Destiny Tower glowed brightly beneath the lingering murky skies, the last golden rays slipping away from the edges of clouds and the tallest buildings. The neon giant didn't look as grand and tall as it usually did, but Realta still felt grateful everything was on and working. Especially after the large lightning blasts that had doused the city.... things the news were already spouting excuses for, trying to rationalize everything away and under some proverbial rug.
Let the city pretend things were normal. Let the news report falsities. Wasn't like it was the first, nor would it be the last. Not that she could fault them, entirely. Not everyone was fully aware of the other facets of the world around them, even if they saw evidence of it in social media posts and videos, reports of damages and strange animals and costumed folks. Not everyone should need to be so involved, though Realta was of the growing consideration of the safety of knowledge, even if she had to consider the reality of the dangers it could also cause...
Silent steps triggered barely a whisper of debris as the Mauvian slid around to a small, insignificant partial panel in the side of the building. It clinked when the crystalline star gleamed, and a feline-fitting door eased open. Plenty of room to slip in. And it was warm in here.
That factor alone nearly had the Savannah purring in relief, shivering a bit in her thin coat to shake off the tendrils of the evening's chill and her brooding thoughts. It'd been easy enough to arrange the meeting after speaking and confirming with Lucien the time, and other participants whom responded to his outreach. As the passage opened, Realta freely pulled her magic about her, allowing her form to shift, her body to alter and grow, till she strode into the main room of Mauvian HQ with purple silks swaying around her legs, and silver stars and chains tinkling lightly. Yes, this was so much warmer and so much more comfortable than taking on this form back out in the snow... "...every now and then, I debate trying to set up a little drink machine in here. Hot drinks, cold, just something... alas, liquids and technology. At some point, someone would prove how they do not co-exist in all situations," she concluded with a sigh.
Quote:
Mule Investigation Info: Ignore the focus on Realta Scanning the Spike at HQ
Mauvain headquarters would not be able to completely identify which materials were used to craft the spike; the main components are not of any material known to Earth or logged in their databases. The spike is made up entirely of a single component, except a very detailed scan would reveal that it has been infused with what seems to be a small trace of something comparable to human blood.
Identity of Sender
While common scans or efforts to identify the sender will result in blank pages or empty contact info, if Realta attempts to do a deep dive to discover the sender, she will find that her system may appear to corrupt and crash. Depending on the methods she use, this could resolve with a simple reboot, but if she pushes too hard (at your discretion) it could completely kill whatever device she is trying to track the sender on.
Using the Database to Examine Photos
The database would not be able to better identify the origin of the photos, and further details cannot be examined from them specifically. The database would advise that there are no matching records or similarities. However, it is also worth noting that the database only contains information about other worlds that Mauvians could have updated, and much of their personal records or research is limited to what Mauvians have uncovered while on Earth or within the last ~40 years. There is a glowing blur on the murals that makes it hard to make out fine details, so it is impossible to make out extra details by examining them in this way.
Guine
Lucien
Sunshine Alouette
Lucasta
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Soleiyu
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 6:53 am
Lucasta was of the opinion that if she wasn’t early she was late, which meant she had arrived well in advance of their meeting time. She had not, however, gotten started on any of the research to be done. The dilemma facing Earth was, of course, of utmost concern to her, but she was eager first to discuss matters with her fellow Mauvians.
Instead of tapping away at computer keys or tinkering with some device, Lucasta lounged ladylike upon a plush couch, humanoid legs curled beneath her as she feasted from a platter of sushi. She hadn’t quite gotten the hang of chopsticks yet, so she used a fork—some fancy silver piece she’d taken from Valhalla’s family collection of equally fancy things. Even at its most decorative, the fork was hardly the most elegant method with which to eat such a delicacy, but it got the job done. Besides, Lucasta was ravishing enough to make the process aesthetically pleasing all on her own.
“I’m sure I could name the eventual culprits if given enough time in their company,” Lucasta said, amber gaze lifting to greet Realta.
Lucasta did not actually spend a great deal of time among other Mauvians. An oversight on her part, perhaps, but her duties tended to keep her closer to home. If Ganymede didn’t require supervision, the younger ones most assuredly did. Even so, from at least one prior gathering, Lucasta could only agree; there were indeed some among them who likely should not be trusted with liquids and technology in close proximity to one another.
That Realta even acknowledged the potential embarrassment gave Lucasta some hope.
“Lucasta,” she introduced herself. “I’m not sure we’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquainted.” Then, with the pleasantries out of the way, “Would you care for some sushi?”
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Kaefaux
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2025 12:49 pm
Lucien arrived not long after Realta entered the building. While he didn’t need to report his whereabouts to his bonded, he wanted to make sure the child, Atticus, was sufficiently looked after. It seemed as though the possibility of the Earth being destroyed weighed heavily on the young knight’s mind, interrupting his sleep.
Along with the others, Lucien quietly shifted from feline into humanoid form. Long sleeves hung by his sides even as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“That was very generous of you, thank you, Ms. Lucasta,” he nodded politely to the other Mauvian, stepping forward to take an offered piece of food. His eyes, of course, were on the other areas of the room.
“We could possibly expand to create a lounge space for drinks and such,” he suggested in response to Realta, although that was likely something they would have to figure out at a later date.
Right now they had important work to do.
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Sunshine Alouette
Kaefaux
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2025 5:44 pm
Soleiyu was the last to arrive at the designated meeting point, so when he entered the room in his Mauvian form he huffed indignantly. He’d been down a hallway–here, earlier, but keeping busy so he didn’t look too eager. He didn’t spend much time at Headquarters when he had nearly everything he needed back home so he was investigating.
Snooping, really, but there was no harm in familiarizing himself with the goings-on in occurring here in his absence.
Though the other three had shifted into other forms, he didn’t seem pressured to do the same and trotted over to them. “I didn’t realize you were all here already. Are you sure you want to invest any energy in updating this place? Seems like a lot of extra work. Personally, I’d rather spend less time here. I always feel crowded. And I hate being interrupted.”
But he did like showing off all his neat inventions, so sacrifices needed to be made.
The confident, and likely extremely accurate, offer to pin-point potential problem types made Realta chuckle, turning to the speaker with a warm smile and incline of her head. "Not bad to have a list in our pockets, at least to know when we'll likely have to do a few repairs..." It wasn't that she didn't trust all the Mauvians on Earth, Order-side at least, to be competent at their duties, but she was aware there were bouts of... creativity, and eccentricities, that while wonderful... She'd just like to take a peek at the devices after to make sure they could still perform all their typical tasks when needed. That's all...
One of her ears twitched at the introduction, feeling she'd heard the name before... "Realta. Lovely to amend the issue, either way, Lucasta. Thank you, I'd love one," she smiled as she took quiet steps forward to pluck up an offered piece. It wasn't often she got to indulge in delicacies like this--more of her own wandering than a lack of resources. So the chance to enjoy a delicious bite of fish before getting down to work was delightful.
Her smile turned to Lucien as he entered, stepping out of the way for him to grab a bite as her eyes roamed the computers. "Hm... we can see to that after other matters have been settled. I'm always in support of a lax celebration." Such remarks were a requirement on her part--there was too many unknowns right now with these storms, and the entit(y-ies?) behind them. She had to hold faith that they would see it through, that Mauvians, Senshi, Knights... even Negaverse agents, Dark Mirror Court, Velencians... everyone, would be capable of doing what was necessary to preserve this planet.
Thoughts of otherwise weren't tolerated at this point in her book. Only of how to make the desired result a reality.
She perked slightly to see another Mauvian join them, and made the assumption this was Soleiyu. "It's a nice place to visit with others, and is central enough for most to be able to find it, so I don't see the harm." Her tail flicked lightly, amused by his less than stellar vote for the HQ.
His question though felt like it finalized their moment of pleasantries, and Realta lightly shook her head. "Not to my knowledge, though we can update the Database with any findings at least for any who might be interested in pursuing additional tests if they've ideas." She held her hand up, palm up, and reached out into subspace to pull out the main object of their investigation that day. The spike solidified in her hand, fingers curling around the hilt and needing to rotate the 'blade' of the spike into her other hand to counter the awkward weight of it. It really wasn't balanced to be used as a weapon, was it?
"Have you had the chance to see the Database entry created by Super Sailor Solaris? She's loaned us this spike she got while in that strange... prison. We're unsure if there are more, or even what the source is for this one. So." She held it out towards those present, a bright smile on her face that perhaps was a bit of a cover for her nerves around the whole situation. "We'll see what we can find! I've also borrowed her phone to see if I can track down who sent the additional information she posted... I don't like the idea that anything could force its way into our systems and send images or anything else for that matter, without leaving a proper ID..." Her brows furrowed at that, tail flicking a bit more harshly. It was a safety concern, to say the least, and a question of what had the technical know-how to get into their systems like this...
"If anyone would like to start with the spike, I can hook up the phone to one of the computers and start looking into the backend data on the sender."
Guine
Sunshine Alouette
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2025 8:26 pm
Amber eyes locked on the spike—although, seeing it in person, Lucasta had to wonder if there might be a more appropriate term for it. Without knowing its function for certain, she couldn’t be sure. She had, of course, read the database entry in question and had made a careful study of the images provided, but a still photo had somehow not done the spike justice.
“Fascinating,” Lucasta said. She popped another piece of sushi into her mouth, chewing contemplatively. Only once she’d swallowed did she continue. “I’m aware of one other, but I’ve not seen it. Ganymede, my bonded, met with Kerberos. I believe he was there with Solaris? Another Senshi apparently received one of these. The assumption at the moment, based on the images provided of the murals, is that these were part of some sort of defense mechanism to trap and contain the creature.”
That the images showed six and they were only aware of two obviously presented a problem.
Lucasta rose from the couch, setting the platter of sushi onto the cushions.
“As for who sent the images… I imagine the Velencians might be advanced enough to accomplish it, but they’d have little need to disguise their involvement if that were the case. We are aware of them. The Negaverse is obviously aware of them. I’ve heard they insist to have made no contact with any other civilization prior to arriving on Earth, but that does not mean there are no others to the same or greater levels of advancement out in the depths of space. I also wouldn’t assume it beyond Cosmos’ capabilities, but I like to think she would have offered more of an explanation.”
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Kaefaux
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2025 11:27 am
“Some work better collaboratively,” Lucien hummed thoughtfully at Soleiyu’s complaining about hating to be interrupted. “I have certainly benefited from your and others’ guidance. Earth has many wonders yet to uncover. Provided we are able to do something to prolong its survival.”
He listened patiently to both Realta and Lucasta, although there was something of ire that sparked at the mention of Cosmos. He’d never met her personally, but for some reason he felt strangely at odds. The name was familiar, but more than that remained somewhere on the edge of his lost memories.
Still, it was good to know that Lucasta was well aware of what was happening, given her bonded.
Not wanting to waste any time, Lucien offered to take the spike from Realta, then moved to one of the computer stations with its various equipment set up. He’d taken the necessary time to familiarize himself with all of the devices over the course of a few times he’d visited the Headquarters, so he confidently set the spike beside a device that would scan it for anything identifiable.
Fingers tapped out the correct sequence to start the necessary programs, but waited until Realta was able to have the phone hooked up properly before running anything.
The results for the first scan seemed completely normal and expected. No known Earthen materials or minerals. The second scan for verification yielded no better results. It wasn’t until the third, more complex scan, did Lucien see something strange in the results.
“The Earth phrase the strongest ties are forged in blood comes to mind,” he frowned, moving aside so the others could view the results as well.
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Sunshine Alouette
Kaefaux
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2025 3:17 pm
Soleiyu remained unimpressed with the idea of spending much time in Mauvian Headquarters, and while he did not delight in the idea of unwanted collaboration, he did not feel like he was in poor company at present. The best way to get out of the cramped confines of the room was to conduct effective research, so he wasted no more time griping.
If he’d been able to, he’d have stayed in his natural form, but with everyone else in their forms he finally, begrudgingly, shifted as well.
“...That can’t be right,” he said, more out of indignation than because he had any reason to back up the claim. “I didn't expect any Earthly material, of course, that makes sense.”
The creature obviously wasn’t from Earth, or anywhere close enough that they had even so much as an inkling of familiarity.
“Can you run that again? Realta, no one got hurt up there, did they? The scan isn't picking up traces on the spike, this is definitely a component fused during the forging process?”
Her ears flicked forward as Lucasta spoke. She knew of Ganymede, though not personally, but felt a slight bit of relief to hear other experienced senshi involved in the investigations. More perspectives, more potential avenues for information. "So we've got two accounted for, well that's already an improvement," she hummed with a slight smile. Two out of... six. Well. They were a third there, if she focused on the positives. "There were others also present... if anyone is able to speak to the Negaverse agents also brought there, we might at least hear if they found any additional information." Loath as she was to work with them... it was certainly a lot better than to lose the Earth.
"I might be idealistic in this, but if we cannot locate the other spikes, hopefully we can learn enough about the ones we do have to come up with alternatives." She doubted they'd have the capability to recreate more, unless there was some magical forge somewhere... which, actually, knowing how odd the universe could be, there might be...
She handed the spike off to Lucien, freeing up her hands to bring out Solaris' phone also from her subspace. "That's more what concerns me--if there are others beyond the Velencians who are technologically capable of getting into our systems like this, I'd prefer we learn of them sooner rather than later. Otherwise... if the source is either them or Cosmos, I'll be more than a bit cross at the lack of blunt transparency." Her tail lashed as she moved to one of the other consoles, pulling up a wire to connect the phone to the machine.
As she typed, trying to get into the backend data of the device, she glanced back to the others. "Has anyone heard from Cosmos..?" She certainly hadn't, but then, she never exactly sought the woman out, or needed to. But if there was this great threat to the Earth now... surely the Guardian of the Cauldron would want to also protect the main place starseeds came to and from the Cauldron from..?
All surface level searches for the sender's data came up empty, blank. She needed to go deeper into that, needed to try and find something....
As another computer scanned the spike, Realta dug into the phone, trying to trace the data sent back to its origin, anything that could hint to who or what sent it. If there was anything, though, her eyes didn't catch it. Not before the screen began to glitch and static, and errors erupted over and over. She cursed beneath her breath, trying to circumvent the problems, but--
Her tail lashed and cut the air behind her, ears pinned back to her head as the computer fully shut down. Whatever trace, if it could even be called that for how nothing it was, that she had located... it'd crashed the system. Realta tried to reboot the console... and nothing. She tried again. Nothing. Unplug, plug back in... nothing. "...if we find who sent these messages, I'm demanding they show us how they did so, because I would love to update our systems accordingly to cause this to happen to anyone else if they tried getting into anything." It was a grudging respect, but respect nonetheless. "What did that even do to..." Her words trailed off as she bent to try and start removing some of the outer panels from the console to get at the interior components in an attempt to repair the machine, but Lucien and Soleiyu's reactions made her drop the subject for the time being.
Straightening, she frowned as she processed Soleiyu's question--though was for a split second amused he'd decided to shift. "No, I saw Solaris right after and she was uninjured. She reported Encke, the other senshi directly with her at the time, was also uninjured... no one was injured when she spoke to Alastor and Sessrumnir, right?" She looked to Lucien on that one, in case she'd missed something. "Those were the only times it was out and handled by others, in my understanding."
She moved closer to the console Lucien had used, eyes scanning the screen with the results of the three scans. "Blood? It's not... it's not human blood, right? Can we isolate it, see if we can identify the source?" Likely not, and she was aware they'd need something to compare it to... Her tail flicked about behind her in unease. "Somehow, I don't think requesting various people let us take a blood sample for comparisons would... go over very well. But..." If they had to...
Hell, she'd just scratch them and be done with it, if it really came down to it.
Guine
Sunshine Alouette
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2025 5:29 pm
To Realta’s question regarding Cosmos, Lucasta shook her head. She knew only when Ganymede had seen her last. That had been almost three years ago now, on the moon following Ganymede’s escape from the Dark Kingdom. Lucasta never expected to see Cosmos frequently, so her absence did not come as a shock, but with this creature now lurking out in space on approach to Earth…
Lucasta had to wonder if the Cauldron, too, might be in danger.
While the spike and phone were being scanned, Lucasta dug through the database for Solaris’ entry, pulling up the photos for further examination. She leaned over rather than sitting as she scrutinized the images on the monitor. No matching records presented themselves even with an in depth search. Lucasta was unsurprised. It had already seemed clear to her that they were dealing with something older than their oldest records.
“Nothing in our systems bear any similarities to these murals,” she announced, tail flicking lazily.
Lucasta straightened again and padded closer to the others to peruse the results of the scan on the spikes. The presence of blood was an oddity she had no immediate explanation for, only building theories that may not even be accurate.
“If it was used during the forging process, it may have came from whoever did the forging, or… perhaps it came from the creature itself. If we had the second spike to compare we could at least determine whether or not the blood is a unique feature to this one or if they were all forged the same way.”
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Kaefaux
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
Offline
Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2025 6:06 pm
The more they researched, the more it seemed like they were coming up on dead ends. It was frustrating and baffling at the same time. How could they not have any answers? And there were four of them. He knew his memories weren’t very clear, but the others were all very talented and knew how to navigate through their technology.
“The type cannot be determined,” Lucien frowned as he ran the numbers once more. “Humanoid, definitely. Unknown for specifics.” Which, of course meant they had nothing more they could really do with it. Not until they had more information.
“It could have been the creature itself,” he agreed with a nod to Lucasta. “It would make the most sense as some kind of homing beacon to resonate with the subject they were meant to trap. However, whoever forged the spikes would have had to get their hands on the creature’s blood. And, do not forget, the mural depicts the creature as serpentine. The blood is that of a humanoid.”
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Sunshine Alouette
Kaefaux
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2025 7:32 pm
“Or, shares similar markers,” Soleiyu countered, though he wasn’t really in disagreement with Lucien. “For all we know, that thing has the same genetic construct as any humanoid we know. The people of Earth, the Moon, Velencya–Mau–any of those off world senshi.” He didn’t bother listing names; Realta and Lucien had unique connections to them and Lucasta probably knew her fair share, too. “We can’t compare anything concretely. I’d like to think someone was able to get close enough to draw blood. I’d like to think it bleeds.”
Something about that alone made it seem less of a threat no matter how logical it was that everything bleeds.
If it could bleed, it could die.
“I can’t imagine the purpose of including anything organic, though. I mean, symbolically, maybe? There have to be better materials to bind to. Unless it was an accident. Hard to imagine someone tumbling into molten metal as it’s being forged. Do you think there’s any chance of us borrowing another spike to compare? I doubt we could pry one from the Negaverse. And I doubt they have any Headquarters as effective as ours.”
He spoke proudly, despite the fact that he’d have been just as quick to criticize the area, too.
Shifting positions, he pressed a few buttons on one of the computers. He didn’t explain what he was doing, but anyone looking could see that he was looking through the records to see what data was input, and when; he scanned the logs for any data that seemed out of place or unrealistic but nothing seemed to be sticking out.
Her tail continued to flick as Realta listened to the others and stared at the screen, concerned by the presence of blood in the spike. Namely... the unknown source, and unknown method of acquiring it. There was an ominous edge to that that made her uneasy. She glanced to Lucasta, somewhat disheartened by another failed route... but at least they were removing dead ends, she supposed? "You said Kerberos reported another senshi there has the second spike? So that removes him, Solaris, Encke... ah. I believe she said the last's name was Murikabushi?"
Realta flicked her gaze amongst the others, unable to place the name to a face, personally for that one. "Have any of you met him? Perhaps we could arrange a meeting, if he'd be willing to let us borrow the spike? Or, I suppose if we could make a more mobile version of the scanner, we could bring it to him?" Her eyes fell onto the machines in question, mind already tumbling down possibilities of how quickly and feasible such a creation could be. It likely wouldn't be as powerful as the console, but...
Her ears drooped somewhat, despite herself. Dead ends, all of it. Sure, she didn't expect anything to be quick and easy, but...
"I hate being at a loss for next steps," she groaned, rubbing her face with one of her hands.
Guine
Sunshine Alouette
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 9:23 am
“Being left at a loss seems all too common these days,” Lucasta said.
She remained unsurprised and as of yet experienced no rise in frustration, if only because she’d come to expect a lack of information despite their best efforts. They always seemed to be running a few steps behind no matter how well they tried to prepare themselves, through no fault of their own. Either Fate or the universe at large had it out for them or they were stuck in a years-long streak of bad luck.
Lucasta was well practiced in appearing unmoved. She knew her duty. It remained the one thing she had any semblance of control over. The rest would fall into place however it was meant to.
“I’m unfamiliar with this Murikabushi, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to get a message to him,” Lucasta continued, leaning around Soleiyu to get a look at the computer he was scanning through. “We should also endeavor to discover who among the Negaverse may have acquired a spike even if we have no hope of seizing it from them. Theoretically they will abide by whatever their Queen decides to do about the situation, but some individuals would be easier to work with than others, if it comes to that.”
Guine
Kyuseisha no Hikari
Kaefaux
Sunshine Alouette
Eternal Senshi
Offline
Guine
Crew
Lonely Explorer
Offline
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 11:56 am
Lucien was quiet as he sorted through what everyone had to say. He thought about Soleiyu’s theories on the symbology of blood being used, and Realta’s suggestion of testing multiple spikes. He nodded when Lucasta spoke to confirm that he was also unfamiliar with Murikabushi. Other than what he’d learned from Solaris and later what Ganymede and Valhalla had reported to Sessrumnir and Alastor.
“We should use caution with Murikabushi,” he suggested, but didn’t otherwise say they shouldn’t attempt getting in contact with him. “It was suggested by Sessrumnir that offering information to someone friendly with the Negaverse would be unwise. There is no telling what might be used against us, or if the Negaverse plans on sabotaging any of our efforts.”
He paused to look over to both Soleiyu and Lucasta who weren’t there when Solaris provided the information to them.
“He was communicating with someone named Faustite with sign language. From my understanding, Faustite is not hard of hearing. The benefit was purely for communication between the two. He was apparently formerly with the Dark Mirror Court, as well.”
