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 Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2025 7:53 pm
“Kind of ironic that we’d all be willing to give up our energy so quickly to save our planet, but when we were asked to donate a little energy to help the Velencians, it was suddenly not okay,” Peter grumbled as he tinkered with a circuit board that was supposed to be put into one of the satellite shields.
Once he had a decent understanding of the blueprint design, it wasn’t too difficult to piece everything together. It was just a computer, basically. With Velencian and Mauvian technology, it could do far more than the average satellite, anyway.
He paused to look up at Paris, leaning heavily on his elbow as he considered her.
“You’re okay with all that? Obviously we’re going to save Earth, but when that’s all said and done, why wouldn’t we try to actually help them?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2025 8:26 pm
The house was quiet. The kids were in bed. Chris was in the shower. Momma had gone to read and relax in the in-law suite; the recurring storms and approaching danger hadn’t yet put an end to her book club. A few lights were still on in the carriage house, but Eld and Tyr rarely made a nuisance of themselves. If Lucasta was still prowling around outside she did so without making any noise.
Paris set a chicken sandwich and a glass of milk within Peter’s reach. She leaned against the opposite side of the counter bar and began to eat her own. Resonating with the Crystal Tower had left her tired and hungry.
“I don’t know how we’re supposed to help them,” she said, not without compassion. “They need more than energy.”
She eyed Peter carefully. He hadn’t admitted as much to her, but Paris was certain he’d been to see Caedus recently. She knew him well enough to not need confirmation.
“Technically we were supposed to be saving the Earth last time, too,” she continued. “I don’t think we were wrong to be suspicious of them, but… it is a little strange. I can’t imagine many people know much about the Moon Kingdom anymore, so you’d think they’d be just as suspicious. Turnover’s high in the war, though,” Paris reminded him. “Maybe the crowd these days is more trusting.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2025 6:21 pm
He glanced up at Paris as the sandwich was pushed over to him, and he took it with a quiet word of thanks and took a bite.
“They need people they can trust,” he added around a mouthful, because she was right. They did need more than just energy. They needed Senshi and Knights who were willing to keep them safe, because without that, they would just stick with the Negaverse.
Peter didn’t blame them. Nor did he blame everyone else for being suspicious. He’d already told Lyndin what he felt about how short of a time they had to figure things out.
“The Moon Kingdom betrayed them. Maybe not directly, but they didn’t send a Mauvian when they needed help? That’s such bullshit. I know that outdated hologram seems to have ideas on how to help us, but everyone who came after her clearly had their own agenda.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2025 6:38 pm
“I don’t know what to tell you,” Paris admitted, as frustrated as Peter seemed by it all, but too tired to show it as much. “Whatever the Moon Kingdom did or didn’t do, and whatever their motives were for it, that doesn’t change our circumstances now. We don’t have much to offer the Velencians. Replenishable energy? Sure, some of us have a lot of it. Living worlds? Even fewer of us have those, but I didn’t get the impression the Velencians wanted to be that indebted to any of us, and I can’t say I blame them.”
She took another bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly as she mulled over the problem. Paris feared they weren’t in a position to save someone to the extent Caedus and the Velencians needed saving when they often couldn’t even save themselves. The White Moon’s survival on the hilltop had been a miracle, or a cosmic fluke.
“Trust is difficult,” she said, tearing some of the crust off her sandwich. “For them, and for us. I was suspicious of them when they came here, but I still offered my energy. I wanted to believe we could destroy Metallia even if I had my doubts that the plan the Velencians presented to us would work. Now it’s… complicated. No one knows how to help Caedus, and Lyndin’s better off getting what he can from the Negaverse. I’m not stupid enough to think we could offer them any better.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2025 6:46 pm
“He’s only getting what he can from the Negaverse to protect his people,” Peter grumbled, and for all he knew he could just be making wild assumptions. But he remembered that shadow of a smile from Lyndin when he’d asked the Commodore if they really aligned with the Negaverse.
“They’re helpless on their own. I mean, sure, they have weapons, but they’re just a bunch of nerds running around being mesmerized by rocks.” At least in Caedus’ case. He hadn’t met many Velencians, but of the ones he did, they seemed like they’d never actually been in a fight. At least not before the hilltop.
“I hate that we only had a little bit of time to figure things out for them. I hate how many people failed to even try. You’re right, they don’t seem like they want to be indebted to any of us, so… the Negaverse? Really? That can’t possibly be what they want. I’m pretty sure most of them are vegetarians.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2025 7:01 pm
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Paris agreed. “The Negaverse is a desperate measure.”
She didn’t have confirmation either, but when she looked at the situation practically Paris knew the Negaverse was probably the better choice. They had resources the White Moon may never be able to offer. If the Velencians had any hope of revitalizing their world, they were better off allying with the side that would most benefit them. The Negaverse might even grant them a modicum of safety on an otherwise dangerous world.
“You’ve been at this long enough, you should know by now how set in their ways people are,” Paris reminded him. “People get an idea they think is right and they don’t want to let it go even when the facts don’t support it because they don’t want to admit they were wrong. The war’s made people stubborn, or it’s given them an inflated sense of self, or they struggle to come to terms with who the war has made them. They want to believe the best in people who don’t deserve it, then turn around and believe the worst in others who’re just doing what’s necessary to survive because they can’t put themselves in their shoes, or they think so highly of themselves they believe they could make a different choice in the same situation.”
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Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2025 7:42 pm
Peter knew how set in their ways people were. He knew he was guilty of it, sometimes. He was stubborn about things that he felt were unjustly handled. Like Caedus. Although he wasn’t so naive to know that others felt differently than him about the whole situation.
“Lyndin wants to help Earth because it’s beneficial to them, too,” he said after taking a few moments to chew and swallow a bite of his sandwich. No one told him anything about the plans for Caedus, but he knew it was something Lyndin said he’d wanted, before. It was why Caedus was in hiding. Peter had warned Caedus before about others trying to hurt him.
“I don’t think he’d stay with the Negaverse if they were given any other choice,” he added, still thinking about his and Lyndin’s conversation. “He doesn’t even want to kill the serpent unless absolutely necessary. I don’t know what we’re going to do about that, though. Do you think the Moon Kingdom’s crystal will be enough?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2025 9:00 am
“It wasn’t enough before, if they used it,” Paris pointed out. “I don’t know if it’ll be enough now, after all these years. Theoretically the serpent’s weaker than it was. Maybe it won’t be able to regain its full strength. There’s not much out there for it to eat.”
Which made Earth a prime target. There were other living worlds, but they were rare and less stable. Animal and plant life were still recovering on Ganymede. Only a small population could survive there, as far as she could tell. Other worlds had succumbed to Chaos; they’d only managed to save a few of them.
As little as three years ago, their problems had seemed so much smaller.
“As for Lyndin…” Paris took another bite of her sandwich. She chewed contemplatively. “He has his homeworld, his synthetic world, and his people to consider. We don’t have anything to offer to sway him, nothing he or most of his people might be willing to accept, except Caedus.” She watched Peter attentively, not nervous, though she knew it could easily turn into a point of contention. “If we can’t help him awaken, and we’re not willing to help Lyndin return his starseed to the Cauldron, then what else can we do?”
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2025 6:36 pm
“Find some other way to stabilize Velencya,” Peter suggested around another mouthful of sandwich. The more bites he took, the more he realized how famished he felt. The crystal that took their energy had really wiped him out. It was definitely a good thing that they decided to take turns instead of everyone all at once.
“The serpent has energy. Maybe there’s a way to use that to get Velencya stabilized for a while longer. It might not be enough for a permanent solution, but it could give enough time to figure out how to help them.”
He frowned for a few moments, glancing down at his hands with the scars that stretched from fingertip to elbow.
“Whatever they did to Caedus’ starseed… there has to be a way to reverse that. Maybe then, he’ll be able to awaken. Or at least not be in as much pain. It’s agony, having that inside him. But his life was stolen from him already.”
Peter shook his head, looking up at Paris then with a shrug. “We have more resources now than ever before. More and more Senshi from hundreds of years ago are showing up with their knowledge and experiences. Maybe we need to look at our options again.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2025 7:15 pm
“They’ve made it clear Velencya’s only part of their goal,” Paris said.
Using the serpent wasn’t a terrible idea, but she didn’t know if it was possible to do so or if they’d only be endangering everyone for a longer period of time.
Paris sighed. If she weren’t so tired, she would’ve grown tense long before now. Instead she leaned somewhat lethargically against the counter. Her eyes had gone dim with sadness and fatigue. She frowned down at her plate, picking off another section of crust.
“I’m not saying we shouldn’t look at our options again,” she conceded. “We should look at them however many times we have to, but it’s been three years—almost four now—with no change. The Senshi from space… what knowledge and experience have they brought?” Paris lifted her gaze back to Peter. Her voice was gentle rather than accusatory. “I’m not asking that to be snide or dismiss what any of them have been through. These are traumatized people fighting to save their own worlds. Pinning our hopes on them doesn’t seem fair.”
Devyn was rebuilding his life after unimaginable loss. Eld was still trying to regain enough of his power to save what remained of Surtur. Tyr was a waif struggling to find purpose in his own life. And those were only the ones Paris knew personally. She couldn’t imagine any of the rest had cheerier tales to tell.
“I didn’t get a good look at Caedus’ starseed,” Paris continued, “but from what you and Michael told me… I don’t know what they did to it, or how. I know there aren’t many people I’d trust to meddle with it now. The Velencians did that to him. If they could reverse it, wouldn’t they have done it already?”
A hand drifted up to her chest, over the place where her own starseed rested. “If I knew how to help him, I’d do it in a heartbeat. But if I were in his position… I would’ve already been reborn. It would’ve been a relief.”
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2025 8:12 pm
“I’d like to think I would do the same,” Peter frowned, but then shrugged. “But I don’t have to. I wasn’t trapped in the Rift for a thousand years, only to find out later that my own family did it because the Moon Kingdom didn’t bother helping when we needed it, so we went to the Earth Kingdom and its Chaos instead. But…”
He paused again and sighed. “Like you said… I don’t want to be someone who thinks so highly of myself that I believe I could make a different choice in the same situation. I know you think Caedus is a coward, but I still want him to have the choice that he was never given. Maybe after what they did to him, he doesn’t care if they all die.”
Peter knew that wasn’t true. He knew that it hurt Caedus to see his people suffer, even if many of them had never met him until a few years ago and only for a short period.
“Cosmos might not even be able to salvage it, with what it looks like now. I can’t imagine it being able to heal properly. But… Chris had a broken starseed, didn’t he?” It wasn’t much of a question. Of course Peter knew. His brother’s memories and magic during that time had been damaged or gone completely.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 9:49 am
“Chris didn’t need Cosmos to heal his starseed,” Paris noted. “He needed Valhalla’s protection. Without it his starseed would still be broken. He would still be powerless and practically dying. After all these years, he might have decided on rebirth. I wouldn’t’ve blamed him.”
She felt lucky every day it hadn’t come to that, but as far as she understood it the risk to Chris’ starseed remained. If Valhalla’s power ever failed, so too might the added protection that kept his starseed whole.
Paris inhaled deeply before those thoughts could consume her.
“But Caedus is different,” she continued. “Chris is a Knight. There doesn’t seem to be much difference between what my transcendence does for me and what his does for him, but there’s still that distinction. Our powers are different. How we awaken is different. And Chris was already awakened and at full power when his starseed was broken. Caedus has never awakened. He doesn’t have that connection with his homeworld to build from. Has he even been back since they were forced to leave it?”
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 11:19 am
“He hasn’t told me if he has,” Peter frowned, picking at the pieces of chicken that had fallen out of his sandwich. “But I don’t think so. They were forced from their home and then he was dumped in the Rift for a thousand years. Not really much time to travel.”
He hated how everything was. If Cosmos couldn’t help Caedus, and if he wasn’t awakened to have his world accept him for transcendence, then what chances did they really have to help him?
“You must think I’m stupid for trying to protect him,” he was willing to guess. She didn’t say it outright, but he could hear the caution in her voice when she brought up Caedus. Like she was waiting for him to get defensive.
“I want everyone on Velencya saved, too. I just wish more people put effort into trying to help them. If he knew people were doing their best, if he knew options were being worked through, and there still wasn’t a solution? I feel like he’d be more willing to accept that there might only be one way. But I don’t want to make that decision for him. Nor do I want anyone else making it for him.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:00 pm
“I don’t think you’re stupid,” Paris assured him.
She understood Peter considered Caedus a friend. There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with wanting to protect a friend. The problem with Caedus was the number of lives on the line; the question of what was moral and just complicated things. Paris didn’t like the option of turning Caedus over any more than some of her more soft-hearted allies did, but she couldn’t pretend as if there would never be a circumstance in which she would consider it. Every day she hoped she wouldn’t have to make that choice.
“I’m glad you still have the luxury of hoping for a different outcome,” Paris said, quiet but genuine. “I lost that a long time ago.”
Her time in the Dark Kingdom had changed her—both occasions, but it had begun the first time, when Caedus helped them invade. Fighting desperately to kill Apatite only to then watch in horror as Laurelite slaughtered so many single-handedly, and later rose as Queen… Ganymede understood then how futile things could be.
Peter had still been so young then. He’d been instrumental in recovering a large cache of starseeds and had every reason to focus on their successes that night, and in the years since. They were each shaped by their own experiences. Where Peter saw possibilities, Paris saw lost opportunities.
“I want you to keep trying to help him,” she insisted. “And if you think I can help somehow, I want to do that, even if it’s from a distance. But I need you to understand that I can’t pretend as if a hard choice might never have to be made. I have to be ready to make it.”
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 5:26 pm
Peter clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth. He understood that she’d been through some horrible things in her life, especially as a Princess and sworn enemy of the Negaverse. He knew she probably didn’t mean it to sound patronizing that he had the luxury of deciding not to have his friend killed. But then again, Peter had grown bitter and frustrated as the years passed. Not in the same way as Paris, but he felt the weight of the war as well.
Still, he was grateful for her help and her wisdom and expertise and power. He knew she meant it when she said she would help however she could.
“Yeah, I know,” he said quietly as he continued to pick apart his sandwich. It wasn’t as though he was oblivious to the lives at stake. He hated that they had to think about being forced to make these kinds of decisions in the first place.
That just meant he needed to work harder when it came to helping Caedus and the Velencians. If no one else would help them, then he’d just have to do it by himself.
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