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 Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 7:14 pm
The sky looked clearer that night. Kallichore stood on a hill overlooking the high school, staring high into the sky she once called home. Her patrol yielded no new information, just a few youma to dust. It was only a few hours until morning and just before ending her "shift", Kallichore liked to find a quiet spot to unwind. Her mental scan ten minutes ago found nothing on the radar. And so she stood, hands intertwined behind her back, staring up at the sky. What would the past think of us if they could look into the future? Would they be proud? Would they be disappointed? Surely they would be inspired, to find that the next generation of warriors was still working diligently to keep Chaos at bay as best we can. With a contented sigh, she absently tapped a gloved finger on the bottle she'd carried all the way from her moon. Inside swirled sparkling water from the fountain deep in the castle. ...as best we can.
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Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2014 8:27 pm
In his brief tenure in the Negaverse, Super Sailor Vespa knew that his actions were being monitored, or at least he was told they'd be monitored. Closely. Every move he made, every victory, every defeat would be documented, and he was certain that his day of reckoning was drawing closer and closer to him, and yet he wasn't sure if he was nervous, afraid, or even downright terrified towards it. Because he knew it was coming.
They would find out about his failures. He hadn't been able to bring himself to do his nightly patrols in a consistent manner and thus had not gathered any energy. And he DEFINITELY didn't collect any starseeds. After that night, he could not bring himself to even try. Perhaps a good thing if he ever admitted this to the enemy, yet he knew he would be punished severely when General Mica found out. And another strike to his long list of strikes was his strategy as of late, though each of those had ended poorly for him. Not a single senshi or knight were willing to offer him sweet release from his contract, and with each one that offered the chance to switch sides only looked worse for him. Because then, they would definitely suspect him of treason... and he feared being a traitor was far, far worse than being a failure in their eyes.
"Better dead than a traitor, right?" Vespa told himself, finding another powerful Order aura and migrating towards it with little hesitation in his heart. Thus far he had been striking out and miserably too, but maybe tonight would be different. Maybe this one would finally see the uselessness of his situation and free him? Maybe this one would see him as the monster he was and free his soul once and for all? Whoever it was, he had to act quick, before Mica found him. He wasn't where he said he'd be, and he knew she'd catch on...
The thought of her finding out about this and killing him outright did cross his mind as a possible outcome, but death by her spear, after seeing what it had done to that poor senshi in the warehouse, was not quite the demise he wanted. Not that it would have mattered, right?
He found the senshi he was looking for on the hill top, and he wasted no time, only seeing the wings on her backside and charging directly at her. Despite Labyrinthite's training, he let out a loud scream, hoping to catch her attention and force her hand. Perhaps she'd freak out and that'd be enough to end his life?
He could only hope.
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Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2014 6:31 pm
Her scans were few and far between and didn't catch the approaching corrupted aura. She didn't know he was there until the yell, and it was then that the eternal whirled around to catch a glimpse at her assailant. Blonde hair, visor, and by the bit of his aura, she could tell he was a rank below herself. He charged her very quickly - this corrupted was either light on his feet, or too quick to know what he was dealing with. With a grunt, Kallichore dug in her heels and caught his fist, using his momentum to swing him around and toss him to the side. He was heavier than his frame would convey. She made no move to assault him in return, yet, and waited for Vespa to stand up. The eternal didn't move from her position but relaxed a bit while he was down. "...are you looking to pull starseeds, or is this just a misunderstanding?" Surely there would be a reason a super would assault an eternal when her back was turned. The buttwings weren't exactly hidden. "Because I'm not exactly in the mood for an altercation."
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 12:34 pm
Never did he suspect that he actually succeeded in catching her off guard, not that it seemed to do him any good. The Wasp Senshi was surprised that he had even made it as far as he did before she retaliated, and while it may have been his best effort in landing a successful blow against the enemy, he still found himself falling just short!
She caught his fist and the next thing he knew, he was being thrown away, betrayed by his own momentum! His love for physical education made him quick on his feet but he had always lacked coordination and down he went, hitting the ground hard and giving a yelp in pain as he rolled along the ground for a moment. Oh, it hurt like hell, but he reminded himself that this was a good thing. With him grounded, she'd strike him down and that'd be the end of it. Yet, it never came. They hardly ever came.
Damn these White Moon senshi!
He remained as he was on the ground, his knee still throbbing with pain from the fall, but he kept his hands down at his side, even when they were still curled into fists. In response to her words, he gave a spat. "I couldn't pull your starseed... even if I wanted to. Even if I tried my best, I'd just fail. And you're not stupid, so... why do you even think this is a misunderstanding? If you're going to do away with me, do it now, while I'm too injured to escape!"
It wasn't true. He could probably run with the pain in his knee, but he'd never tell her. He just wanted this to end...
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Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2014 6:31 pm
Well, that certainly wasn't the response she was expecting to hear. The Kallichore of two months ago would have happily struck Vespa down and beaten him within an inch of his life simply for being Chaos, simply for attacking her. But now? Now she had learned - now she was thinking more clearly, thinking of more than just the immediate cause and effect. Now she was thinking of the future, just beyond herself. The eternal senshi dropped her guard for a moment, knowing she was faster and stronger than Vespa if he decided to try anything, and took a few steps forward. Kallichore had to weigh her options? What would Sibyl do?Killing the young man wouldn't serve any purpose other than to take one member from Chaos momentarily. His place would be filled soon after, and being a senshi, would they even notice his passing? Would they mourn it? A few more planned steps forward and Kallichore was within reaching distance. The eternal knelt before Vespa, hands in her lap. "What's your name?" Her voice was low, even. The eternal wasn't sure he'd retaliate. She kept asking herself, what would Sibyl do? What would she say? How would she treat him? What wisdom would she try to guide him to?
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Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2014 12:07 pm
He had a feeling that it wouldn't have ended as he thought he wanted it too, and the moment she dropped his guard, he let out a sigh. There was no relief in that sigh, only strained irritation, but Vespa simply didn't have the strength to throw a tantrum now. With each enemy he encountered that refused to spill his blood and end his misery, the more he was coming to accept that the Negaverse was wrong, and that he had made a terrible mistake. It would figure.
Kallichore approached him, but he knew she wasn't going to hurt him. He could have taken a swing at her and maybe forced her hand, but what was the point? He was too distraught by his failed plan that he wasn't at all bothered by how close she was nor how she knelt before him, and he answered her question, listlessly, nothing at all like the scream from before. "Vespa, senshi of Wasps. Not like it matters. I can't control them once I summon them, so..."
He sucked in a shuddering breath, before asking, the listlessness making way for distress now. "Why? Why won't you and any of your allies just kill me? Don't you think that maybe some of us deserve it? How do you plan on winning this war if you don't kill us? We're... we're dangerous, you know! So why won't you just kill us?!"
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Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2014 5:17 pm
"Yes, some of you deserve death. I can count off about half a dozen Negaverse senshi and agents I'd like to slaughter right now, if I had the opportunity. Probably torture them a little bit for all the terrible things they've done to people." Bischofite, Ares, Alkaid, Leto, Benitoite, Howlite, Zinkenite...Kallichore thought honesty was the best policy, demonstrating that she would kill should the need arise, but the Jovian Court had taught her to find ways around it if at all possible. A death on one's conscience doesn't go away - it's a permanent stain on the psyche and would be carried with them the rest of their lives. She kept her voice low, even, despite his protests. "Yes, the Negaverse is dangerous. But you're a smart man, Vespa. You wouldn't attack someone higher rank than you impulsively. Why are you seeking death?" Isn't... isn't he the one Pasiphae mentioned?
How do you plan to win the war if you don't kill us? To that, Kallichore shook her head. Long ago she abandoned any conventional plans of winning the war. Anything she came up with was brutal and bloody, just as Ares had taught her years ago. Ares ended up a corrupted failure and Kallichore had vowed never to go down that road, no matter what happened. "We're human, and humans make mistakes. Very few are unforgivable." The eternal leaned back and waited, anxiety gripping her stomach. She'd never been a particularly gentle person, but she was doing all she could to be a better person, set a better example, than she had before.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 7:44 pm
Months ago he would have feared hearing such words coming from the enemy, and yet today he found it oddly comforting. Not because it would have confirmed all of the horror stories that he was truly beginning to suspect were exaggerated, but maybe give him hope that there'd be a payout to his downright suicidal plot. But alas, it seemed that this one wouldn't give him the chance, and he was torn between relief that he'd live another day, and despair... that he'd live another day.
She saw through his plan, and he had no choice but to confess. It was a failure, after all, so why bother hiding it? He was a horrible soldier, and perhaps an even worse strategist. "Because... death has to be better than this, right? I'd rather be dead, than to be the Negaverse's monster... only none of you want to finish the job! None of you want to help me!"
But he couldn't really be angry with her or any of her fellow senshi about it. The Negaverse had been horribly wrong about the senshi and only now did he realize how foolish he was to fall for their lies, so he knew he shouldn't have been angry at them. They weren't murderers. They weren't the ones hunting down civilians and stealing their energy, or their lives. They weren't the ones eating starseeds...
"You might be human, but I'm not. I... I ate a starseed, and humans... don't eat starseeds, right?" He felt tears swelling in his eyes and no amount of strength could stop them. He hated crying. He hated crying in front of others, especially the enemy. But he couldn't stop himself. He felt like he had no control anymore, and that only made it worse. "Only monsters eat starseeds... right?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:26 pm
Kallichore was taken aback by his honesty, finding it both enlightening and horrifying all the same. She sat back on her haunches and tried to keep a straight face - not that she was amused, but that she was sorrowful. The last thing the eternal wanted from her super counterpart was for him to flee. Indeed, this was a chance to redeem herself in the eyes of not only the Jovians, but the side of Order as a whole. When Vespa asked his final question, Kallichore let go of the breath she didn't realize she was holding and tried desperately to relax. She wasn't good at comforting people. Hell, she wasn't very good at being around people and this was one of the most challenging tasks she'd ever been given. Taking a breath, her voice was desperate to be as even as possible. "...you don't strike me as a monster, Vespa, and I say that sincerely." came the beginning. And with more time came slightly more confidence as she tested the waters, so to speak. "There are monsters in the Negaverse, yes. I can name quite a few of them, but I wouldn't count you among them." Kallichore placed a gloved hand on her chest, covering where she knew her starseed to be. "You are a human as I am. Just because you've eaten a starseed doesn't make you any less so. The fact that you have a conscience puts you on a plane far above anything the officers of the Negaverse could hope to reach." When the tears came, Kallichore flinched for a moment. Would he flee then? Would he be offended? Gingerly, she reached out to him and touched his shoulders with a firm grip. "The fact that you're seeking repentance is something that should be commended, Vespa, but death isn't the only answer. Killing you wouldn't allow you to do good in the world. It wouldn't allow you to make up for what you may have done." She shook her head slowly and leaned down to look him in the eye. "I can't end you life knowing there's good in you yet. It would be such a waste. But there are ways to rid your starseed of Chaos that doesn't involve death."
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Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:41 pm
Twice now he confessed to his sin, and while he could have explained that it was an order and one that he could not dare to refuse. He could have gone into lengthy detail to explain the entire situation to her, thrown the blame onto Bischofite, proclaim himself to be innocent in the entire affair, but Vespa couldn't bring himself to do it. Even if it spared him a terrible fate, even when he found himself fearful of them, there was still some loyalty left for the Negaverse and he could not throw the blame on another. He had to own up, even if it spelled the end for him.
But that end would not come this night, at least not from her. Her comforting words that he wasn't worthy off gracing his ears and only causing the tears to increase in tenacity, and the touch to his shoulder caused him to flinch and he began incredibly tense. He didn't want to seek comfort in her words or her touch- he hadn't deserved it, yet he was afraid to pull away. This may have been the last comforting touch he'd ever feel again...
She said he wasn't a monster, that he was human, just like her. He wanted to believe her, and maybe a part of him did. A delusional and hopelessly distraught Vespa wanted to think she was right, and yet the feeling couldn't stick for long. Because he knew where she was going with this speech. She was going the same place as Thraen, Denebola, Sutai and Pasiphae had, and he replied with the same pitiful mewl as he did with them. He shook his head, before pulling himself away from her warm touch and pulling himself back to his feet, well within striking range but knowing better than to lash out now. She wouldn't kill him, but she'd hurt him, and he had enough of that for tonight... he had enough of that forever.
"You all make it sound so easy... that I can just suck the Chaos out of me, like... like a pimple or something! You all keep saying that there's another way, but... you never stop and think of just how difficult it'll be! Do you have any idea what they'll do to me?! What they'll do to my family, if I ever turned on them?"
He couldn't risk that... he couldn't gamble with the lives of his family. He turned away, making it clear that he was going to flee, and he took off, as fast as his feet could carry him and hoping she'd give up the chase, knowing full well that he could not outrun her. "I'm sorry, as much as I'd like for this Chaos to be out of me... so long as they know who I am and who my family is, I can't... take that risk!"Lucifer Force Vespa is going for a tactical retreat! Bzzz bzzz!
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Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 7:03 pm
"I'm sorry, as much as I'd like for this Chaos to be out of me... so long as they know who I am and who my family is, I can't... take that risk!"
The eternal stood by and watched him go. Certainly, she could easily maneuver in front of him to stop his escape, but what good would that do? Hopefully someday soon Vespa would come to realize that he's not the monster he thought he was. Maybe he would realize that he made a mistake and mistakes can be forgiven. She took a few steps forward and watched as his shadow disappeared, bled into the night around it. And he was gone.
The road to salvation is open to you now... May you have the strength to take those first steps, Vespa.
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