At some point he had floated in, absolutely delighted at the sight of more people from another world. So much that it had rendered him speechless. After searching offworld had turned up nothing of note, the objective he always instinctively sought was realized in the very same place he had awakened. They were right here on Earth, just like Almadel had been!
When he finally said something, his response was to their praise of Earth and insistence something about it was important. It resonated perfectly with his opinion of the place.
"You're right to be curious about Earth, friend. Something about this world... it doesn't just make things happen here. It makes things come here."
That was all he was content to say for the moment. The weapon to tear the Rift wasn't a discussion he needed to be involved in, so he settled into the background with his zither after saying his piece. Occasionally a pleasantly ringing note would accentuate the words of someone else in the conversation taking place.
The last time Caedus had been her, Skoll had sank a chakram into a General Sovereign's neck, meet the guardian of the Cauldron herself, and only slightly burned her hand like crazy. Honestly, it was probably the most fun she'd had punching the Negaverse, ever. He might have been a little suspect, and sort of homeless, but he'd meant well! It wasn't his fault, really, that the operation had failed. Metallia's forces had home field advantage. And a dragon. Hard to fight in a world where it tried to corrupt you while just standing here, and also a dragon. That spit tar.
Not great, to say the least!
Skoll cracked her knuckles as she crossed the barrier, grinning from ear to ear. He was back, and he'd brought an army! They might stand a chance against the tides of youma now! And you know, the agents. She hadn't been this excited to fight the Negaverse in several years now. Man, it got her blood pumping just being here at all. To be fair, this weapon thing seemed super ripe for abuse, but if Earth didn't have the ability to use it, the Negaverse clearly couldn't. Plus they weren't pulling energy from someone's actual world, just a dead planet... that some how still had energy. Skoll wasn't going to think too hard about it. It was probably better if she didn't. Then she'd have to have concerns and be okay with possibly terrible things and...
Skoll just wants to punch a Negaverse in the face, repeatedly. That's really all she's here for. Energy gathering was just a means to an end.
“When a portal is torn into their domain, into the Rift. When you fire all that raw energy into it to crumble it from the inside out. Will you remain on Earth with us, or will you be at a safe distance to observe our destruction?” Sessrumnir asked, his voice raised enough to be heard when there was a lull in the questions being thrown at them.
He knew this Commodore Lyndin and His Highness were doing everything they could to reassure them that this would work, but how could they be sure if there was only one chance?
“Have you destroyed Negaverses before? How many other worlds have you helped with this weapon of yours? And why aren’t they around? Do you build weapons of mass purifications often? Excuse me for being skeptical but that’s a pretty big if for a one time chance. So tell me. Will you stand by our sides on Earth while you use that weapon?”
Sessrumnir kept his focus on the two aliens for the time being. There were too many others around him, and he kept his arms crossed tightly over his chest so it was easier to feel the faint but steady pulse from the necklace he wore under his tunic.
Paradise pouted when Empyrean tugged her back, but she grinned and giggled a little at his pun, whether he’d intended it or not. “Caedus,” Paradise was sure to correct, because even though she had a feeling that Empyrean was just saying it to distract her, she appreciated it.
And she was distracted, until the very tall and very handsome alien appeared next to Caedus.
“Oh wow, he’s tall,” she gasped, a hand lightly covering her mouth in surprise. She took a moment to look up at her husband, and then back at the Commodore. “We should probably get back to working out more often,” she frowned, looking at her aging husband again. It was a shame they were both past their prime. She would have very much liked to ask for a ride in their spacecraft.
“Aw, but if they get rid of the Negaverse, then… would you still like to power up and go out into the city with me?” she gasped, looking up imploringly at Empyrean once more. "I like getting dressed up. And you look so handsome. Don't worry, you're much more handsome than the Commodore, I promise!"
Sunshine Alouette
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:48 pm
Asphodel Knight of Saturn
First a familiar face, then a familiar voice. Asphodel could recognize the stern skepticism of Sessrumnir's voice easily, even it it had been years since the last time he had heard it. And, as he had remembered, the Jupiter Knight had reasonable arguments. Asphodel stepped over to stand nearby him and nodded in agreement.
"I would really like this plan to work, but..." It seemed too good to be true. "He's right, you can't present something like this without a backup plan."
Thinking for another moment, he added, "Also, in my experience... being separated from the Negaverse requires consent. I had to choose it for it to be possible, and that took years of work." He looked up at the aliens. "So it can't possibly be that simple. What happens to the people who weren't ready to be separated?"
Gune
The SpaceCauldron
Quote:
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 5:56 pm
Super Sailor Cybele
Cybele turned from her small group when Caedus raised his voice from the conversational tone to something more like a speech.
He spoke of having opening a portal to the realm of the Negaverse, before, and in that moment, Cybele understood. She still didn't remember him, but it was all connected to the one memory she had regained from the time before the Negaverse had taken everything from her. He had been the one who had let them in to strike at the citadel. They'd struck a deep wound, that day. It hadn't been deep enough, but it had been something, and Generals still spoke of it in concern to this day.
Now, he was here to finish the job. That was a good sign.
She nodded as he spoke of the help he had brought. She nodded at the Commodore as he arrived, and a smile began to spread across her face as he spoke of this strike that could get through to Metallia.
Then Lyndin mentioned having to take energy from the core of a comet, and Cybele stopped nodding. She shook her head, instead, just a hair. She felt like she was about to vomit.
She didn't hear what he said, after that. She didn't hear what the others said, either. All she heard was Faustite's words in her head, over and over again.
"Won't have to eat our capricious people if you serve up your planets."
She managed to at least listen a bit when the two began to answer questions, but she still let out a sharp breath through her teeth.
"You know, I was talking to a General not so long ago," she began, casual, "Things got deeper than I expected. We talked about the origins of the Negaverse, as well as their plans for the future. It all comes down to Metallia. It all comes down to her hunger. Her need for energy."
Her voice went colder in that moment. Her eyes went hard. "Right now, they take energy bit by bit from the people of this city. Longer term, though, they're looking to move past that. They're looking to sway senshi to their side and have them drain the cores of their worlds to be that fuel, and if that fails, I wouldn't be surprised if they start looking for ways to go into space to try to take that energy by force." She swallowed and took half a step forwards.
"And here you are. You come with promises of peace, the sort of thing that everyone here is desperate for. The price? Energy. You want to take ours. You want to drain a planet dry."
Her eyes narrowed. "Part of a planet, perhaps, but still. This all lines up a bit too perfectly. Even if you're not affiliated with the Negaverse, I cannot support you if you share their tactics. I cannot support you stealing the energy of a comet, a potential world, regardless of the state of its senshi or its past."
Valhalla took a moment to smile at the new arrivals, at Agrippa and Folkvangr and newly introduced Tachibana, a Koronis, which he assumed was similar to being a Jovian.
A Knight of Saturn approached, and for a long moment Valhalla tried to place him in his memory, before deciding that he really wasn’t sure who he was. Luckily he had a bit longer to think about it, because Commodore Lyndin and Caedus explained what they were there to do, and thankfully he didn’t have to tell this Knight he was fairly certain he hadn’t met before that he really had no idea what was going on, except that Caedus was an alien who helped them, um, attack the Dark Kingdom a handful of years ago.
“Good to see you too. I’m sorry, we might have met in passing, but I don’t remember your name,” he apologized, looking very hard at the Knight and, nope, still nothing. “You’re not confusing me for Sessrumnir, are you?” he asked, nodding to the Knight of Jupiter who was now trying to make a big deal out of nothing. Valhalla cringed, not sure if he wanted to mention that it was his older brother. Probably not. He was just going to keep that to himself.
“Do you think it would really be possible? To purify everyone in the Negaverse?” Valhalla asked Ganymede and squeezed her hand in return, even as she was surrounded by the knights that shared her symbol and had their Wonders on her moon. “It seems too good to be true. But if they’re actually able to do it… We won’t have to hide this from the kids,” he pointed out, keeping his voice low.
I hope I got everyone! QQ
Sunshine Alouette
Ganymede
Whimsical Blue
Ida
Aurelius0815
Tachibana
cibarium
Asphodel
Noir Songbird
Fólkvangr
Sweenys_Revenge
Agrippa
Amasis
Tikal
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:14 pm
Siegfried Knight of Neptune
He listened quietly as his wife and Cybele spoke, pleased that Albireo had a friend outside of him. Sieg had not always been the greatest of partners, even if he couldn't remember it, and was glad his swan had an outlet that wasn't him. Honestly, he was usually more or less usually confused about this whole knighthood thing, even though he'd gone to his wonder, he'd done all things he felt like he was supposed to.
It just always felt like he'd missed a great deal of, well, growing up. He squeezed Albireo's hand as the aliens began to talk. Caedus and Lyndin, was it? Silver eyes glanced around at the concerns being brought up, and the rebuttals given, and Siegfried felt the need to stand between Albireo and the aliens. Honestly, he felt the need to stand in front of Cybele, just a little, as well, in case something happened. He'd know her for only a few minutes, but if she was friends with Albireo then she was to be protected.
Cybele's words brought up more questions in his head. What if the comet was not enough? What if Metallia also knew of the comet's passing and chose to harness it for themselves? He tightened his hold on Albireo's hand, assuming a defensive position for his wife.
And his wife's wife.
Not that Cybele was Albireo's wife but still.
"What if the comet is not enough?" he asked of the aliens, simply.
There was another knight of Ganymede — a Page (Tikal), to be more precise — and the Chibi Senshi’s name was Tachibana, but that was all Ganymede was able to process before the next tall figure emerged and the dissemination of information began.
Something about the story didn’t sit right with Ganymede. She couldn’t immediately determine which part bothered her the most, and there was so much else to focus on that she put it to the back of her mind for the moment.
“I don’t know if it’ll work,” she mumbled in answer to Tachibana’s question.
They had no guarantee, only hope, and hope could be a flimsy thing.
Her allies spoke. Ganymede listened. They were asking the right questions, responding with the right amount of skepticism. Few rushed to offer their agreement and support. For the most part, there was caution, even from those who initially rushed to greet Caedus.
There’d been much less caution last time. That it existed now was an encouraging sign.
But she could not ignore the nagging voice in her head, the one that kept reminding her of the Merchant’s warning.
“I don’t know,” she told Valhalla. “Theoretically, yes, if Metallia’s destroyed, then they lose her power, but… can she be destroyed that easily, or would the fact that her power’s spread so far sustain her?”
What if it wasn’t accurate to say that destroying the source would return them to themselves? What if, in accepting Metallia’s power, they too became another source of it, kept her alive in one form or another, like ******** Voldemort?
There were too many questions without sufficient answers. The fact of the matter was, they wouldn’t know anything for certain until they tried it.
Raising her voice enough to be heard through the crowd, Ganymede said, “You tempt us with promises, but nothing concrete. You’ve tried to reassure us, you said before that you’ve never failed a mission, but that isn’t quite true, is it? You came to Earth on a diplomatic mission, and Caedus was lost to you for centuries. Is that not a failure?”
Guinex
Val. Sess already asked one of the questions I wrote down for Gany. Go Sess!
Oberon kept to himself. Younger, he might have been more outspoken about one thing or another, or cracking jokes, or trying to find clever things to point out. Instead he was thinking hard about what the Commodore said. He understood Cybele’s concern, but these aliens were obviously from another world. And Caedus had them collect energy before. And he’d used his own energy at the time. They wouldn’t be destroying anything, just volunteering it, as Lyndin said. The space debris? There was no guarantee that the energy could recover on its own, but there was a chance it could replenish itself as well. Just like they could. A renewable energy source.
“Could you show us? Is it similar to the way Caedus had us collect energy before? I wouldn’t mind taking a good nap,” he shrugged, not wanting to make Cybele think that he didn’t agree with her, nor did he want Sessrumnir to think that he was a little over the top with his demands for proof. Lyndin said he would show them, so…
A temporary sacrifice seemed like it was reasonable, especially if it ended their war with the Negaverse.
“Or… could you show me how to drain energy? If it’s any different than before? If we can do something to help, then… I’ll help. I don't mind showing everyone else it's safe. I have magic that can give an energy boost, anyway, if it's too much. Oh, hi Caedus,” he said with a small smile and a wave. “Sorry I didn’t bring any extra food tonight.”
The Space Cauldronx
Guine
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:25 pm
Super Sailor Albireo This whole thing was starting to make Albireo feel just a little uneasy, and Cybele’s words didn’t help...Sieg’s too. They were all valid concerns, and she couldn’t find a way to refute them…
But at the same time…
“...But...It could get rid of the Negaverse…”
The hope in her voice was unmistakable, even if her words were barely a whisper. “...We wouldn’t be hunted anymore...we wouldn’t have to be afraid...we could just live our lives…”
Normally...when something sounded too good to be true...it was. But...Damn. She hoped that this wasn’t.
The extra pressure from Siegfried’s hand felt nice. Grounding.
As she was able to spot others ahead, Polyhymnia couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, leaning over for a moment, hands on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath. Long hours at the library did not truly lend themselves to anything less than sedentary. Add in the hour, and it was likely a miracle she appeared at all, giving up sleep for this.
But some things were more important than sleep. Even if she wasn't quite sure what was going on, seeing the various people who had gathered, it was probably good that she had come.
Aside from breathing heavily, she was quiet, watching and listening, head canting to the side as someone...someone with authority spoke.
....he was purple. She had to squint, to move closer to see without pushing anyone away, but that - that sure was purple skin there. Aliens. Like, of course, in the theoretical, given everything and everyone, she knew that there had to be some out there, or that there had been at some point in the past, but having that directly in front of her?
Well. She was damn well going to listen, even if she wasn't...really sure of what she could do with the situation as it was.
The Space Cauldron
*awkward turtle* Don't mind Nia just, watching. Listening.
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:43 pm
Asphodel Knight of Saturn
"Uranophane," he explained curtly, loud enough for Sessrumnir to hear as well. "Asphodel now." That was all he could really say for the moment, but it was plenty enough.
Guine
Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 6:51 pm
Eternal Sailor Lepus, Senshi of Rabbits+Etoile, Guardian Cat
Originally, it had been looking to be just another boring night with nothing of interest happening, aside from maybe another raid on the local grocery store for more candy. Then the two had felt a sort of pull, a need to be somewhere else. Far be it for one troublemaking teen and her cat to ignore it- the two had headed in the direction they felt the tugging from right away, hoping for adventure, or something cool, at least.
It seemed that not only were they late to the party, but they weren't the only ones who had been 'called'; plenty of other senshi and knights were around, and probably a couple Mauvians too, though they were hard to make out in the crowd, unless there were a couple disguised as humans. Some, Lepus knew, and she almost called out to some of them, but they seemed a bit engaged in conversation with others already, and so she decided she'd wait (for once) for her chance to talk to them.
The most interesting thing, though, was the aliens - so they existed, after all! Lepus pondered if that meant those tabloid stories about alien babies had some half-truth to them, though she never for a moment had thought they were entirely fake. There was a lot of talking going on, and while Lepus should have been paying better attention to what the aliens were talking about, a familiar set of twins caught her eye, and the teenage senshi of rabbits immediately made a beeline for them, waving and completely clueless as to any sort of rift between them.
"Alphaaaaaaa! Betaaaaaaa! Heyyyyyyyyy!" she called out, eager to catch up with the twin senshi of the same constellation she once hailed from, a long time ago in the past, "Where have you guys been?? It's been forever."
If Sessrumnirwasn’t his oldest son, he certainly did a very good impression of him, asking all the questions Empyrean would expect Michael to ask. (Then there was Oberon, offering himself up as tribute.)
There were questions all around, from various sources — from Cybele, from Ganymede, from others Empyrean didn’t know. All important questions, all necessary, if any of them were to make a decision about this. He was proud of them all — of their questions, and their thirst for answers.
Whatever his experience was outside of this particular war, and as much information as Ganymede, Valhalla, and Oberon had shared with them even before Empyrean and Paradise awakened, Empyrean still felt woefully unprepared for a decision of this magnitude.
“Yes, of course, darling,” he told his wife.
He wasn’t ignoring her, but it was difficult to imagine what either of them would do in the event that the Negaverse was destroyed. They’d only recently awakened, and barely had the chance to get their bearings.
Empyrean offered her a smile, so she knew he was simply deep in thought, his hand still clasping hers.
