Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Oh, buddy," Scylla told the console, "If you don't approve of high-tech warfare you must HATE 21st century Earth. That's all we are."

Still, it was.... Odd.

The computer had said, clearly, that Sailor Velenia was not in the Cauldron- and yet only said that Queen Serenity had open appointments. "It won't answer about my question asking it to check that the Moon Queen is alive or not," she said in a low voice to Athalia. "Do you think it's not programmed to acknowledge if Serenity is dead? Or can it not check the status of her starseed for some reason?"

And that clacking. It was strange. Like there was something STUCK.

Documentation? Assess the situation with a woman a thousand years AWOL? How was she "I have documentation," she said sweetly, and held up her senshi phone, "Can you connect to Mauvian technology to please copy the documentation provided by Commodore Lyndin regarding the Velencian intention to try and focus an attack on the Dark Kingdom base on Earth? It would," she told the computer, "Assist Queen Serenity in having some background on the weapon under discussion before our meeting, thus allowing a more productive conversation."

She added- "No one wants to waste the Queen's time, after all. She is a very busy woman." Scylla cast Athalia a look, and shrugged.

Scylla had thought the Queen was also a very dead woman, but the computer seemed to disagree.

Either way, if they played into the machine's delusions- kind of like getting information out of an Alzheimer's patient, she supposed- maybe they could yet salvage something.

Or maybe she would cry in the corner, choke down the last of her Crab Rangoon, and take a nap.

"This is Velencian technology," she told the computer, "But the energy is is using will come from Earth, and the core of a comet. More information is in the documents I have for Queen Serenity to review before our meeting. Noon, in the courtyard? Unless you can get us a meeting sooner."

Hawara proceeded to explain;

"The code is what gives us knights our power. On each of our wonders we have a small piece from which we can draw our magic. It is what we are meant to protect. Bigger pieces like here, are collectively our duty to protect as well, although these are much stronger, very important, and it is absolutely disrespectful for it to be in a freaken broom closet."

Hawara's distaste came out in a way that also belied a bit of humor. After his explaination, he then turned his words and attention to the Code piece;

"Isn't that right?" Flattery would get you places right? He'd kind of heard that the Code could be a bit of an a*****e. That was something he had experience with, being a bit of an a*****e himself.

"Now, I know as soon as all the other knights know you're here and accessible, it's going to be an endless slew of questions they want answered for themself, so let me be the first to ask - How are you doing? What can we do for you? being a highly intelligent, sentient....existence...this vast amount of nothingness here must be absolutely maddening.." Maybe having knights come and ask it things wouldn't be so bad compared to that, right?

Also he might have been stalling till he could think of something to actually ask. He should be asking about the aliens right? Well...Hawara was a very 'use your own two damn brain cells and try to figure it out yourself before you bother anyone with questions' kind of guy. Probably had to do with his arrogance and pride, not wanting to look dumb and all. They all probably looked dumb to a phenomenal cosmic power that had been around for...eons, though.

“Please refrain from unauthorized maintenance,” the console warned pleasantly, just before a loading bar appeared on the screen.

It loaded.

And loaded.

And loaded.

It seemed like it was caught in an endless loop and then it chimed, like a little bell going off.

“Data received.”

Loading, again, and then the image of the comet Lyndin sen Scylla appeared on the console’s screen.

“A fragment of Archideus,” it confirmed. “Moon of Velenia. This data suggests it is overflowing with cosmic energy. Consistent with Velenian energy sources. This sample seems incredibly unstable. Without advanced expert feedback I cannot accurately analyze the data provided. However, no documentation matches this information. This technology is completely unknown to us. Utilize with caution. Archideus is a very powerful battery, even in broken pieces. If this energy falls into the wrong hands it could be catastrophic. However, it is worth noting that Velencian technology is designed to harness energy even in the most volatile situations. Please confer with experts. Documents have been stored for Queen Serenity.”

Three chimes.

“Appointment confirmed. Arrangements will be made.”

The stars on all of their chests flashed.

-

The Code did not bother with such manners as ‘Hello, how are you doing, nice to meet you,’ nor did it care to answer how it was ‘doing’.

It did not care for such trivial things.

“The Moon is far more pleasant than the Rift,” it said, and seemed almost dismissive at the thought of having nothing to do up here. Blunt and to the point, it asked, “What are you doing up here, what do you want?”

Athalia's brow rose slightly higher - by some miracle the console had managed to accept Scylla's information and in doing do, had provided at least some more useful information. Not that he could personally use much of it, he lacked the scientific knowledge to be of an significant use at this particular moment in time but he could at the very least take note of some of the vague warnings that were provided.

Lots of energy. Lots of instability. Would probably recommend not playing with it because as expected, if someone else got hold of it then things could be very bad indeed. Cynical might have been his default setting when it came to these particular scenarios, but if being a part of this world had taught him anything, it was that one should most definitely not be playing with anything that could get 'in to the wrong hands'.

...It always ended up in the wrong hands.

That was just how these things always seemed to work.

He preferred not to be a conspiracy theorist but generally speaking he did have to wonder if there wasn't some Cosmic force out there that deliberately tilted the scales to and fro. Perhaps balance in the form of violence and strife was an absolute necessity (despite his preferences) that needed to be maintained. Nevertheless when it came to this particular scenario it would have much preferred that said conspiracy driven cosmic force didn't have the chance to hand something like that to anyone!

Sure, Velencians weren't human, but if human history had taught him anything there were some things it was smarter to ignore, avoid or outright refuse. A smiling face could lead to not just your demise, but an entire nations. Humanity had plenty of wars where smiling faces had hidden dark and destructive secrets, secrets that had tortured millions for the glory of others.

He wasn't a fan.

"What are you hoping to achieve by setting this appointment?" he asked quietly as he eyed Scylla. He knew better than to dissuade a woman who was otherwise intent on achieving something, it was better to simply give her space, but he did have to wonder what she was aiming for. "I'm not so certain a spectral princess is going to make herself available to you," he cautioned and shook his head.

...They certainly had information, at least some, but he didn't consider it enough to demand everyone stop everything and refuse Velencian aid. He had learned enough in his time here to understand that when it came to the majority of those within the Order, they sort of did whatever they wanted, even if it didn't make logical sense.

A quick glance over his shoulder towards the door that both Hawara and Aogashima had wandered in to, and he could hear the faint sound of voices from within. Perhaps whatever lay in there would provide more answers, he wouldn't hold his breath, but it was worth a shot at the very least.

Not as useful as it used to be was an understatement. This place needed a lot of help. he wondered if one day, with enough visits and enough energy, if it too could be restored to its former glory....

"Yeah, Cosmos is a busy lady. I never expected her to be available at our every beck and call - I try not to bother anyone if I can help it..." He looked down the hall over to the room where the talking terminal was, "..I don't know, I think I'll let them keep at it. It's kind of amusing." he smirked.

Hawara listened and considered.

His entire life Hawara had been steeped so heavily in cynicism that trying to look on the bright side didn't come easily. He was always waiting for that other shoe to drop, always bracing himself for things to get worse. He wasn't allowed nice things like hope and optimism. Until he'd come back to Destiny City and met Lukas - Mocona - and found his community.

Before then, after his now-ex-husband left him with just that single text message, when Wyatt left Destiny City, all he had left to him was his Wonder. Even as he traveled the states, no destination in mind, he had still taken time to go there. The more he went the more it felt like home - familiar and comforting.

He'd discovered a lot about it in bits and pieces, but mostly about himself. When he discovered the lockbox 'library' and gone through his first lockbox trial, he had faced a confusing jumble of things about himself buried deep within his fractured psyche. He had come out of it though with some clarity and felt lighter. His Wonder had even seemed to become a bit more...rejuvenated?

Every other visit he would do another lockbox trial - it had become a type of immersive therapy for him, and both himself and his wonder seemed to benefit - the later of which probably because of the sheer amount of time these trials would take. There was, after all, a lot he had going on mentally, emotionally. This symbiosis no matter the cause was not lost on him. Hawara could appreciate how as he worked through his own issues he could see his Wonder around him start to 'heal' as well.

And the place had come to mean a lot to him.

He had thought that if these trials had helped him make sense of everything he had going on, that maybe he could help others who were struggling - maybe they were having a crisis of morality, maybe they didn't know if what they were fighting for was a cause true to their heart, maybe.... Maybe he could help those in the clutches of Chaos and were questioning if it was right or not.

Hawara could not make that decision for them - he would not - but he thought maybe he could help them come to that conclusion for themself. If they came out of it ready to cast off their cloak of Chaos, then he'd direct them to someone who could help them. If not? If Chaos was truly in them so deep that they had made peace with whatever doubts they'd had before? Fine. Because he knew the cost of switching sides. He knew the damage it could do, and Cosmos forbid it happen again...and again... How much back and forth could a starseed take? If they were going to make such a decision, he wanted them to be sure.

There was a pain when he thought of how many lives would never be again, because they were literally destroyed by Chaos. He wanted to protect them. All of them. Because maybe in the next life they would be free from Chaos, and whatever misdeeds they'd done wiped clean. He wanted to protect those of Order so that even if they fell in battle they too would get another chance. And the Unawoken or completely normal citizens - they deserved that too. Everyone deserved a future, so while everyone fought to make that future a better one he wanted to ensure that they got to see it.

And that was when he realized that he wanted to be of some help, some guidance to others, if he could. Him of all people - someone who in the past, whether he remembered it or not, had been so selfish, so manipulative and vile... It had taken so much work, so much loss, and self reflection, breaking himself down and trying to put himself together again...but he had come through it a better person.

When he had returned to Destiny City physically broken but healing, just as he had begun to emotionally heal, just as his Wonder was healing too, he had begun to set a foundation from which he could build a reason to fight. A spark of hope for something had lit in him. He had things he wanted to achieve, and he would give it his best. He knew there would be failures along the way, setbacks, and there had been. However, he was a planner. A schemer, some would say, but someone who was always trying to think one step ahead, if not two. Setbacks were easier to recover from when you had a plan B or C in your back pocket.

So that was why he worried so much about what these Aliens professed they wanted to do. Why he worried about the ramifications of eliminating Metallia. If the Code didn't caution against an attempt to get rid of Metallia, then okay. He could maybe breathe a little easier and maybe allow himself to consider the positives of such a thing. Hawara wasn't going to try stopping the Valencians from their plan. He wouldn't exactly be leaping to lend a hand, but he wasn't planning on getting in the way either. What would happen would happen and he would do what he could in the aftermath. When the dust settled.

And the Code was, of course, right - they didn't have many allies. So while he didn't have much faith in the promises of these aliens, he wasn't going to be making an enemy of them without due reason. He take his cynicism along with this new spark of hope he had found, and somehow try to balance them. He was still afraid of what unknown sources of Chaos were out there - and deep down he knew there were others - after all, better the demon you know than the one you don't, but if the Code was supporting the destruction of Metallia, and they somehow succeeded, then they'd just find a way to deal with that one too. Right? Even if they became that Chaos. Even if something darker swooped in and took her place. It didn't change his goal - protect everyone so that they had a chance at whatever future they paved.

"I guess we will just see what happens, then. 'Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,' right? I never planned on getting in their way, and I've got my own goals - I hear my past self locked away a pair of shoes and I'm kind of looking forward to unlocking them before the weather gets much cooler, so~"

Hawara finished with a bit of a shrug. It was very much in is character to vocalize a more humorous and half-hearted sentiment than what he really had going on inside. he was sure the Code could see right through him though. Behind his eyes there was still something terribly wary and serious as he ran through a long and complicated game of 'worst case scenario' and tried to make a plan.

"It is probably for the best that you don't bash your head against anything solid," Athalia agreed with a wry smile. He could certainly appreciate the frustration, could feel it in the very core of his being, but she was right. Whether he liked it or not the device was providing them with very little information and by the sounds of it, whatever the Knights had found had proven to be just as vague in its own way.

...For the most part it hadn't really said yes or no to the Knights, and when it came to the computer, well it hadn't said much of anything. If by some miracle Scylla did manage to find anything at noon then he would very much like to hear about it, but he had his doubts.

He would, however, consider deploying several Mauvians next time he visited in the hopes that they could make sense of some of this technology.

"And likewise," he added with a slight wave of his hand. "You also have my thanks for the generous donation of food, I'll be sure to repay the favour in some capacity later," he finished. He'd let her say her farewells to the others, and for now, he would leave the computer to its own devices.

He'd remain here for a while, afford Metis the opportunity to explore whatever she liked (and utilize his eyes where necessary), and when she was ready to leave, he'd depart with her...