Welcome to Gaia! ::

“You can call me lotsa things, “ the wide mouth split into a wider smile. “In uniform, my callsign’s ‘Haüyne’, rhymes with Machine, right? It’s spelled janky, with the dotty eyes above the ‘u’ like it’s making a smile. Skivvy civvie clothes, civilian clothes, that is, I go by Morgan. That’s the name they hooked me up with and all my papers and stuff. Supposedly the name of someone I used to be was Jack, which you’re gonna have a bit of that, too. “

“Don’t you worry, though, about stuff not all being clear. I remember that. You remember some stuff like getting a learner’s permit, and how to drive a car, but not what your name was when you got it, what your favorite color was, how or why you can do precalculus and discreet mathematics. There’s magic, Real Magic, like from kids books, and it makes a curtain that we pass through. Memory is something that gets paid in passing through that. Yours and people you knew. But don’t worry. I’m with ya. I remember you fine, who you were, and we can figure out who ya wanna be. Get you knew papers, new duds, you gotta place here. We serve the Queen, a real Queen, with real magic and crazy stuff. But we can take it slow. You got time for questions. “

The blue and red clad hand squeezed back the fingers of both of Stillwaterite, trying to reassure, “I got time for answers.”

No one had time for my questions. You’re not gonna have to stumble around like that. “If you’re cool with it, we can have a sleepover? I pretty much live in the barracks, here. Nested out a corner with pillows, blankets, baskets, small bookshelf and stuff. Probably enough for twelve people, so you’re not imposing. Bus, that is Pyrophanite, another officer, is a friend and he nests in, too. Good fun. Movies, pizza. “

Soft things to lounge on, after the wracking of the fist-chesting, should help get a heart rate down. Machine led through bunks and doors to where was claimed and customized from grand larceny teleport. One-handed was enough for pulling over a comforter that had a slew of other throws and quilts stacked on top of it from the head of zir own bunk. “Name’s are a good start, though, right? How about blanket and drink next. Pick any you like out of this pile, to keep, yours. And you can use tonight. There’s fluffy ones, heavy ones, cotton ones, poly ones, all kinds. You like a water or a juice? I haven’t been to Aldi’s very recently, but still got bottles of Vitamin Water XXX, Spark and Revive, and there’s bottled water, too. “

“Probs, I mean, it get’s colder at night than when the Day-star’s out, so he’s not gonna be out all the night. HUnting for energy quota at night is good cause there’s less people in general to attack you, but daylights got its points. We’ll go over all that strategy stuff. When it’s good to get energy whereas far as what we’ve seen. We gotta help each other. “ The Spark had all the b’s, some Vite- C and guarana, plus the citrus flavor seemed to go with the nautical theme and the not being a scurvy-dog. One of each of the three offered flavors was picked up and juggled the way over back to Stillwaterite, where the Spark was caught and held out, the XXX caught and held, and the Revive fell with muted huff on the remaining pile of blanket.

Haüyne gave nod and a grin at the blanket, drink in hand, and plopped onto the near bunk for a impromptu couch. The lid and plastic labelling were worked loose and off in nervous fingers to the cadence of words, “The memory loss isn’t the same for everyone, supposedly. I’ve never gotten a chance to ask around to the others like us I’ve seen here and there. I think I remember less than a lot. Maybe you will remember more, or less...maybe like me. I think I may have been conscripted. I can tell you what I remember. I dunna that’ll answer your worry or not. Before waking up the in barracks I remember feelings most. “

“I was really alone. “ A swig and the stuff tasted more like sugar than juice compared to the rising hurt at Rockman’s abandonment after so few words. “The Drivers License and s**t- I wasn’t from Destiny City, but what’s more there were more than two family pics in that wallet. No friends, I think. Nothing. And there’s talking star cats that tell senshi what’s up with our starseeds, with our magic? I sure met one, must have, because I had my pen already when I woke and there’s never been a cat that’s helped me out here. But not with me before, not ever. I didn’t have anyone as a skivvy, and no one beside me and no goals other than sink or swim with senshidom. “

“When I woke here, these barracks but in a different room on one of the noobs open beds, it was pretty much the same. The one guy that seemed familiar walked off when I was panicking and afraid. He didn’t want any part of it, wasn’t gonna be arsed to help me with anything. I don’t know why. I don’t know what he’d wanted or expected. So I just asked around, and some other the other mooks in the joint showed me the pamplet that’s all the training points. Talked to some rando’s here and there. It was so much of the same. Then I read about the Queen. “

“Something clicked. In my head. It was so right: there’s a Queen and I’m supposed to help the Queen. And see, the White Moon, they don’t have a Queen. Story is that they did long ago, and that’s the whole start of the fight with our Queen. They don’t have one at all, now, though. So it can’t be that I was looking for theirs. The only Queen that’s been around to help is our Metallia. And there was a meeting and Metallia was there. Everyone was called to listen, and she didn’t really so much have a body but you could feel her and here her everywhere. And it was so right. She’s so powerful. Our enemies get their magic from their stupid rocks out in space, or the Knights from a spring of water or a fancy dam somewhere out on a space rock, and look at all they can do with it? A few spells and a fancy outfit for one person. Metallia gives each of us strength. She’s here, and she gives powers to hundreds of us all over this planet. And the power to teleport. And weapons. And a home. And everything. She is so much, and so easily gives us all so much, she’s a real damn queen and worth it. She takes care of us and makes sure even when we’re alone that each of us can protect ourselves, run fast, be stronger than anything, more accurate than anything, and all we have to do is bring her some energy for her crystals and get every that isn’t a plain skiv to swear in or gtfo. Earth is her Queendom, and she keeps it right. “

“I never had anyone do that for me. Not before in my memory that remains. Not when I got here at first, even, but her. Bus is good, though. There’s a lot of people here floundering around, and it turns out that they’re as lost feeling and just don’t know how to reach out. I think Bus was like that. So he’s good, and he’s all for me and I’m all for him, too. And you. You don’t have to be alone at all, if you don’t want. So….all the memory loss….what little I remember is pretty ...grim. I found something here, finally, that was worth remembering and worrying about losing. I didn’t have that before. And no one’s come looking for me, just me. That Skiv name or whatever the space rock was that gave me a pen and taught me nothing but drowning. “

“Does that make sense?”

“Like the Musketeeeeeeers. You probably can’t remember that book or any of the movies, but we can watch one of them. A movie might be good for just….having something to focus on. Not having to come up with stuff yet and relax. Feel your limbs. Buckling of swashes seems right-o with your uniform. Oh, while we’re here in homebase we don’t have to worry about powering down because of it taking juice to stay in uniform. Here there’s enough energy just around that it’s not so taxing.” A Big Reveal, the likes of Poirot or Sherlock, hung heavy like a blade of threat to lies. Memory could come back, that fool could meet up with Stillz and gloat about his own stupidity, or some other unforeseen situation would make a white lie for comfort now worse and black later with hurt feelings and how-could-you. “You did choose to join up. It was a tough choice, not a great one, like wars got. “

Was it good or bad to say the truth? Other than the usual Liars-catch-can of it, which had its importance in anyone that really hoped to have compadres. What was better for Stillz own safety and healing? “We were friends. I work at a barn. We met there by chance. We’d go on rides together, and go camping. We were warning each other to stay away from the chesswars, cause skivvies get hurt. I figured out you were wearing some sort of white. I didn’t want us to be enemies, and there didn’t seem like there was anyone at your back helping you, just like I felt from my own memories. There was another officer there, too. He’d been tailing you somehow I guess, and I hadn’t known anything about that. But I’m sorry if I made you lose a lot….a lifetime. Losing a lifetime is a lot to pay for. If that’s sore, that’s cool.”


“….we can work it out. Whenever and however needs to happen. But yeah...we were Montagues and Capulets, Benvolio and Paris. I didn’t see that we should just be killing each other. Not when we could be better friends. Really know each other and know that we were both chessmen. And have each others’ backs.” Blue eyes looked over, open and worried, tied beneath with a narrow, garrote-wire half smile, half mourning.

“Right.” Blue closed, breathing deep and long, like counting one- two — three. Not. Sore.

They were gonna be cool. Haüyne’s smile broke first, before gaze opened and returned. “We can fill that future with so many Tacos, you don’t even KNOW. Do you remember tacos? Or Empanaaaaadaaaas, oh my gooood they’re so good. And guac and plantains. “

“Straight as an ice skate, shipmate. No thang, it isn’t childish. That’s good policy for amigos, three of those or musketeers. You got my promise. You’re worth it, and I’ll try to be worth your remembering, too. Well...unless you want it a little gay. “ Long tongue bit out between a grin and a wink for added levity, but no less sincerity. “That’s just fine, too.”

Since their hands were already clasped, the corrupted of Execution lean-led to standing, still tilting head for Stillwaterite to follow. “Let’s move to the floor cushions. It’s more comfortable and private to hunker down in the nesting there. Bring your blanket n’ goods. What other questions are rattling around your hold?”

The Taco Gods had a tendency to close their temples right about midnight, though there were a few who’s drive through indulgences were open until 4 am. Disgustingly early had been the conversion, then the trip home, movie and resting and possibly an exhausted sleep could take them to late afternoon or early evening, so the outlook for tacos looked much better than having to make a long trek out to the one taco haven out in the west suburban shopping district where the franchise branch was 24 hours open, as well as a McD, a late wendy and everything else was conveniently….convenient. “Tacos for first meal, on the DOCKET. Little…”

“Little over two years-sh, I think? Lessee...tips. The Negaverse is headed up by the queen, Queen Metallia. Under Metallia there’s Laurelite, who we call Queen, why I don’t know. But that’s important since she’s like the fleshy mouthpiece that usually tells us all what’s goin’ with operations if it isn’t a General Sovereign, which are General-Kings, General-Queens, and whatever else they feel like callin’em. The Kingdom, or Queendom, as it were, is a reeeeaaaaal fast and loose sorta thing on a military or feudalism. So you gotta keep your cool and do what the higher ranks tell ya if they tell ya anything. Other than that, people have quota amounts of energy that we pull from people, senhi, animals. Plants, stuff that’s alive and makin’ energy. You give that like your taxes to Metallia at the turn ins here in the Citadel. Starseeds are only in people and Mauvians mostly, busted ones become youma. Eating those heals your injuries, but they’re addictive and too much influx of energy busts your own battery like a youma, and that’s what you become. Metallia is usin’ them for somethin’ so we all collect them sometimes. But energy is more sustainable, since it doesn’t kill. ”

“There’s a lower part of the CItadel, in a place called the Rift, but as Senshi we can’t go there without escort through the Hall of Shadows. Which is through a door. There’s youma-ish things there, the titular Shadows, and they’re what’s left of People who were in the City that this actually is when the Moon Queen used her Magic to bork everything up Swedish Chef style. Hella Bork Bork Bork. So they really don’t like senshi, even one’s like us sworn to Metallia, because they’re just RAGE against the machine and don’t have that kinda mental capacity outside the hate. I think. So don’t go without a Captain or General on your arm as a hass pass like it’s high school. You’ll be able to teleport, cause you’re Rank Badass, and we can practice that. It’s a lotta focus in your brainpan on where you wanna go, and you have to have been there before. And THAT is the biggest tip. Teleporting lets us commandeer supplies from stores and s**t after they close, right? Sure, this land’s the US of A, but the whole planet belongs to magic and Metallia. And We need food, water, shelter and that kinda stuff, and so far that’s all in the hands of the Sovereigns, Laurelite and Metallia to handle in negotiations. In the meantime, get what you want, cause your a licensed privateer of the Queen, cause you don’t have to worry so much about money or their laws other than if you’re undercover Civilian Clothes. “

Machine tapped a finger against lower lip, wondering if it worked for anyone outside Pooh. “Oh, there’s a cadet Chaos group called the Dark Mirror Court. There used to be a formal alliance, there isn’t now, but it’s still generally frowned on to get in their way or have them get in ours. There’s been some bad blood on both sides, according to rumor. I haven’t met any of them. Pamphlet says ‘play nice’ but no rules to ‘trust or even like.’ …..what else. Communicators. We’ll need to grab a starcat and have them flip one out for you. Anything sound familiar as far as cats or Mirror senshi? You might have met somethin’ before. “

“That’s the TICKET! You got it right, you’ve met at least one to have senshified in the first place. Using sense like that with the brainpan helps fill in gap even if you don’t have all the dots. Don’t sweat having to remember everything all at once now- I can repeat myself like a champ and there’s no thang. Somethin’ like 7 times usin’ a thing you learned before you actually remember it, on average? And that’s not even counting magical brain melting weirdness.“

“Don’t owe me anything, Stillz. We’re square- we pay each other forward with being totally lit cause we got each other’s hands. Carrying a friend ain’t no weight. Hell, you rank me as it is with them wing-a-lings.“ Fingers flew to taking up and queuing a movie for their relaxation. The Three Musketeers was funny, lively, action packed with good scoring and one-liners. It wasn’t super-intense philosophical brain entropy, was the main thing. The tablet was also easily propped on a pillow for them both to enjoy.

"Let's lay back a while. Let that info sink in the noggin.'"