Welcome to Gaia! ::

The more time Cypher spent here on earth, the more restless he seemed to feel.

Any connection he felt with the other Cadets, some of which had been promoted to Corporal for reasons or achievements he was unaware of, was essentially non-existent. He held no purpose in the Vanguard, and as such nobody ever had a reason to ask him for help.

Since their departure, he hadn’t made anything more than acquaintances with any of them. Fysarious perhaps being the exception, but their comradery or friendship- honestly he wasn’t sure how best to describe it… But whatever it was, it felt like it was broken and haphazardly pieced back together. A broken jaw, and two scars on his face, were harsh reminders of what happens when his fellow Cadet was pushed too far.

Of everyone he’d spoken to, Fysarious was perhaps the one most affected by their extended stay here on Earth, and not in a positive way. Unfortunately, Cy had no idea how to help him other than give him space. Then again, perhaps asking Fae-Fae to speak with him might bring him peace with her aura that seemed to bring back fond memories of home when she was near.

Just another thing to feel useless at.

The last several months had been spent constructing the training ground in the woods. A safe, or mostly save, place where other members of the Vanguard could go to practice with their weapons and not have to worry about city ordinances or humans happening upon them. Moving targets had been set up at a distance as well as stationary ones for zeroing sights and practicing aim. Only two Corporals knew of it and since their initial visits, it had come quite a long way.

Not exactly what he imagined for the space, but close enough for the resources available to him.

This evening was like most, the first hour spent scouting around the area he intended to practice, making sure nobody was off hiding in the bushing trying to follow him to the designated area. Cypher had almost completed the first parameter scan when his ComTech picked up a strange energy signature that was neither Order nor Chaos and was much larger than a single being.

Curiosity pulled him in that direction and as he got closer, he slowed his approach until he was an arm's length away from the edge. When Cy looked up, however, he saw nothing there.

Tentatively he reached out, touched the surface of the barrier then withdrew his hand. It rippled shimmered even, but offered no resistance. Like the barrier that had concealed the Vanguard and their ship when they first arrived on Earth, this too seemed to be hiding something, or someone inside.

Once more Cypher looked down at his ComTech before stowing it away.

Although his weapon would offer little in terms of actual protection, at best it might stun someone if he was suddenly charged, he withdrew his blaster as a small level of precaution. With a healthy level of wariness, Cy stepped through the barrier.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but when they did he noticed a man sitting at a table; chin resting in the palm of his hand with an amused gleam in his yellow slit eyes. cypher looked back over his shoulder and realized he could see through the barrier as if it were nothing more than glass or a bubble even.

“You we’re watching.” Of course he had been. Curious though- why he didn’t move to defend himself when Cypher withdrew his blaster.

He sighed, realizing how foolish he was being and re-sheathed the weapon in the holster on his hip. “You’re not from Valencia, yet you have similar technology. Fascinating-“ Cy turned back towards the mysterious merchant and approached his table of peculiar wares.

“You’re not human either,” another obvious statement but still a noteworthy observation. “I’m curious, may I ask your name, and perhaps where you’ve traveled here from?” There were other questions he wished to ask but needed to know first how willing this stranger was to talk with him.