Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Oh, you startled me,” Almadel said with a very fake, friendly laugh. He’d been checking his watch–or, something that looked like one, at least–when Jet spoke from behind him. He spun to face the man and rapidly straightened himself out.

“I didn’t hear you coming. Or your–is that a dog? I hope I’m not interrupting your walk.”

Almadel smoothed his coat out. “My museum is in excellent condition, thank you. Why, did you want to take a trip up to visit? I was just about to head back, myself.”

“Oh?” Almadel seemed briefly surprised that Jet accepted so easily, but that seemed to bode well with him and he nodded. “Well, that’s good news. A storm’s going to open up soon, you feel that? Makes my skin crawl.” He shivered, shook himself off, and then moved to Jet’s side.

“May I?” he asked, but really didn’t wait for permission before hooking arms with him. He waited for just the slightest confirmation before he ejected them from Earth.

Light sparkled over Almadel, spreading from his skin to his clothes, and then across Jet as well. A tingling sensation started from where their elbows connected and spread as the light had.

The process was warm, but not unpleasant.

They lurched upward, into the sky, but between one breath and the next they were propelling downwards. It was a painless process, and they arrived in one of the side rooms. The room illuminated immediately upon arrival, and Almadel detached himself from Jet to smooth his outfit out again.

Almost immediately he breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s so much better, isn’t it? Oh, I feel like I can breathe again. Do you want to look around? This is a new exhibit, I just finished installing it.” He gestured vaguely, as if encouraging Jet to observe the display of strange tapestries and old artwork. They looked medieval European in style, but there was something inherently otherworldly about them. It looked more like an art gallery than an acquisition of artifacts but this was a small room compared to some of the others in his museum.

“What? Of course I get visitors,” Almadel answered indignantly. “When I feel like receiving them. You’re here, aren’t you? I don’t collect all this stuff just for myself. I’ve just been a bit busy of late. It’s the off season right now, and it isn’t like I’ve got a lot of hands to help out around here. I don’t really like people around my stuff if I’m not here. Too many valuables and treasures.”

He eyed Jet thoughtfully. “Nothing of much value to you on Earth, I’m sure,” he reported, but he seemed in a good mood. “Are you a connoisseur of the arts? Or perhaps an admirer of artifacts? I’ve got a great many things I’m dying to show off. Oh, but you’ve got that look on your face, like you’re here for business. I’ve seen that a lot recently. I suppose you’ve got a thousand questions you’re trying to get answered, too? Trying to save Earth and all that?”

“Do you think so little of me?” Almadel asked, resting his elbow on an empty display case. “If I had known Earth was in any sort of trouble, I’d have told you immediately. I’ll have you know that Earth is very dear to me. Top ten favorite planets. It would be a devastating loss if anything were to happen to you.”

Though he had taken a more comfortable position, he still seemed a bit tense and he hadn’t taken his eyes off of the General yet.

“Yes, I saw a storm from my museum. I’ve seen many, so I don’t know if it’s identical, but it was traveling quite oddly. I thought it was following my museum, so I moved. I had no reason to suspect it was trying to head to Earth, it wasn’t like it was taking a straight path. And plenty can happen between point A and B anyway. You’d get tired of hearing from me if I warned you about every possibility of trouble I encountered out here. Everything might be trouble. It just so happened that this time, it was. But you’ll be able to take care of it, won’t you? Certainly the Negaverse has figured out a way to, I don’t know, shoot it out of the sky before it gets too close?”

Almadel cradled his cheek in the palm of his hand as he looked at Jet. “Haven’t you been spending all the time getting ready to fight it? I’ve been told you have the superior resources when it comes to all things Earth related. If anyone was going to make advances, I assumed it would be you.”

He tilted his head just slightly, like he could get a new angle and more information out of Jet if he did so, but his expression didn’t change much. There was something almost smug, if not at least slightly amused.

“You’ve got all those Mauvians, and the Velencians in your service, don’t you? And you’re far more organized than the Senshi and Knights and whoever else they’ve collected. I thought you’d be trying to attack it before it got to Earth, no? Or have you got something else planned?”

Almadel observed Jet as he approached but aside from following him with his eyes, he hardly moved. His tail swayed behind him, almost like a curious cat.

“Well, firstly, I would think those connections would give you a technological advantage. Mauvians nor Velencians have much in the way of offense on their own so I thought they had to develop supplemental protections. And they’re always inventing. The Velencians survived out in space alone for how long? They were relatively self sustaining, I just assumed they might have a few things to share. No matter, I suppose. If you’ve got secrets to keep, so be it.”

Finally, he stood up. There was a spark in his eye, something curious and excited, but his lips were set in only the slightest smile. “I don’t really have much to do with energy outside of solar energy, so I don’t think I’ll be of much help there. I think energy gathering might be more up your alley than mine. If you want an exact location, well,” he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and then gestured for Jet to follow him. He didn’t seem too jumpy when it came to exposing his back to Jet but he walked with a bit of a hurry anyway.

He led Jet through the museum, offering him little time to examine any of the collections. The museum stayed dimly lit, offering just enough illumination for them to see where they were going but not enough to make this a real tour.

Almadel stopped in front of a large glass window that stretched from the floor to the high ceiling. The other windows nearby were shuttered outside, but this window was enough. It offered a view of space, vast and expansive. Dark, but the sky was colored with bright stars and colorful galaxies.

There was a planet in the distance, a little smaller than the moon in the sky. It didn’t look familiar so they weren’t near the solar system.

In the distance, much smaller, a purple cloud was illuminated by constant flashes of lightning.

“Ah, there it is. For now. It’ll be gone in a little bit. It just does that, like it can’t make up its mind on where it wants to be. I’m just glad to see it far away. I mean, sorry for you, and Earth. It does seem to be heading pretty solidly towards your system. But. If you want a more scientific calculation? I think you might be better off having someone else try to track it. I’m not getting close enough to get a sample of that thing, sorry.”

Almadel was briefly surprised by the crystal, but he certainly wasn’t one to refuse a gift. He held it in two hands, resisting the urge to examine it now. His gaze flicked from it to Jet’s face a few times in quick succession but he smiled.

“Oh, well thank you very much, General. You’re very generous. I have great investment in Earth, I’m sure you’ll make it through this. I have great faith in you. I’ll take you back now, yes.” He waved his hand and, as if by magic, the crystal disappeared out of sight.

He hooked his arm around Jet’s as he had before, ready to return him to Earth. Not without one last look at the storm. “It does come and go, just so you know. I only noticed it maybe, oh, I don’t know. A bit more than a year ago, by your time? Really, it’s so unpredictable. One day I woke up with a bad feeling, went to the window, ta-da. It’s such a damper on an otherwise good day. I’ll be delighted to have it gone. Oh, but let me get you home. I appreciate the company, but next time we’ll have to make it a longer stay. I’ll give you a proper tour sometime. When things aren’t so busy.”