He'd failed. Sort of. Babylon was certain the Code wouldn't care about the logistics - "Oh, yeah, about that, Sailor Cosmos kidnapped us all to the Moon for our own good before I could finish him off, sorry about that" would not go over well. The Code would only care that Caedus still lived and breathed (did he? Babylon had never gotten close enough to the guy to tell if he actually breathed, or if those sighs were just an affectation)... and it would judge him harshly for it.

The air at Babylon had grown chill since his last visit, night settling over the land like a heavy blanket. The city's lights marched in orderly rows up the hill behind him.

Here in the square, there was only the Code.

Babylon looked up at the flickering orb of light, its color so alien against the landscape.

"I haven't killed him yet," he said, with nothing in the way of preamble - maybe if he got his failure on the table, the Code would be gentler on him. "I've been gathering a team but... Cosmos got in my way."

Not that he was mad about that. They'd been wiped, and losing badly. He wouldn't have won a fight against Caedus in that condition. Even now, the wound on his chest where Laurelite's scythe had sliced into him still stung. "He has people loyal to him. Do you have any guidance on how to approach him?"

The Space Cauldron
The Code's interest seemed to pique—at least, as much as a little glowing orb could have its interest piqued. It swam in the air around it and after a contemplative moment it seemed to have found its voice.

"You are a smart man," the Code spoke, confidence in its voice. "Approach him as you would approach any other. You do not need to make your intentions known, you need only to act. If you are lucky, he will suspect nothing until it is too late. But you are more than lucky, you are wise, and powerful. Take your team when you are at your strongest. If you need an excuse, feign offering him your aid. A refugee of a distant land will have needs, no doubt. You need only get close to strike. What team do you have?"


Babylon nodded, taking the Code's advice to heart - it might be dishonest to approach Caedus under false pretenses, but then, hadn't he done that to them? He'd sent them into the heart of the Negaverse, and true, there'd been some good gains made there... but they all could have died if not for Cosmos's intervention, and then there'd be no one standing in Caedus's way.

He had yet to see anything that suggested the Code's appraisal of Caedus was anything but accurate.

"Sessrumnir," replied Babylon. "Pharos. Baikal. Cordoba. Avalon. Maia and Shangri-la." He didn't feel comfortable counting Harmonia - not after what she'd been through. "If none of them have changed their minds. I'm sure Ganymede could be persuaded, and the Jovians would come with her..."

He trailed off hesitantly - it wasn't wise to count on people who hadn't yet given him their word, and he did not expect the Code to have kind words about depending on senshi. Knights needed to watch out for themselves first...

...Didn't they?

Quote:
The Code flickered pleasantly; it had no expression to read, but the glow seemed both softer and more vibrant. It glowed warmly, brightly. It seemed placated with the list.

There were names it seemed to recognize, and it seemed reassured by the party that had volunteered itself. "Those who will aid you will do so. I would be confident that you alone could complete this task. Do not fear. You will succeed. You will protect this planet, and all life on it. You are doing the right thing."


Part of Babylon suspected the Code was only saying so to stroke his ego - but it was a very easily silenced part that he quashed beneath an overwhelming need for praise, a fair degree of certainty in his own actions, and several cubic meters of daddy issues.

"I won't let you down."