain Aquamarine was waiting for him.
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