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Post by Ninmast on Apr 16, 2007 22:52:42 GMT -5
Name suggested by TrueBlue
"[Well? Go FIND it.]" Veritas waved a sword vaguely in the direction another mechanical behemoth had run off to, testy after her lack of exertion.
Nova saluted his annoyance with an obscene gesture, stalking off to carry out the order. Stomping through puddles of orange heat, swatting aside branchless, leafless trees that rose form the ground like a society of church steeples, occasionally broken by a pitch-covered rock formation here and there. The sky blocked out his solar source of power, but he had absorbed enough during the scant daylight to provide his own light, throwing white spotlights from his red eyes to the objects of his gaze.
A pink-haired humanoid with a faint blue, glowing outline watched as the strange native made his way through, watching as he sent his spotlight about. She reached out with her mind to see if she could determine if he were hostile or if she could approach. She also hoped to copy some of the native language so she could gain information on where she was if he wasn't a threat.
The Guardian batted at a sudden expulsion of smoke from the ground. 'Stupid... thing.' He whirled suddenly, throwing his floodlight-eyes around as the pink-haired girl reached his mind. He was apparently able to sense forms of psychic activity, but unable to recognize differences in energy.
"Aspectus? [Hey, finally! Why don't you find the machine?]"
"[I'm sorry, but I'm not Aspectus,]" the humanoid answered in Nova's tongue as she stepped cautiously out into sight, her hands held up to show she was unarmed. "" "[Holy-!]" Nova leaped backwards into a fighting stance. "[You're WAY behind Pyran lines, Deflagron.]" He affirmed harshly, spitting the last word, though she was obviously only a civilian. "[Southeast of here is the nearest camp, I'll give you that. Get out of here before things go supernova.]" He stifled a grin at his own pun, wary of any tricks the girl might try. Deflagrons fought dirty. "[Deflagron?]" she asked, as if unfamiliar with the word, as her abilities only duplicated language, not proper nouns and historical data. Such things would have required a deeper scan. Though she tilted her head to the side in confusion, she kept her hands up. "[Maybe it would help if I explained that I'm not from this planet?]" He eyed her skeptically. "[You're weird. There's no such things as aliens. Except for Deflagron ones.]" The Guardian relaxed his stance to stand normally, but mentally kept his hatchets at the ready. "[What's your purpose here?]" She shrugged, though she kept her hands up and didn't move, to try to keep from spooking him. "[Like I said, I'm lost. I'm from a place called Earth, and I think I took a wrong turn at the last solar cluster. When you're in the middle of the Milky Way, it's a real pain to figure out which way is which.]" "[Uh... huh.]" He stared at her for a few seconds longer before turning away abruptly, back in the direction he had come. "[Well, then, follow me, Alien Girl. Aspectus will love you.]" Then, with a laugh, he added, "[He would if he could, anyway.]" She tilted her head the other way as she followed as instructed. "" "[None of them are. Buncha military robots. It's really pathetic, how they go on and on about how much of a hindrance emotions would be to preformance, but look at me, I'm the most powerful of them all, and I STILL have a sense of humor.]" Nova prattled on, uncaring of the fact that his new charge knew nothing of who he spoke. Still, she followed the concept of the conversation well enough, nodding as he spoke. "" "[Well...]" Nova shrugged, unused to being countered with anything besides the flat of someone's blade on his head. "[They do have power, in their own ways. Just not anywhere near mine.]" Then he frowned, as if he had forgotten something. "[By the way, you didn't happen to see a large, blue-armored mechanical person back there, did you?] The humanoid shook her head, only pausing partially through the motion as she recalled it may not mean the same thing. "No, I didn't. I actually find it a bit hard to see with this acrid atmosphere and thick clouds. My body is protected, but it still ends up hazier than I'm used to.]" "[Hmm?]" He looked back at her, taking a few seconds to process what she'd said. "[Oh... Well, it is bit smokey today. Once we get out in the open, though, it's not so bad.]" Then he made a funny look at the path before him. "[You wear armor for smoke?]" "[Not exactly, but the same concept, yes. I told you I wasn't from here,]" she answered conversationally. "[Earth is far cooler, with about three-quarters of its surface covered in water, and our atmosphere has almost no sulfer in it. Without my environmental shielding - this blue light you see around me - I wouldn't be able to breathe or survive this heat.]" Nova looked surprised, as if he had forgotten that she wasn't a Deflagron. "[Water? Liquid water? They mostly only have that in laboratories here. Water's blue, right? Is that what your aura's made of?]" She shook her head, forgetting again that it may not mean the same, but this time, she didn't catch herself. "No. My aura is formed of energy. Like a force field, except it generates its own atmosphere. It's how I can be in deep space without a ship or life support.]" As an afterthought, she remembered to answer his first question. "[And yes, liquid water. As I said, Earth is far, far cooler. You would likely suffer from the temperatures as if they were extreme cold just as I would suffer from your atmosphere, which you feel just comfortable in, due to its comparably extreme heat." "[Huh.]" Nova frowned skeptically, as if her explaination contradicted itself. He was about to ask for another when he spotted a faint blue spot ahead, surrounded by a feminine sillhouette. "[Well, that'll be Aspectus. Better catch them so he can check you out.]" That said, he broke into a jog, keeping his eyes toward the sky, the spotlights from them catching the merged Guardians' attention. The girl followed his suit, jogging behind him as they closed in on the others, somewhat eager to see what these military robots looked like. They jogged for another ten seconds before the low-flying alien touched down before them, looking mildly irritated. Without preamble, the woman stated her opinion with two voices. "[That is not a Silicone.]" "[Hello to you, too, Rush and/or Aspectus.]" Nova smiled. "[This is my new best friend, ah...]" The Guardian glanced back at the pink-haired girl. "[What's your name?]" "[Star Peacefire,]"she answered, dipping her head as a show of respect. "[Please excuse the seeming pun. It has nothing to do with my travels. Just coincidence.]" "[My new best friend, who probably has emotions, Star Peacefire.]" Nova finished proudly.
The woman before them opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Then she opened it again, her voice decisively female this time. "[You're an idiot.]" Then, hesitantly, she turned her gaze to Star's person. Her voice became male, though tenor. "[What's your business here, miss?]" "[Nothing, really,]" Star assured them as best she could. "[I'm just lost. I sensed life on this planet, and thought that perhaps someone could point me in the right direction, but since my first presentation was greeted with disbelief, I doubt I'll find anyone who could do that.]" "[I'm sure-]" The woman interrupted herself with a blue flash of light. When it faded, another person had joined the party, a very slight man, smaller than all present.
"[She's okay.]" He stepped forward, evidently unsuspicious of the foreigner. "[You're really an alien, then? We'll have to present you to Mogg as soon as possible. Do you mind if I read you?]" "[Not at all,]" she answered, but leaned back cautiously. "[Just ... be careful. Even among my own people, I'm ... abnormal. It might be a dangerous ride.]" The Guardian hesitated. "[Are there any barriers I should be aware of?]"
"[And I'm Nova, and his name is Aspectus.]" Nova added. "[And that vile, disfigured creature is Rush.]" He ignored the excellent imitation of a murderous glare Rush shot him. Star glanced over toward Rush, then back at Nova. "[Strange, she doesn't seem that way to me. If she seems that ugly to you and she's of your own race, I must truly seem disgusting to you.]" Turning her attention back to Aspectus, she shook her head. "[I'm not very good defensively at psionics, and what little conscious resistance I can give will be down.]" "[Oh, no, you're not ugly at all. In fact-]"
Aspectus exhaled patiently. "[Nova, would you please find Commander and tell her the situation?]" Not waiting for an answer, he reached out to Star, touching her forehead. Images like choppy playbacks flashed by his mind's eye, showing in backwards motion her meeting the two of them, following Nova there, meeting Nova, wandering about for a short time on the planet's surface, entering its atmosphere, and travelling through the blackness of deep, empty space. Aspectus grinned faintly at the images of deep space. Now he had a witness, it was real, after all. Then he pressed toward a different area, looking for her native language and customs. The probe took a bit longer, as it wasn't so much on the surface, and such information was more extensive. Soon, however, it came in, taking longer than the scan of only the language that Star had done on Nova. Rush began tapping her foot impatiently. Half a minute later, Aspectus withdrew his hand, looking back at his comrade, apparently very satisfied with himself. "[Alright. Someone please go find Commander.]"
Nova kept his feet planted on the ground. The woman took off at an inhuman run. Star let out a low whistle that, of the present company, only Aspectus would know was a sign of impression. "[She's quick on her feet.]" She glanced toward Nova. "[Um, just to be sure, Rush IS a female, right?]" Nova started to answer, but changed it before he spoke as another thought occured. "[Oh Mogg, I hope so!]"
"[Yes, she is.]" Aspectus confirmed. "[Pyrans are similar to humans in most aspects, skin color obviously not being one of them.]" Star nodded in understanding. "[Sorry, just wanted to make sure. I was going off of my concepts of gender, and I didn't want to offend anyone.]"
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Post by Ninmast on Apr 16, 2007 23:13:48 GMT -5
"[Don't worry about it. We're not...]" Aspectus trailed off, reconsidering his statement. "[Don't worry about it. I'd be happy to explain things to you.]" "" Star answered, "[or if you would permit it, I can do the same sort of scan you did on me. I only did language at first because I didn't wish to impose.]" Aspectus nodded, though he didn't mean the gesture as permission. "[Your courtesy is appreciated, but I'm afraid we're unable to return the favor until our Commander arrives and gives the OK.]"
"[And she probably won't.]" Nova added, finishing the unspoken portion of the Beta Ranger's statement. Star nodded in acceptance. "" "[Yes...]" Aspectus replied flatly, a twinge of regret showing in his sideways glance. He hadn't thought of the possibilities.
The Zeta Ranger caught this, offering a short "[Haha!]" at his comrade. Star covered her mouth quickly and apologetically. "[Oh, whoops, I hope that doesn't get you in trouble.]" In Aspectus' thoughtful silence, Nova gave Star a curious grin. "[Nah. Him and Veritas are all... You know. 'Buddy-buddy'.]" He smiled, folding his arms over his chest. "[So, you're a psychic, same as him? Who created you?]" Star thought for a moment before answering. "[Well, I wouldn't say I was the same. As psychics go, I'm pretty weak. Mostly just deep telepathy. I can manage some very poor telekinesis, but it's like pebbles and paperclips, so I wouldn't say it's worth mentioning.]" "[As for who created me, no- ...]" She had started to say no one had, but that wouldn't have been entirely accurate. "[In a way, I suppose you could say the man who wanted to destroy me did.]" Aspectus looked up, taking interest in Star's response. Nova just squinted, confused. "[Why would-]"
Before he could finish, the woman from before returned, except this time on fire. Suddenly the fire was extinguished in a flash of green, and another woman had joined the group.
"[Sorry we're late.]" Rush apologized blandly, more for Veritas than herself. Star blinked at the response. "[It's no trouble for me. I'm on no set schedule.]" Nova laughed, despite the fact that nothing funny had been said. ""
Aspectus' expression changed, now showing a hint of a smile. "[Guess what?]"
The new woman gazed cooly at her subordinate, irritation burning in her green-glowing eyes. "[What?]"
"[Outer space is real.]"
Veritas sighed though her nose. Apparently they Guardians had had this discussion before. This seemed to confuse the human. "[You mean you people have advanced cybernetic technology, and you haven't developed space travel yet?]" Veritas seemed to roll her eyes, though one couldn't really tell. "[There is no such thing as 'Outer Space', no matter what any heretic tells you. What is your business here, Deflagron?]" "[Human,]" Star corrected the warrior pointedly. "[I've yet to even be slightly informed as to what a Deflagron is.]" "[Oh, I'm sorry.]" Aspectus answered quickly, but still dully. "[Deflagrons are the race our enemies belong to, they're currently invading our planet, Pyra, they are more technologically advanced, but they lack our magiscience, and they have oddly colored skin, similar to your people.]"
"[Or something thereabouts.]" Veritas added, giving Aspectus a surprised look. "[Oh,]" the alien responded with a look of understanding crossing her face. "[No wonder I was threatened on sight.]" She turned back to Veritas. "[I'm not a Deflagron. I'm a Human, from Earth, the third planet circling the star my people call Sol.]" Veritas nodded, as if Star's explaination were perfectly normal. "[Oh. Well, that certainly changes things. Forgive my misdiagnosis.]" The Pyran pulled at the necklace around her neck, and it came away freely, morphing into an ornamented halberd in her hand like green lava.
"[Commander, wait!]" Aspectus stepped in front of the weapon. "[She isn't crazy, she's telling the truth!]" "[It's okay, Aspectus,]" Star said reassuringly as she watched the woman. "" The Commander gave the alien a scowl. "[Deflagron, there are no 'other' planets, only rifts in the sky. Mogg has decreed that there is no such thing as 'outer space'. And there is none. You are obviously a heretic. How can you prove a god wrong?]" That brought a WIDE grin to the girl's mouth, but she forced it back and refrained from comment, returning her face to a normal expression. "[Well, I could show you, but you might simply claim that I forced some sort of hallucination upon you. It is very hard to prove anything to one who has set themselves so against it that they will ignore what is put before them.]" Veritas' expression changed from tiredness to dead decision, the heretic's fate was sealed from her point of view.
Nova shifted from foot to foot, for once uncomfortable. "[Star, right? Listen, you're kind of blaspheming our boss. And if the wench could get ticked off, she definitely would be right now.]" "[Sorry,]" Star answered, directing the apology to Veritas. "[I'm really not familiar with how things are set up here. Your psychic scanned my mind. Maybe you should check with him?]" Veritas sighed, relenting enough to de-morph her weapon. "" She twirled the locket over her finger. "[Except we don't report him because we still need him.]"
"[She HAS been in space.]"
"[Be quiet.]" Star sighed, rubbing her forehead. "[Alright, if you won't accept that I am from outer space, what would it take to prove to you that at least I'm not from around here or from either side of this war you seem to have going on? DNA tests?]" Veritas blinked at Aspectus, mouthing the last phrase as a silent question. The psychic shrugged, as clueless as she.
"[We could...]" Veritas began uncertainly. "[We could bring you to Mogg. Then he could tell us what you are for sure.]"
Aspectus grimaced. "[Or we'd be in trouble for not exterminating you immediately.]"
"[Oh, of course.]" Veritas frowned lightly, reconsidering her offer. Star shrugged, holding her arms out before her. "[Then take me there in chains. You won't have anything to worry about because you technically took me prisoner and as far as you know, I'm just some kooky Deflagron civilian that took too long a stroll.]" "[Besides,]" she added with a grin, "" Nova smacked his forehead. Aspectus frowned. Veritas looked distracted, mentally going over laws and regulations concerning personal audiences with an Emperor.
The psychic addressed Veritas. "[We can't really do that, can we?]"
Veritas waved a hand at nothing. "[...Not a chance. It's a terrible idea.]" Mogg's Throneroom was a suffocating place. The heavy high ceilings soared a hundred feet overhead, groined in darkness. At narrowest point the walls were a hundred feet apart, yet seemed well able to crush trespassers with their weighty stone presence. A deep purple strip of carpeting formed a straight path to the focus of the room, Mogg's towering pearl and scarlet throne. Even the air itself was choked with thin smoke and royal impassiveness. In the midst of this, Veritas and Aspectus stood before their captive, the other four Guardians standing behind, weapons drawn and held formally.
Before them, a child sat huffily on the high chair, bundled in too many layers of fine robes, cooly staring them all down with his silver irises. "[And what is your business here, Deflagron?]" The child mouthed, but his own voice did not speak, replaced by five others, old and young men, plus the child's dead mother, all rulers of the past. The prisoner bowed respectfully to the ruler, not discounting him due to him being a child. She was unaware of how things worked there, and even if he were not a god, he must have been something for the people to believe it. "" "" "[Stars?]" The child raised an eyebrow, though the expression was difficult to discern from his elevated position. "[They are white-hot glowing embers, blown up into the clouds occasionally by the wind. Why should we chart their movements?]" The girl slumped and sighed. "" Mogg's fist clenched. He started to lean forward, but stopped, relaxing his offense. "[Deflagron, my words are the only truth you will find.]" He began calmly. "[However, I am a merciful and just ruler. You Deflagrons have a warped concept of reality, and I pity you. Perhaps you may be of some use. Have you any skills or technology to offer?]" The girl looked up quickly with a smile. "[Oh, I've got lots of skills. No technology actually on me, though. I'm more an adventurer than an engineer.]" "[An explorer?]" Mogg seemed to brighten, smiling without actually doing so. "[Good enough. Project Alpha will find some use for you. Begone.]" With another wave of his hand, they were dismissed. Star, knowing circumstances for dealing with ruling dignitaries and hoping it would carry over sufficiently, bowed again respectfully and allowed the Guardians, whom still held her chains, to lead her back out. Once outside, Veritas handed her length of chain to Aspectus, using her now-free hands to finger-comb her hair. "['Project Alpha will find some use for you?' Honestly. Sometimes I begin to wonder about him.]" She cast Star a sideways glance. "[But then I remember that souch thoughts would be blasphemy and I stop wondering.]" The psychic sighed, waving a hand over the cuffs to telekinetically unlock them. "[You aren't going to drop that, are you?]" "[Please don't take this the wrong way, this is just my first impression of him, and I don't know what you guys do about him,]" Star responded to the woman's gaze as she caught the cuffs and tossed them to her, "[but for a god, I was expecting something a little more. What's Project Alpha?]" "[What do you mean, expecting more? He's a god. He's busy.]"
Rush intercepted the cuffs before Veritas caught them, answering the last question for her. "[She's Project Alpha. 'Veritas' is just a codename the scientists came up with.]" "[Oh. No wonder she seems upset about it.]" Star tapped her lip for a moment as she glanced over Alpha. "" She shrugged, though. "[Ah well, it's not important. The possibility you're even remotely related to anyone I know back home is nonexistant. So, if you're my new boss, what do you want me to do?]" "[Ah...]" Veritas pursed her lips in thought. "" She shrugged. "[Well, you already know I can use telepathy, but I'm actually really horrible at it. My strengths lie in more physical stuff. For instance ..." She pointed at Rush. "I can outrun her, easy." Rush bristled. Or would have, if she could have. The Guardian only narrowed her eyes skeptically. "[You really are crazy.]" Star shrugged again. "[I'd offer to prove it, but unless your abilities are typical, I doubt they would be able to tell the difference. Either one of us may be too fast to follow.]" Rush relaxed. An inch. "[Too bad, I guess.]"
"[No, no.]" Nova wagged a finger. "[Now I'm interested. Are you strong, too?]" Star nodded as she turned to him. "" "[Y'hear that, PenPen?]" Nova looked over his shoulder at the mild giant.
Impendo hadn't spoken to Star, only nodding an acknowledgement when they had met. Now he blinked at Nova, not understanding. "[What of it?]" Star's eyes seemed to light up as she saw the giant. "[Hey, I don't suppose you people know what arm-wrestling is, do you?]" Impendo seemed thoughtful for a moment. "[Arm wrestling? I believe so. Nova and Lucubro do it all the time. Their powers burn like acid when they touch each other, and the first to let go loses.]" "[Not exactly,]" the girl answered with a frown. "[Same concept, though. Arm-wrestling pits two people against each other in arm strength. They put their elbows on a table, grip their hands against each other, and starting with both being vertical, they try to push the other to the side. First one to touch the table loses.]" The Gamma Ranger scratched his chin in consideration. "[That sounds like a reasonable contest. Where could we find a table strong enough?]"
"[PenPen...]" Rush frowned lightly. "[You aren't serious, are you? Look at her.]"
The giatn shrugged. "[I've found that size is not a reliable indicator of strength.]" Ignoring Rush's comment, the girl looked around. "[If a table cannot be found, a nice, flat piece of ground will work just as well.]" "" Rush started, but shook her head.
Impendo looked down at his feet. The ground they were on appeared to meet the description. "[Is here alright?]" Star nodded and got down on her knees in preparation, placing her elbow in the dirt as she mentioned. "[This'll be just fine. Ready?]" Impendo followed her example, grasping her comparatively tiny hand in his wide fist. "" She nodded and turned to Nova. "[We need someone to take our hands and make sure we start out vertically, without going to one side or the other, then to release it as the command to begin is given, so that neither side gets an unfair start.]" "[Why, my dear Star, you don't know The Guardians of The Gate very well.]" He got down with them, a hand on their hands as instructed. "[Cheating is the name of our game! How else do we win anything?]" She raised an eyebrow at that, but shrugged. "[It wouldn't be much of a test if one side cheated, would it? How can you be certain of your data if it's scewed?]" "[Well, we all have our own opinions, don't we?]" Nova winked up at Aspectus and Veritas, the former giving the Zeta Ranger a tired look.
"[Readysetgo!]" Nova jumped up and back. Star slowly pushed against Impendo's massive hand, not straining, but noticibly gaining ground against the behemoth. Impendo appeared baffled at the advancement, beginning to strain against the girl's grasp. He grit his teeth to ask a question. "[How many players are allowed in this game?]" "[It is typically one-on-one, but a particularly arrogant opponent may allow as many to compete against him or her as they wish,]" the girl answered without strain. She grinned. "[Why? Do you feel you need aid to defeat a little girl?]" "[Yes.]" Impendo admitted through clenched jaws. Apparently caught between fairplay and pride, he reluctantly grit the psychic's name through his teeth.
Aspectus sighed. "[This is silly. I am not helping you.]" "[Anyone else you want?]" she asked politely as she reached the halfway mark. "[Comm-a-ander!]" Impendo complained, as if straining against a mountain.
Veritas bit her lip. "[No, you really shouldn't be having this much trouble.]"
The alien reached the three-quarters mark. The giant's hand was nearly on the ground. "[Last chance. Anyone at all?]" "[Come on!]" Impendo grimaced, clenching finger-holes in the ground next to him.
Aspectus glanced at Veritas, waiting for the match to finish. "" And the giant's knuckles hit the ground. Star stood and offered a hand to help Impendo up off of the ground. "[Better luck next time. If it's any consolation, bigger guys than you have tried.]" Impendo accepted the hand, nodding as he stood. "[It isn't really, if it means that there ARE bigger guys than me. Nonetheless, good game, Miss Star.]" "[Same to you. It was fun.]" She turned to Aspectus. "[Let me guess, you plan to use your telekinesis against my strength, right? I'm not so sure I can match that, but I'm willing to try.]" Aspectus shrugged lightly. "[Something to that extent.]" He cast an annoyed glance toward Nova. "[As long as it isn't against the rules, of course.]" Star glanced toward Nova to see how he would respond. Nova held up his hands in defense. "[What? I'm not the ref. I was just saying-]"
"[Okay, thank you.]" Aspectus cut him off, kneeling down in the holes Impendo's knees had left. Star positioned herself as she had before. "[Are you going to grip my hand or just put mental force upon it?]" The psychic paused, as if considering. "[The latter would probably be more effective.]" He frowned, moving his elbow out of the gouge Impendo had made. "[And I hope someone's called the repair man. We are still on palace grounds.]" Star glanced about. "[We can move if you think it would be better. It might hurt morale if we get a crowd and they think a Deflagron is beating their super-soldiers.]" Nova laughed. "[Good point, but you don't have to worry, here. No commoners are permitted, let alone slaves, and slaves are the ones you have to watch out for, anyway.]" "[Gossipers, huh?]" she asked, apparently not inclined to throw their entire socio-cultural establishment out of whack just because he mentioned slaves. As far as she knew, they could be treated very well and used reasonably. "[Oh yeah. You wouldn't believe it if you heard half the stuff they come up with. In fact, one time, we had to shut 'em up in a mine and-]"
Rush assaulted the Zeta Ranger with the back of her hand, now the flat of a sword. "[And we'll shut YOU up the same way if you don't stop talking!]" Star stared at the two of them for a moment, then turned to Veritas. "[Clearly, my understanding of your culture is lacking. Since me doing a deeper scan of your minds is out of the question due to security, maybe we should skip the games of contest and I should start learning some of this stuff.]" Aspectus stood quickly, happy to save face. "[We could do that.]"
Veritas shifted from foot to foot, considering. "[It is still entirely possible that you're some misshaped Deflagron demon, but I don't see the harm if you swear allegiance to the Northern Empire first.]"
Rush groaned. "[Commander, that takes forever.]" Star leaned back a bit, placing her hands behind her head. "[Fine by me. I'm immortal, anyway, so I've got all the time in the world. It's why I decided to sight-see through the multiverse in the first place. Think you could tell me more about the Deflagron threat first, though? Just so I know what I'm swearing to fight against?]" Veritas nodded. "[The Deflagrons are vile creatures, lanky and awkward, nearly double our hieght with dark eyes and bizarrely colored skin. Nearly fifteen years ago, the first few arrived as scouts, with them an ambassador. The ambassador was a missionary of pagan religeons, blaspheming and defacing government property left and right.]" Veritas waved her hands around to illustrate. "[So Mogg sent police to arrest them, but Deflagrons have superior technology and captured the police that were sent. Everything snowballed from there, both sides retaliating and avenging until it became an all-out war, and the Deflagrons showed their true colors, demanding our entire planet, conversion, abolishment of castes, and all-around surrender.]"
"[Vile creatures.]" Nova added with a nod. Star scratched her head for a moment. "[Well, I'm not particularly fond of castes, either, but the rest of the stuff was definitely uncalled for. They have no right to demand everyone change to their specifications. What do they think you guys are, robots?]" She stopped for a moment, grinned weakly, and added. "[Um, nevermind, you get the idea.]" "[Of course.]" Veritas formed a fake smile.
"[It's really a bit more complicated than that.]" Aspectus mumbled, but didn't press the matter. Star looked to him with her head tilted to the side. "[What's more complicated? The holy war or the robot part?]" "[The Holy War. I mean, realistically, all we have is words. We weren't even there until four years in. Who knows what really happened?]"
"[Heretic.]"
Rush looked toward the massive gates that marked the exit. "[Nevermind, let's hurry up and get started. I'm hungry.]" "[Me, too,]" Star agreed. "[I'm curious what kinds of food you have here. But ... just one thing ... just so you know. I'm more than willing to help those in need, but I would not become a follower of Mogg if that is a requirement. I follow another God, and I'm afraid I don't believe your ruler actually is one.]" She held her hands up before her. "[Now, I won't try to force your beliefs, but those are mine. I'm still willing to help you and fight to protect your people, but I won't worship with you.]"
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Post by Ninmast on Apr 16, 2007 23:36:06 GMT -5
Veritas looked exasperated. Aspectus shook his head. "[It isn't a requirement, I don't worship with them, either.]" Nova frowned. "[Just don't go around telling people. Mogg'll have your head if he finds out you said that. Like, for real.]" "[Well, he didn't find out when Rush mistook the Treasurer for a Silicone in disguise.]" Aspectus mused. "[He knew, he just didn't care.]" Star's eyebrow went up again - a gesture she was beginning to be sure she would be repeating with frequency. "Silicone?" "That's what we call the machines the Deflagrons invented to counter our creation. Some of them can shapeshift, so it gets pretty confusing on a battlefield." Rush scowled. "Though WHY the Treasurer was even there, we'll never know." "I was chasing one when I found you!" Nova smiled, glad to contribute. She frowned. " " Nova blinked. "Silicones ARE robots." "[That one was just a vapor-control one, though. We don't get many of those anymore.]" Impendo added. "[Vapor control?]" "[Yes. Like Nova's Light-control, or Veritas' pyrokineses. It converts vapor into a liquid form and uses it as a weapon, though the effect is nulled once we morph.]" This, if anything, got the girl's attention. Another smirk was pulling at her lips. "[Morph? Like Power Rangers? You're joking, right? You mean I came all this way across space just to run into a little kid's show?]" When the group was silent, Veritas answered for them. "[...What?]"
"[Apparently she's familiar with our armor.]" Lucubro spoke for the first time. "" "[Is it all, like, multi-colored? Do you have zords?]" Star pointed her finger at Veritas. "[Are you the pink ranger? You seem like you could be a pink ranger.]" Veritas seemed bewildered. "[What are you talking about? What are Power Rangers?]"
"[I've seen them.]" Aspectus let on smugly. "[It is 'all, like, multi-colored', but we're generally assigned colors by our eyes. Veritas is the green ranger.]" "[Eyes, huh?]" Star suddenly looked around at each of their eyes as if checking, then turned back to Veritas as the thought crossed her mind - and Aspectus would probably catch it - that Mogg had said she'd be working with Veritas. "" "[You'll wear what I assign you.]" Veritas folded her arms crossly.
"[Pink suits you.]" Aspectus half-smiled. "[Don't worry, the skirt is optional.]" Star sighed in relief at the mention of the skirt being optional. "" "[Can we walk and talk at the same time?]" Rush sighed exagerratedly.
"[Original colors?]" Aspectus questioned. "[I'm waiting on you guys,]" Star answered Rush. ""
She turned back to Aspectus. "[Let's see, how to put this ... I wasn't made from scratch like you probably were. I was a ... well, not EXACTLY a civilian, but nothing like what he did to me. But I was at least fairly normal. I originally had blonde hair and blue eyes.]" "[Well I'M-]"
Veritas cut her off with a wave. "[Alright, we're going.]"
"[What who did to you? You aren't a government-sponsored project?]" Star shook her head as she began walking along with the others. "[No, my government is completely unaware of the conflict I fight in, or at least it pretends it doesn't exist. Like I mentioned before, the one who altered me was the one who wanted to kill me. Or get me onto his side.]" She shrugged. "[To give credit where it's due, Kali was flexible, at least.]" Aspectus nodded. "[So, this Kali, he must be a powerful man. Why did he want to destroy you?]" "[He works for his father. I doubt you guys are familiar with demons and angels, but his father is called Lucifer. The Prince of Darkness.]" She glanced toward Lucubro. "[And I don't mean the shadows you use to help people, either. Kali wanted to use his own incredible powers to steal the souls of humanity and deliver them and the world to his father. I was chosen to stop him.]" Aspectus also glanced at Lucubro, who ignored them. "[Did you?]" She nodded. "" Star shrugged. "[In the end, I put a holy beam of energy through his chest, and he scattered like a million sparkles of energy. I would like to think I did my Lord proud that day.]" "[Good for you.]" Aspectus nodded, incapable of being truly happy for someone. Then he changed the direction of the conversation. "[Your power source is yourself?]" Again, she nodded. "[That's right. I use a combination of martial arts and direct energy manipulation. I draw the energy mostly from myself, but I can also draw it from the surrounding area if I concentrate harder. I use it to strengthen my own attacks or to create energy-based attacks.]" "[There are two things that draw it from another source, though,]" she added after a moment of thought. "" "[Nova draws his power from the sun, as well.]" Aspectus compared the information slowly. "[But drawing energy from within must require an incredible amount of... well, energy. Impendo is nearly twice your size and you matched his best efforts without breaking a sweat.]" Again, the alien nodded. "" The Guardian seemed surprised. "[How is it possible to store that much power inside you?]" "[To be honest, I spent a lot of time and effort training my body for it,]" she confessed. "[If that quantity was just forced in, it'd tear the person apart.]" He opened his mouth to question further, but let it drop as they passed the gates. "[So, in short, you're stronger than Impendo, utilize energy-control, and...]" He gestured at her blueish aura. "[You can make bubbles.]" Star grinned at the last part. "Yup, sounds about right. And I heal right up if I get hurt and I don't age. I think that's about it. Oh, and that trick Miss Alpha did with that big stick?]" "[Summoning from the locket?]" "[Well, I don't summon mine from a locket, but ...]" Star held her right arm out to one side as red lightning surged down it and solidified into a longsword. "[Meet the King's Blade.]" The sudden lightning caught the others' attention, and Aspectus voiced his surprise. "[You summon that from nothing? So far only Nova's advanced enough to do that. How far ahead of us IS your world?]" "[It's not,]" she admitted, allowing the sword to disappear again. "[It's actually very far behind you in terms of cybernetic technology. What I do was taught to me by very powerful people. Anyone can learn it, but it's an ancient art kept very secret in the modern world. Only a handful of people truly understand what it is.]" "[Oh.]" Aspectus frowned, not truly understanding, himself. "[Can you summon other objects, as well, or are you tied to this weapon?]" "[There are a couple other things I can summon, but they're all tied to me.]" So saying, a small, ornate wand with an orange cream orb on the end with the symbol of Leo inside - a constellation likely only Aspectus would recognize from his scanning of her mind. "[This is what I use to get to that form that draws power from the sun that I mentioned. It's called a Transformation Wand.]" The psychic seemed confused. "That isn't really a weapon, is it?]" "[No, it's not,]" she answered. "[It's ... hmm ... like a morpher.]" "[Ah.]" He nodded, understanding the analogy. "[Our morphers are our belt buckles, except for Lucubro's.]"
The Epsilon Ranger looked up upon hearing his name, but didn't speak, letting his expression speak for him.
Aspectus ignored him. "[Does that mean you're already a Power Ranger?]" She shook her head. "[No, it's for a different group. The function of the device is just comparable. The outfit isn't even remotely the same.]" "[Oh. Then what-]" The psychic stopped, interrupted by a high-pitched scream from their afore-mentioned morphers.
The other Guardians either groaned or waited silently for Aspectus. Veritas fingered her locket. "[Seems we've got another disturbance. Star, you may return to the Gate if you wish.]" "[I'd rather accompany you and see this Deflagron threat for myself, if you wouldn't mind,]" she answered. "" Veritas nodded reluctantly. "[Very well, though I can't garuntee you'll be of service. The threat isn't always Deflagron.]" She let go of her locket. "[Aspectus?]"
"[Found it.]" The psychic opened his eyes, apparently having searched the area while they spoke. "[It's only a few Silicones, but there'll be more when we all get there.]"
"[How far?]"
"[About a hundred miles.]" Veritas sighed to herself. "[Alright. Looks like it's all Nova's.]"
Nova smiled broadly. "[Awesome!]" Star thought for a minute. "[If you let me link through your mind so I can get a link on their position, I can teleport us all there. I figured, being Power Rangers, you'd be able to do that, anyway.]" Nova's smile faded. "[YOU can teleport? And you can teleport other people?]"
Veritas looked at Aspectus, who nodded. "[Alright. Impendo will ride with Rush. If you can link Lucubro, Aspectus, and myself, do so, as long as this link isn't invasive...]" "" "[The disturbance is east of here, in Province Seventy-Nine.]" Aspectus stated, taking Veritas' hand. "" "" Star answered, holding her hand up as if to place it against his head. "[May I? I promise not to touch anything else. A psionist like yourself would no doubt know the moment I did, anyway.]" "[Certainly.]" Aspectus replied, an answer to both statements. Star nodded and placed her hand against the side of his head, closed her eyes, and took the information on the location. "[Alright, that works. If everyone will please lay their hand on me or someone touching me?]" Aspectus placed a hand on Star's shoulder. Lucubro started to reach out, as well, but stopped. "[Is your energy Holy-aligned or Light?]"
Aspectus addressed his comrade flatly. "[It doesn't bother you THAT much.]"
Lucubro narrowed his eyes at the psychic and took hold of Star's other shoulder, taking the comment as a challenge. She grinned as no ill effect befell the Guardian. "[It's neutral unless I'm in one of my transformations, which alters all the energy in my body. The sun one is light, the Angelic one is holy.]" She closed her eyes and focused on the location she got from Aspectus, and a moment later, they were there. "[See? That wasn't so bad, was it?]" Lucubro simply released her shoulder and looked away. "[Let's go.]"
Aspectus seemed satisfied with himself as he started off after Lucubro. "[Don't take it personally. He's always like that.]" "[Oh, I've pretty much figured that out,]" she answered. "[Now, let's bash heads!]" Veritas smirked at the figure of speech. "[Sure. Now we just have to FIND them.]"
As if on cue, a rocket exploded in the sky. In the distance, something like a tank was rolling toward them over the flat plain of gray, solidified ash, firing rockets straight up to mark its progress.
Aspectus was the first to recognize it through the smoke-heavy air around them. "[What's THAT supposed to be?]" Star frowned. "[What, now you're going to tell me you guys don't know what a tank is?]" She began to levitate, moving up into the air "[I'm going to see if there's any others. Hold onto your jackets.]" Up into the air she moved, her energy shifting the air around her as it turned like a reversing tornado, shoving the smoke away and clearing the air to increase visibility. A miniature convoy of the droids moved-single file, like wind-up toys on a mission. Their white and silver armor burned red in the light of the swollen Pyran sun, revealing the symmetry of their design. The tanks were each perfect squares interrupted only by the round heads perched on top of them.
At the sudden disturbance in the air, the lead droid's head rotated up, firing at Star's position. The missile collided with the churning energy tides that were pushing the air away and exploded before it came in contact with her, seeming to explode in midair. She raised her hand toward the drone and an orb of energy gathered in it. A moment later, it blasted forward with ten times the concussive force of the missile the drone had fired at her. The blast detonated with enormous force, blowing the droid a hundred feet away. It was undamaged, but it seemed unable to recover itself, stuck on its side. The other droids seemed to think about this, then each of them fired at once. Again, the missiles collided with the churning eddies she was producing in the air, but she sent a telepathic message to the Guardians instead of immediately firing back. -[Well? Do you guys want in or should I pick at them, myself?]- A good ways behind Star, a loud whirring became audible. It came from a lone, armored man suspended in the air by a mess of wildly-swinging helicopter-like blades. The man clutched a squarish alien device to his chest, apparently nervous of having his hands removed by the helicopter blades. He shouted out at her in thickly-accented Pyran, his voice amplifiedby unseen means. "[You are a new one?!]" "" she shouted back. "[They fired at me first!]" "" The armored man didn't wait for a response, now occupied with his squarish device. He sank downward, the helicopter wings slowing their rotations. She sighed in annoyance. "[Look, can I finish off the tanks or not?]" "[Do as you please, I am not standing in your way!]" The Deflagron floated downwards, away from the conflict. Rush had just arrived, and Impendo had separated, not waiting with her.
From the ground, Aspectus messaged Star again. -[What did that guy say?]- -[Not much. He thinks I'm one of you guys, and seems upset that he wasn't told. No biggy. Do you guys want in on this, or should I take care of them?]- As she sent the telepathic message, she raised either hand as light-red energy gathered around them, focusing into spinning discs that let out a whine like saw blades. -[Huh. Well, go ahead. We found a couple of regular soldiers, it's probably the same thing in all of them. Go ahead and destroy them.]- -[Roger, roger!]- she cheerily chirped back telepathically, then focused into solidifying the blades. In her native tongue as she drew her hands back, she shouted, "Double Slicer!" The blades went flying toward the tanks, ready to slice them open like tuna cans, as the afterburn stayed around her hands. The tanks detonated in over-large explosions, possibly because of the rockets they were still armed with. With the last tank destroyed, it became clear that no backup had been called.
-[Yay.]- Came another message. -[Veritas says you're allowed to come down now.]- The girl grinned and allowed herself to drop out of the air, landing beside them after slowing her descent to something that wouldn't leave a crater. "[Honey, I'm home! How's things on your end?]" "[Oh, it's fine. Borderline treason!]" Veritas smiled artificially.
Beside them, the armored man removed his helmet, speaking in now-excellent Pyran. "[So, you're an alien? Welcome to the most confusing planet in the universe.]" She grinned as she crossed her arms. "[Psh, this has got nothing on Earth. You should come pay us a visit sometime. There, people don't just argue about outer space. They argue about immigration, gay rights and whether or not we have the right to defend ourselves.]" The pink-haired girl glanced toward Veritas. "[What'd you mean borderline treason?]" "[Why, socializing with the same Deflagron scum we strive to rid ourselves of.]" Veritas jabbed a thumb in the Delfagron's direction.
The Deflagron in question bowed deeply, a dangerous feat considering the mess of blades on his back. "[Fluvius the Medic, at your service.]" "[Star Peacefire,]" she answered, offering her hand. "" Fluvius blinked at the hand, confused at both the gesture and Star's comment. "[Well, then, Miss Peacefire, I don't suppose you'd be interested in joining the Deflagron efforts if these Pyran horrors beat me to asking.]" "[Sorry, they already beat you to it,]" she answered, but with kindness. "[From what I understand, the Deflagrons are waging a holy war against the Pyrans, who are trying to defend their land.]" Fluvius laughed. "[Oh, they gave you that version, did they? I assure you, it's quite the other way around.]"
Veritas cleared her throat. "[Careful, Deflagron. We don't like you THAT much.]"
"[Of course not.]" Fluvius smiled good-naturedly. "[You're probably going to cost me my job this time, anyway.]" Star cleared her throat. "[Regardless of who is waging the holy war - and to be honest, if you think of it, both sides probably are, after a manner of speaking - in situations like this, I try not to overly pick sides. My role is naturally as a defender. I protect those who need protecting, whoever they are.]" Fluvius shrugged. ""
Nova bounded up to the group, twirling a hatchet slick with dark red. "[Hello, Medic! What's goin' on over here?]" "[Civilians need protecting,]" Star answered without hesitation. "[Those who cannot protect themselves from what others can.]" "[Only civillians?]" Fluvius questioned, distracted by Nova's appearance.
Nova looked from one to the other. "[What are you guys talking about?]" "[Civilians were just one example,]" she answered. "[Of people who need protecting,]" she added for Nova's benefit.
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Post by Ninmast on Apr 16, 2007 23:44:14 GMT -5
Fluvius shrugged, catching Veritas' stare in the corner of his eye. " "
"[Oh.]" Nova nodded, catching on. "[Is he trying to convert you?]" This drew out a chuckle from the alien. "" "[He is... ish.]" Nova shrugged honestly. ""
"[Awkward meeting, it was. I don't believe they really know what they're fighting for.]" Fluvius paused, as if in thought. "[And those, back there, were just some prototypes, so...]" Star glanced back at the ruins of the tanks, but shrugged. "[Prototypes or not, they still shot at me first ...]" "[They weren't shooting AT you, they were marking your position. With rockets.]" The medic blinked. "[And then more rockets. They weren't MY idea, you know.]" The girl scowled and crossed her arms with a huff. "[Well, somebody should tell the idiot who designed them that it isn't a bright idea to have them see with live ammunition.]"
Fluvius shrugged. "[If you put it THAT way...]" The Deflagron fumbled with his metal box again. "[So, anything else I can do for you guys today?]"
Star raised her hand a moment later. "" "[Star charts, huh?]" Fluvius scratched his chin, looking up at the black-on-red sky. "[With our atmosphere, you hardly ever see them unless you get above the clouds. I could probably find some at a library for you.]" "[I'd appreciate it,]" she answered. "" "[Oh. Heh, I don't know where that is.]" Fluvius fidgeted with the box, as if looking for something. "[And it seems I don't have a library with me.]" The girl chuckled. "[That's okay. I didn't expect you to know where it is. You probably call it something else. That's why I really need to look at the charts, myself.]" "[Well...]" The Delfagron frowned. "" He trailed off, now fumbling with a thick manacle on his wrist. "" "[No hurry,]" Star answered. "[Just when you can. While I'm here, I can help where I can.]"
"[Oh, good.]" Fluvius mused, obviously not entirely thrilled. "[Just don't kill any of us. Specifically myself.]" "[Don't worry. I try to refrain from killing anyone if I can help it.]" Star shook her head. "[You people watch too many alien horror movies.]" Fluvius laughed, but the others were either unfamiliar with the concept or weren't paying attention. "[Thanks, then.]" As and after-thought, he added, somewhat more serious: "[And if you could keep Nova and his hatchets away from our trenches, I would appreciate it.]"
She stared blankly at the cyborg in question, who was still waving them around. " "[Yes. I hope you didn't get Rhoden, I liked her.]"
"" Nova gestured with one hatchet down the middle of his head. "[...Like that. It was a good shot.]" At that, Star scowled. "[Okay, Nova, that's just sick. You realize you're talking about sentient, living beings, right?]" Nova scowled as well, surprised at her rebuke. "[They're just Deflagrons. It doesn't matter, they're all gonna die anyway.]" He resumed mock-throwing his hatchets. "[Even the Medic, here.]"
Fluvius remained silent, more somber now and suddenly absorbed with his metal box. Star reached out, her hand like a pistol as she made a firing motion and a burst of energy shot the hatchet out of alignment so it skittered to the ground. "[Anything with free choice has the right to choose its own path, whether they think like you do or not. So could you at least stop being a sadistic little prick for the time being?]"
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Post by Ninmast on Apr 16, 2007 23:55:10 GMT -5
Nova's eyebrows went up in surprise at the sudden disappearance of his hatchet. "[Sadistic?]" He turned, looking 'round to locate the weapon. "[I'm not sadistic. Don't I have the right to be, anyway?]" "[You have the right to be however you want, so I'm requesting that you give it a rest for the time being.]" "[You did your job,]" she continued. "[Good for you. Do you really have to brag about slaughter?]" " " Nova sulked, bending down to retrieve it. "[But since you're so sensitive, I'll lay off.]"
"[Hey, Nova?]" Lucubro spoke from behind Star, having been busy messing with the droids.
"[Yes?]"
"[Shut up.]" "[It's okay,]" Star said. "[He may have been trying to jab, but he's right. I'm sensitive about it.]" She turned back toward Nova. "[Thank you for agreeing to my request.]" Nova was again surprised. "[Um. Thank you for thanking me.]" He peered over her shoulder at his counterpart. "[See? That's why she's my new bestest friend. You guys don't ever thank me for agreeing to requests.]" The girl smiled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. Fluvius nodded slowly at the development, then began flipping switches on his box. "[You guys are really weird. I suppose I'll be going now.]"
"[Bye. Sorry about your... friend.]" Lucubro apologized awkwardly.
"[I'm not.]" Nova added quickly.
Fluvius sighed loudly as his helicopter blades slowly started to spin. "[Don't worry about it. People are dime a dozen.]" Star sighed, shaking her head, then turned to wave to Fluvius as he took off. "[Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fluvius.]" "[You too, Miss Star!]" The medic shouted down over the whir of the blades. Rush also offered a wave, but Aspectus and Veritas seemed not to notice his leave. Star sighed and turned back toward Veritas. "[So ... Cooommander ... Aren't you supposed to give some sort of order to return to base or something?]" Veritas looked up quickly, as if startled from a trance. "[Base? Not yet. Did anyone morph?]"
From the flat, dis-unified "[Noo, Commander]", Veritas nodded her satisfaction. "[Good. Did we get anything?]"
Lucubro looked down at the mess of wires in his hands. "[This is the core of one. I think.]"
"[Hmm. You pulled it out?]"
"[Yes.]"
"[Good, then you're the one who does the paperwork on it.]" Star thumbed toward the tank remains. "[Should I get the shell off of one of those tanks? It seemed pretty heavily armored.]" Veritas blinked at it, then back to Star. "[Can you write in Northen Imperial?]" Star returned the woman's gaze. "[Depends. Do you trust me with another mind meld?]" "[Mmm.]" Veritas looked toward Aspectus, who gave her a 'thumbs-up' gesture, learned previously from Star. "" "[That's alright,]" Star answered. "" Aspectus tilted his head skeptically. "[Oh, I doubt you could handle Mogg. God or no, not even I can get into his head.]" She shrugged. "[It was just an example. He's probably a psionist, himself, and he knows how to keep his defenses up.]" She was more watching Veritas, though. "[Sorry, I got that impression again.]" "[Mm.]" Veritas answered again, matching Star's gaze. "[Well, we'd better get on with it. I'm starting to get hungry, too.]" She broke the gaze, shaking her head and mumbled something that they wouldn't recognize, as it was in English. "[Alright, who do you want me to copy from?]" Veritas nodded toward Aspectus, who stepped forward. Star nodded, turned to Aspectus, placed her hand on him like she had before, and closed her eyes. A moment later, she turned back to Veritas. "Now, I can." "[Good for you!]" Veritas clapped in mocked joy. "[Now you can go get the shell. Thank you.]" Star nodded and dashed off, moving so quickly that all with perhaps the exception of Rush who had faster eyes would have seen her there one moment and gone the next. The next moment, however, she was standing there again with half a tank slung over her shoulder. "[Ready!]" Veritas opened her mouth to say something smart alec, but closed it. "[Yep. I think we'll just walk this time, though. It's only twenty miles to the next big marketplace. Impendo, ride with Rush again.]"
The quiet giant nodded, taking Rush's hand and disappearing in a flash of white. Star watched the fusion for probably the fifth time since she arrived. "[Nifty. Just don't do that to me. I don't know what my body would do to you.]" Aspectus brightened at the idea. "[Well, now I want to try.]"
"[Later. Let's go eat.]" "Pizza," the human subbed in for no real reason, using the English word, as it had no Pyran equivalent that she knew of. It just sounded like the next word at the end of the sentence. "[What?]" Three of the rangers responded in unison.
"[What?]" Veritas repeated, a delayed reaction. "[How do you know what that means?]" Star raised an eyebrow. ["What what means?]" "Pizza. [That's- that's my word. I made it up.]" Veritas half-stammered.
"[And it's GROSS.]" Nova put in. Star's eyebrow seemed to go up a bit further. "[And just by chance, what does it mean? To you?]" "[It's this-... thing.]" Veritas gestured vaguely, suddenly shy. "[Oh, forget it.]"
"[It's a food she made up. It's on flat, circular bread, and she puts weird stuff on it, and eats it like she's been starving for months.]" Nova provided again.
"" Star started walking, but wasn't really looking at anything. "" "" Veritas mumbled. "Pizza [is a] human [dish,]" Star explained. "[Oh.]" Veritas grimaced. "[Dear Mogg, your people are weird.]" Star stopped completely, her eyes widening as she turned to Veritas. "[... What ... did you just say?]" Veritas blinked. "[I'm sorry?]" Star shook her head. "[You didn't offend me. I just realized who you remind me of.]" "[Oh. One of your] humans?" "[No, not a human,]" Star answered. "" She began to count off on her fingers. "[Pyran, green ranger, obsession with pizza, swearing to Mogg, calling people weird in that tone, and ...]" She paused. "" Veritas was bewildered by the accusation. "[Why would-? As a weapon? It's important to be adept with whatever is available, but I don't particularly specialize in frying pans.]" "[But do you enjoy it?]" the alien pressed. "[Or favor it when it's on hand?]" She backed half a step away. "[You're crazy!]"
Nova helped again: "[She has an iron sword, does that count?]" Something clicked in her head, and she spoke again in English. "Cast Iron Fury ..." She then translated it into Northern Imperial and then raised her finger to point at Veritas and said another word in English. "True." Veritas' mouth was half-open, trying to digest exactly what this alien was trying to suggest.
Aspectus looked from one to the other. "[How do you know she says that?]" She turned to Aspectus. "[She says Cast Iron Fury?]" The psychic nodded slowly. "[Yes, but only when she hasn't slept in a few days and gets a little... Well, only when she hasn't slept in a few days.]" "[When she gets a little crazy,]" Star finished the sentence. Instead of walking, she just flopped down. "[Well, since I'm fairly certain I can't cross time, I must have skipped over into a dimension that's behind the time of the others.] True [hasn't been exiled yet ...]" "[Who's getting exiled? Who's] True?" Veritas questioned quickly, disliking confusion. Star frowned, as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't even bring herself to look any of them in the face as she raised her finger and pointed again at the Alpha Ranger. "[Gah, I feel like the darn Grim Reaper ...]" "[What...?]" Veritas asked again, more quietly. She felt a sudden pang of cold in her stomach, but couldn't identify the source. "[But I haven't done anything wrong.]" She looked at the others. "" They all shook their heads, as confused as she. All except for Nova, who seemed fascinated. Star sighed again, keeping her head down. "[No, not yet ... I suppose now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, it's only fair if I tell you ... Maybe it'll help you. You're not going to like it, though. I don't know the whole story, but what I do know ... well, like I said, you really won't like it ...]" Aspectus crouched down beside Star, placing a hand on her shoulder. "[I'm sure we've heard worse. Go on.]" She shook her head. "[No, you haven't. There's nothing worse than knowing how you're going to die.]" "[Die?]" Aspectus withdrew his hand, but offered it again. "[What Silicone can take us down?]" The alien opened her mouth to speak, shut it again, then took a deep breath. "[It's not a Silicone.]" She turned toward Nova, meets his gaze for only a moment, and looked away again. She buried her head in her hands. "[Oh, why did I open my big mouth?]" Nova blinked unknowingly. "[No, go on. Not a Silicone that kills us in the end, you say?]" "[No, Nova. A Silicone doesn't kill them. You do. And Veritas gets blamed for it and exiled off the planet. She ends up on Earth, where she possesses a human girl. She gets scatterbrained, though. Very over-emotional. She never told me why.]" "" Nova seemed surprised, but not upset, as if listening to a Psychic's doomsday predictions without really believing them. "[Why? Do I go rogue and turn Deflagron?]" "" she answered, "[but I know that Mogg either is a liar or becomes corrupt. He becomes unjust, cruel, evil. Because your loyalty is tied directly to him, rather than a sense of right or wrong, you turn against the other Guardians when they try to protect the people from him.]" Veritas recovered from her lapse, taking the same distant, unbelieving view as Nova. "[Why would I be blamed for that? I can't kill them, my powers don't allow it. Everyone knows that.]
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