How can I fight against something that can override even the strongest of wills? Even if I could fight off every advancing Negaverse agent, I couldn’t possibly stop them from teleporting or just yanking my starseed right out. And that’s only if they didn’t just corrupt me on the spot. Being able to fight better isn’t enough, is it? Something more needs to happen. Something needs to happen to keep me from being lost, or it’ll be that dark future all over again.

Some weeks had passed since Cor Caroli’s last visit to his planet, and that meant that the cooldown on planet travel had passed. He would be lying if he said he had been totally patient over the course of the cooldown; he really wanted to learn more about his past self and his past world, and he was kicking himself for getting so overwhelmed last time. Sure, he had a lot of very impactful things to take in just from that one visit, but there was a lot more to dig into (assuming whatever triggered past life visions was feeling generous). Something was out there, waiting to reveal itself to him.

Also, it was his birthday. As far as he was concerned, he had free reign to explore and muck around on a day like this. He’d gotten a few nice things, but knowledge was going to be an awesome gift, too. (That was something he never thought he’d say.)

Cor Caroli repeated the ritual he had done before, and this time it came to him more easily. Pulling his senshi phone out of subspace felt natural, as though he had never stopped doing it, and when he listened for the song of his planet, it came to him as a clear tone. At least, if it were an actual sound and not some odd abstract feeling, it would have been clear. The world blurred around him, and he sailed off on another trip across the universe.

When Cor landed, he was in front of the same laboratory the previous visits had spat him out in front of. He guessed that his past self must have spent a lot of time at this lab, or the world transfer wouldn’t keep putting him here. Since he didn’t investigate it last time, he figured it was time to look again. He entered the laboratory, keeping an eye out for places that he had visited before. As he wandered, he found the old offices from the first visit and decided to peek inside them. Eventually, about three or so peeks in, he was rewarded by the sight of his past self and Alcene staring at a series of parts on a table.

“What are these supposed to be?” Past Cor said, poking a scrap of metal.

“Watch those fingers of yours,” Alcene said, firmly yet not too sharply. “These materials are fragile and sensitive. We wouldn’t want anything to be improperly calibrated because someone was poking something they shouldn’t have been.”

“They’re not the only thing in this room that’s sensitive,” Past Cor mumbled, a sly grin on his face.

“Eri,” Alcene grunted, with a sharpness that made both past and present Cor jump. “We’re technically at work. Don’t make those kinds of jokes here.”

Past Cor, now known as Eri, groaned. “You’re no fun.”

“Do I need to show you the appropriateness recordings again?” Alcene asked, and after Eri rolled his eyes, the duo disappeared back into the past.

Is he one of ‘those’ guys? Cor Caroli mused to himself, meaning one of those callow youths who walked around making innuendos everywhere. Kind of like how he used to be a few years ago. At least he had finally learned his past self’s name, which was nice. It sat well with him.

The hunt was on for the next vision. He was hoping that he’d get an explanation of what Alcene was working on at some point, but as he went further in, approaching an area that looked a bit like a science classroom or group laboratory, he got nothing. At one point, he pulled open a very rusty cabinet at a workstation to see if anything was inside… then pulled his head out of the empty cabinet to see Eri and Alcene across the table from him. That sight nearly made him jump, but he composed himself and watched the duo carefully. They were both looking at a strange red and black cube gadget that appeared to have a wire frame around it.

“It’s almost done,” Alcene said. “The casing is complete and the components are all installed. All it needs is to be attuned to a specific will for testing purposes. If we can get something that responds to one person’s will, we will have succeeded.”

“I see,” Eri said, cupping his chin thoughtfully. “So, who’s gonna be the test dummy for this thing?”

Alcene did not hesitate. “I would like to attune this creation to you, Eri Kria, Sailor Cor Caroli of Will.”

Eri’s eyes went wide. “What’s with the formality?”

“Because I wanted to formally dedicate this to you. I have my reasons, as you know. I don’t think there’s anyone else who would be a better fit for testing this creation.” Alcene gently nudged the cube closer to Eri, offering it to him.

“I-Is this a proposal?” Eri was using humor to deflect his own surprise. Alcene’s glare brought him back down to earth. “Anyway, yes! I wholeheartedly accept! I’d be happy to help you bring this thing to life. If it works, it’ll take will science leaps and bounds ahead. Yes, Alcene, I will help you make your science baby.”

Despite himself, Alcene chuckled, and then they flickered out of existence… only for their voices to come from the opposite direction. Cor Caroli turned around, and he saw Eri and Alcene at a table behind him. The cube from before was floating between them.

“So you can’t make it move how you’d like?” Alcene asked, staring at the cube.

Eri shook his head, and the cube seemed to shake to follow the gesture. “No. But did you see that? It kinda… imitates me a little. That’s kind of cute for a funny cube thing with wires.”

Alcene made a thoughtful noise. “So, it wanders, and it reacts to your reactions, even if you can’t steer it yourself. Not quite what I was going for, but I think it’s a step in the right direction. Maybe it’s not sensitive enough, or the wrong kind of sensitive.”

Eri shrugged. “We can figure that out with the next prototype. Until then, I think I’ll keep this guy. He’ll be my companion cube!”

“Personifying a little, are we?” Alcene said. “Well, I’m glad you’ve gotten attached to it.”

With the result of the research revealed, the duo from Cor Caroli’s past disappeared once more. Cor couldn’t help but feel a little giddy, seeing that his past self had participated in some important research and gained a literal companion cube out of it. Seeing Eri so happy with the gizmo made Cor want one, kind of. Maybe he could make something similar if he looked around.

In any case, all the walking around was making Cor feel a little tired. He figured that he’d take one more pass around the laboratory, then head home for the night. With a slight spring in his step, he walked out of the laboratory area, keeping an eye out for anything that might be of interest. He didn’t see anything, but when he passed by a room near the offices, he heard something that made him do a double take.

Laughter. Kissy noises. Kissy noises?!

Cor peeked in the room and sort of wished he hadn’t. Were there rules that applied when walking in on your past self making out with his mentor? He wasn’t sure how to feel about this. Embarrassed? Vaguely turned on? Voyeuristic? Boy, whatever triggered past life visions had a hell of a sense of humor. Amazing. The gay transcends lifetimes. Happy birthday to me, and happy Pride Month, apparently.

In the end, he decided to give his past self some privacy, but he couldn’t hold back his laughter at the bizarreness of the situation. Before he knew it, he had buckled over laughing, because good lord, where else would you find a sort of-you making out with a mentor and… well, it was a doozy of a situation. He needed that. Besides, now he knew the nature of Eri and Alcene’s relationship. Hot? Maybe, maybe not. He peeked back and immediately felt bad for poor Alcene. There was no way to explain to him that his lover’s future self was watching him!

Just when Cor thought he was gonna explode, the flirtatious mumbling and breathing and thumping around finally stopped. “Oh my god,” he said aloud. “Get a room and make sure I can’t find it next time, you two!”

With his spirits lifted (and a bit befuddled befuddled), Cor entered the command to go home on his senshi phone. He was going to need the two-week cooldown after that.

Wordcount: 1523. 3x solo bonus!
Cor Caroli went to his homeworld on 6/6/18. He can return on 6/20/18.