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"So... we seem to have had a pretty good outing, you rescued the princess from the slavers, we saved a planet and its people, and defeated a would be tyrant. But you don't seem happy, I was hoping to help but I figure I am the last person you probably want to have a heart to heart with. So if you need to talk to someone I am always here."
"Dusk? I don't think he could have done this, at least not alone. Maybe if he got his whole gang together. But I think the more important thing would be that I doubt he would have done this, even if he could."
A shift in tone, perhaps a bit of joviality?
"And there are certain lines of thought that say that if one should find themselves headed for a knife fight, one should always bring artillery if one can. Both as a precaution in case you are wrong, and because an overkill crushing victory is frequently less harmful overall than a protracted battle."
<Oh, I am still rather mission-focused, I'll freely say that. But I don't think my mission with you folks is over yet. I suppose I should say that, in addition to any emotional attachments I may feel, I also still feel like I can accomplish more with the Sentinels than as an advisor. Plus, I have some promises to keep with you, and I do not intend to be a word-breaker. And... well... it may be rude to say it, but the Sentinels need someone relatively emotionally stable on the team, or you're liable to go down in angst-flames one day or another over something that should have been trivial, and that would be a tragic loss.>
"Hey now, asking to see a ship's core like that is rude you know! I can spit out the gravitic node perfectly fine on my own if need be. As for the other question... I probably don't have the right viewpoint. My home civilization basically runs on clever application of supernatural powers, to the extent that we'd start dying without them. That is a nice gun you've got, though. Reminds me of my own Varia-bolters. Who was the manufacturer?"
Kayla’s eyes narrowed and her teeth clenched as she stared out the window. ”Yeah. And the whole time everyone was on my case about how I did it!”
She then turned and glared at Rory. ”And if you wanted a heart to heart, I figured it would be with Vanessa or Valerie or wherever her name is! The one you were out at that fancy dinner with? Unless there are other girls lined up for you to hook up with!” she rants as she folds her arms across her chest as her irises shift to a golden glow.
Triplight and Inquiry are able to detangle their quantum devices with a little assistance from the Indignation. Once separated, Inquiry's device starts humming, and the scout ship feels the original course laid in.
Indignation offers a little more computing power to provide a smoother ride, since the course set will be through several additional universes. With a final admonishment that Inquiry should finish its assignment on Earth and return as quickly as possible, the Iron Federation vessel bids it farewell.
Leaving Princess Ai'leyla standing on the bridge of the Unconquered overlooking her soon-to-be-relocated world, the Sentinels board Inquiry and get ready to find Psyche's body.
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Hux seems to warp out for a bit disappearing into the ether with a whimsical chime. "So are you the least bit curious why I wanna see your earth?"
Trip shows Inquiry that quantum detanglement is actually far simpler than one might think though their methods are strange, unscientific, and even plain old esoteric and one wonders how she figured that out let alone why it works.
"Okay well with that all dealt with. I'm sticking with you guys since we made a deal that you take me back to your Earth. If you need my help with finding your psychic's body then i suppose I could help a bit this verse is getting a bit stale, like Brek chips."
Trip wanted to speak to Ai'leyla about their bargain too involving the bounty hunter that was now hired to find and probably gut them, but it might add a fair bit of excitement to the whole journey.
"You gonna be okay with the big... big guy Ai'leyla?"
"You gonna be okay with the big... big guy Ai'leyla?"
Ai'leyla stands stiff and regally, though her alien features are lined with concern. She looks at Trip for a moment, then back to her world. "I will have to be, I suppose. I was looking for a way to free my world, but now I fear I may have incited an inter-dimensional conflict. I hope I am wrong."
Rory nods along, "okay, alright, yes her name is Valerie and I didn't catch the name of the young man you were out to dinner with. And no there are no other girls lined up, but even if there was what's it to you, you broke up with me and the implication is that we would see other people." Stepping into the room he continues in a soft tone and reaching out a hand, "my feelings for you haven't really changed, you said you needed to figure some stuff out, and I understand that need, but I can't sit around moping hoping that someday you will realize you feel the same way about me. And as far as people criticizing the way you did things, you know better than the rest of us how that goes, there will always be someone throwing their two cents in. Just know that if criticism comes from the team, especially me, it's from a place of caring and if we phrase things poorly at times offer us grace that we goofed and weren't being deliberately malicious."
”Yeah, whatever,” Kayla mumbled at his attempt to wave off their nitpicking her tactics.
”And my Aunt set that up! It was just a publicity stunt! And I needed time for things to settle between you, me, and Scorch! But clearly you had all the patience of like, a day?” Kayla rants, tossing her hand up in the air dismissively. ”It sure looked and sounded like you were just devastated by us taking a short pause.”
”I never once implied the pause was to see other people. But clearly that’s what you want, so have at it!” she says as she turns away from him and folds her arms around herself, staring out the window again.
Despite most of the team being here in this ship with her, she felt so alone.
It's time.
Inquiry ignites the gravitic subspace node and the IF scout ship, along with its passengers, lurches into a dimensional warp.
It's smoother than the first trip, but still rough. A riot of colors and sounds still push through the shielding, each laced with synesthetic tastes, smells, and squelching touch.
The unpleasantness lasts as Inquiry bounces through dimensions and hops realities, reacquiring the mapping guide posts set by Silver Shield. Time dilates and contracts, and finally at last there's an overwhelming sense of drowning just before everyone snaps back into what should be reality.
Suddenly, Inquiry feels the standard Terran gravity and atmosphere around it, and the world comes into focus. Sensors that had been scrambled during transit come into sudden clarity.
Inquiry is sitting in the middle of a quaint cul-de-sac surrounded by suburban-style homes with bright green lawns.
What do you do??
"Interesting. There are advantages and disadvantages to that method, as with many others. Though I can't help but be curious where you got it; it doesn't seem to quite match the other equipment we saw."
[ooc]Currently[/I]
Instinctively, Inquiry quickly reshaped itself to appear as an unassuming van.
"Well... I'm not sure whether to be relieved we didn't drop straight into another fight, or generally paranoid that this looks altogether too mundane, considering what we're seeking."
Shin had faded into the background for a bit. As much as part of him wanted to continue pushing the group forward, he was still feeling particularly bad cut off from his power the way that he was. He hoped that it would come back to him soon enough...sooner rather than later...
...had he always felt this weak before he gained these abilities?
Shin strapped in, squeezing his fists together while Inquiry shifted through dimensions again. The sudden strange taste of bitter copper nearly makes him retch - he would prefer not to travel this way any further once they arrived home.
When they finally stopped, Shin lurched in his seat as their ship suddenly altered him form to be...a van? He looked out the window, puzzled now. "Wait a tick, are you sure we're in the right place? This looks..."
Shin had seen these sorts of neighborhoods in future Halcyon before. Lots of long winding roads with lots of houses and rarely any shops or businesses around. Why would they have been drawn here?
"Okay, I think...Isaiah, do you have enough material to make some civilian clothes for us all? I think our normal gear is going to get us noticed in a bad way here..."
"Paranoid, the correct answer is always paranoid," Frostbite states as he looks at the suburban bliss surrounding them. With each 'jump' his stomach fortified itself a little more but he was a long was off from getting used to it. "This look familiar to anyone, Psyche?"
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"This base version is standard issue to most people in this verse. It's really just a fancy stun beam, but with Hux's help it can be a bit more devastating."
Andressa laughed as the craft bumped and rolled through the ether putting her hands up in the air like it was some sort of ride. Her head rocked once they landed, "Well that was a bit rough, I can see you're still working out the bugs. But honestly I've seen worse."
She unhooked from the seat and soon after her draconic companion rejoined them looking slightly bigger than before and wrapping around Andressa comfortingly. "Well, if this is where Psyche's body is from then it may be safest to send her out and keep an eye on things from in here. I mean you've got a scanning suite yeah? Might even be able to scan for ya know biological bodies matching her old one."
Taking a gaze out at the suburbs she looked at the others, "So what is this some kind of Terran look? It's pretty spacious, a bit rural though."
<Oh, I am still rather mission-focused, I'll freely say that. But I don't think my mission with you folks is over yet. I suppose I should say that, in addition to any emotional attachments I may feel, I also still feel like I can accomplish more with the Sentinels than as an advisor. Plus, I have some promises to keep with you, and I do not intend to be a word-breaker. And... well... it may be rude to say it, but the Sentinels need someone relatively emotionally stable on the team, or you're liable to go down in angst-flames one day or another over something that should have been trivial, and that would be a tragic loss.>
"<Of course. That makes sense. Efficiency and reduction of harm.>" If I'd expected to be viewed as something other than a useful tool, or as a bomb that needs to be detonated safely, then that might have hurt my feelings.
***
Psyche felt amazing. The absence of the pressure that had been eroding her sanity to the barest nubbin was... blissful. She didn't smile; her reaction was far too instinctive to be filtered through this body. Instead she just unfurled, crashing against each of her friends' minds in a warm, sunny wave as she relaxed the clenched fist she'd been holding herself within.
A small part of her nagged that she should really be focused on reconnaissance, but she sent that shard off to sit in Shin's head where things were already gloomy and serious. Besides, it wasn't like she was just staying in the van anyways, and any hostile minds should stand out like black smudges against a blue sky - if there was even anything here that would dare try to ruin her mood.
***
Praetoria sat in the second row of seats in the “van,” arms crossed across her stomach and leaning back, feet up on the back of the seat in front of her. She had a palpable air of anger and frustration around her.
She looked out the window at the surroundings. She couldn’t see anyone in this area, so it was hard to say how much they’d stick out if they got out of the Inquiry yet. So she just let out a heavy huff and kept looking out in silence.
<Not just that, but yes, that is certainly a component. Still, I wouldn't be this up-front and honest about it if I didn't also care about you folks.>
---
"Ordinary clothes would be easy enough, just give me a couple minutes. Assuming that this is as normal as it looks..."
Settling on paranoia, Inquiry did a quick scan of the area, checking for signs of organic life, or, considering the nature of Psyche's borrowed body, also for synthetic life. While also trying to not be too obvious about it.
Eager to feel nothing but the normal and comforting hum of human minds, you relax your mental barriers and sense... nothing.
Total silence.
If it weren't for the minds within Inquiry, you'd believe you were back in that brief moment when you were depowered.
There are no minds, human or otherwise, anywhere within the normal limits of your telepathy.
Your sensors detect no organic life, but massive amounts of technology. Everywhere, from the grass to the trees to the buzzing insects, they appear to be inorganic replicas of their organic counterparts.
Outside the 'van,' the sound of a gas-powered lawn mower starts up. Shortly thereafter, a person appears from behind one of the houses, pushing the mower over his lawn. After a few more minutes, another mower's engine revs up and another person, this time on a riding mower, appears from a house with a more substantial lawn.
The scene is... totally mundane. One neighbor waves at the other, who waves back as they go about their afternoon chores.
You sense no minds in those people outside.
The people are also artificial, highly advanced androids like Psyche's current body. Curiously, the lawn mowers are standard, gas-powered devices of a technology level around Earth-year 1995.
What do you do??
"They're artificial, or just automata. They certainly don't have any minds that I can sense."
Without being able to trust that she'd sense hostile thoughts before an attack, Psyche shrouds herself in a thin shield as she steps out into the street, giving a friendly, if absent wave to one of the neighbors as she beelines towards a particular house in the cul-de-sac.
Praetoria looks at the new girl with a look of “Really?” and replies ”No. I gave it to the Princess. Figured she could use it to help her people.”
She then scrolled through the screen on her wristband a few moments before finally settling on an outfit that seemed to at least somewhat match the timeframe, ripped denim shorts and a white tank top, before getting out of the ride after Psyche.
”Where are you going?” she calls out to her.
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She frowned a bit and sat back in her seat, "Oh, just thought maybe I could use it to fix up something to look for psychics instead of harvesting em for a shield." She ponders on that for a bit, "Though I guess most of the tech was probably in the ship and the gauntlet was just an activation device, oh well."
As the two exit the van and head up towards a random house Trip looks to the others, "So what's the plan, just search randomly, or ask for strange sightings?"
"I don't fault her. She must be happy to be out of that universe. I'm still trying to recover. Perhaps it will be easier now we're away."
Shin is quiet for another brief moment. The grey seas change another shade. "We should focus on finding your body. It has to be here. And then we can go home and sleep."
"The plan I think is that...well, if these people aren't real and what we're seeing is in fact an illusion, we should be as careful as - and Psyche and Prae are gone. Brilliant."
Shin throws on a jacket and stows his visor in its pockets to look moderately casual and less like a superhero, trying to place the time period of this cul-de-sac as he follows Psyche towards the house.
"Does this place remind of anywhere?" He calls out to her.
The people mowing the lawn wave at the Sentinels who step out of the 'van' with a neighborly smile.
Outside, the air seems... thin. Stale.
Shin's the wrong one to try to figure out the exact time period, but he notices a few satellite dishes on some of the houses, and others still have antennae for broadcast television.
The skyline of Halcyon City is hazy but visible on the horizon, just beyond the tops of the trees.
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Andressa watches as the others exit the 'vehicle' "Are they always so brash to rush in without a plan? Just sort of deal with things as they come, didn't even stop to see if the air was poisonous."
She gazed over towards the city in the distance but not knowing much about Halcyon just figured it was a normal city. "I wonder if there are robotic versions of everyone here... with robotic super powers, wouldn't that be neat? Course we'd be pretty Grok'd if they thought we were the baddies." Content with waiting with Inquiry Andressa observed and idly pet La'Hux'Ti who seemed to enjoy the downtime using it for a well deserved nap in her lap, looking much like an oversized reptilian dragon dog. Trying to gauge what Inquiry planned to do.
"Well, I was going to say that now that we're in the right universe I could fire up that sympathetic compass I build a while ago, but apparently we're meeting the locals instead. Yeah, Triplight, we have a tendency to just charge in without bothering to check for traps. Helps that Frostbite is the only one who'd really suffer if the air actually was poisonous."
Inquiry waited for a bit to watch how the automatons reacted, starting to build up data to determine if they were sapient or not. This was a very unusual situation.
Be careful. Just because they're automatons doesn't mean they can't be dangerous. Even non-malicious machines can cause harm if they aren't programmed to account for a situation. In fact, for you, it might make them more[/I] potentially dangerous, because you can't sense them coming.[/I]
"Thank goodness it would only be me that would suffer..." Frostbite says as he steps out talking a deep and exaggerated breath, "planning and forethought are not our strong suits."
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With everyone else having exited the Myster-Inquiry-Machine Andressa let out a sigh, "Suppose we should go too yeah? I don't exactly have clothes like the others under this suit so I might need that printed set, something baggy so I can at least keep my ripper and stunner on me perhaps."
She pat Hux awake and he slid off and stretched in another section of Inquiry yawning before falling back into a nap. "Actually Inquiry could i ask... What's their Earth like? I'll trade you for a more clear answer about my tech if you want but I just." she pursed her lips thinking on the right word to use, "I sorta wanna make sure I'm headed to the right one, been looking for a pretty specific Earth for a while now."
Hearing the others grumbling over the fact they had just gotten out of the vehicle was the final straw. It was official, NOTHING she did on this whole extra-dimensional jaunt would ever be right.
She turned and stormed back to the others, her fury evident. ”Oh, so tell me, what planning is there to do, hmmm? We look like we are in f&%$ing Robot Mayberry! We going to come out guns blazing in fear of the threat of Robot Andy and Robot Barney? There might not be a single hostile thing in this world! But I suppose just getting out and having a look to gather intel is now brash and foolhardy because it’s ME the one doing it, hmmm?”
As she rants, her irises begin to glow golden, brighter and brighter until they obscure her pupils entirely.
”You all so unsatisfied with how I do things, then FINE! Lead on! Call the f%!$ing shots! I will keep my mouth shut and just go break something when you give me the privilege of your blessing!”
She looks down at her wristband and begins scrolling through her outfits, mumbling ”You all wanna come out ready for war, that’s f#*~ing fine by me,” before tapping the screen and her low-key denim shorts and white tank top shifted into one of her previous super-suits that was much more war-like in appearance. ”There. Let’s go break something.”
Shin lacked any empathy as Praetoria launched into a tirade against the group. He was still too tired for that. Maybe if they'd gotten more time to rest before dimension hopping, but he couldn't find the effort to care about what she felt right now.
"Hey, Prae. What part of Halcyon does this look like to you?" Shin asked her. Deflecting her anger into something hopefully more productive. "I don't know a lot of the newer neighborhoods that sprung up around the city after my time. This place doesn't seem like the exact same time period we left either, but then again I haven't been out in areas like this."
His eyes tracked Psyche, watching her and wondering what she made of this strange place with air like a sealed room. He flexed his fingers, trying to see if he could conjure up his powers again or if he was still cut off.
Inquiry would have rolled its eyes if had any manifested at the moment. Instead, it simply responded in a calm, level tone.
"It was more that everyone got out without putting on helmets or even asking if there was a breathable atmosphere. After all, everything we've seen so far has been inorganic; what need have they for oxygen? Still, you are your own person. You may do as you will. But I will personally advocate caution and paranoia in the face of unfamiliar new circumstances, because I am all too familiar with how easy it is to hide a massively ramified surveillance grid into innocuous surroundings, and then use the resultant visual data for the precision targeting of orbital weapons platforms. Besides, in my line of work, constant paranoia is a job requirement. But I am not the leader, so I only ask that my opinion be given due consideration, not that it be unequivocal law. It just frustrates me when nobody bothers asking."
The house is familiar, but sterile. Without any minds within to get a read on the interior, she cannot tell if it looks like her memories. From the outside, Psyche does notice that a large maple tree is growing next to the driveway that wasn't there when she had lived there.
After she walks a little closer, she can see from around the corner an open patio that she remembers being enclosed.
The roar of the lawn mowers must be drowning out most of the shouting by the Sentinels, since the people operating them only casually turn their heads.
Shin feels his power slowly growing back, but he feels like something is still missing.
Something about the incongruity of highly advanced automata operating late-20th Century Earth technology stirs your memory banks.
After some deep searching through your archives, you recall an old proto-Rogue Shard called the Replicators. Near the end of the Iron Federation's forebears' time, one attempt at preserving their culture was to perfectly duplicate their flesh and blood with highly advanced robotics. Nano-converters were developed, but the replicants were imperfect. They had no creative spark. They fell into routines and simply existed. The nano-converters were aggressive, however, and managed to consume at least three worlds before they could be shut down, but thankfully they didn't sweep across the galaxy, ending any hope of the Iron Federation rising.
Psyche doesn't bother responding to the concerns about breathable atmosphere or precision guided munitions. They were either frankly immaterial to her, or something she felt she'd already addressed.
"It looks like my home, where we all lived before..." the 'air' in Shin's mind briefly rippled, and the shard already there looked around in alarm, her long skirt bunched in tight fistfuls. "Before I was Psyche. It's not though. All the houses in the suburbs basically look the same."
Nonetheless she walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell, waiting expectantly to see if anything was there to answer.
The shard waited until Shin seemed less distracted, unable as always to sense any of Psyche's telepathy but her own until they re-merged.
"Shin, finding the body's not going to change anything. She'd only had it for a few days before the rifts. Her skin will be softer, and she'll probably go back to eating and breathing, but... do you know why she's here trying to find it?"
Something about the strange incongruity of highly advanced androids operating late-20th Century equipment tickles your memory banks.
There's something else you notice right away: There's no sign of Iron Federation signals anywhere. It's like they don't exist in this particular reality.
After a deep archive dive, you come up with a chilling bit of ancient history that preceded the forming of the Iron Federation. During the fall of the progenitors, one desperate plan to preserve themselves involved using highly advanced nanites to convert organic beings into artificial counterparts. The experiment failed -- the replicated beings lacked the creative spark of organic beings or true AI. They fell into routines and just... existed.
The nano-converters however, dubbed "Replicators," were aggressive and broke out of the initial experiment. After a hostile conversion of three worlds, they were thankfully stopped and shut down, which averted a Galaxy-wide disaster.
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While Inquiry lacked the ability to roll it's ocular nodes, Andressa had full capability to do that, thinking Oh great here we go again, does she ever stop with the self-centered moaning. Keying her comms she spoke, "First off, I was just asking a question so maybe stop throwing a tantrum like a Glorbop. Second, You ALL have been very hasty and rash without stopping to think first. If you look back at the last handful of hours that haste has caused us nothing but trouble. Inquiry and I are at least stopping to run a scan to make sure conditions are acceptable for our presence instead of. Yeah, let's all step out of the very safe Cross-tangential anti-paradox field without checking to see if maybe liquid hydrogen, aka seventy-five percent of Terran biology, reacts like Napalm. Better yet, Inquiry wanna explain to everyone what happens when a key component of a biological being can't metabolize because the local universal laws don't allow it?" Inquiry would be able to detect a rise in heart rate and body heat as Andressa's biomods started to kick up her adrenal glands as if expecting a fight.
"But hey Prae, if we're playing aim the appendages, then deal me in for 80 Mobars. Because, correct me if i'm wrong the whole thing involving the princess and the admiral happened because You didn't like the rules of that universe's government. Could have cooled your synaptic for twelve minutes, let me untangle our devices and make a few hundred thousand creds but noooo. Me must show puny aliens that me has big strong terran protein strands, me no like rules so me make new rules because me strongest. So what makes you any different than the Admiral, using your strength and sheer firepower to place your rules and laws over other people huh?" Her voice switched from accusing to obviously mocking Prae, given the room she'd start pacing and pointing talking a bit with her hands as she ranted at her through the line despite the gestures being lost.
La'Hux'Ti raised his head and watched Andressa pace back and forth growing agitated alongside his partner's aggression as well."I had a good thing set up, but You decided it was time for action and I was dumb enough to bring you onto the station. Now we're ALL on the s%~$ list of the best inter-dimensional bounty hunter in several known universes. And guess what, Alcott isn't going to be nice enough to ask you to come quietly, it's tag and bag with them. Oh and let's not forget it was You who started the beat fest with the admiral as well. So let me ask, what happens when you find Psyche's body double? You gonna hit that until things work out? Or will you chill the frak out instead of rushing in thinking your fists will solve everything?"
Andressa kicked and twisted at nothing speaking outloud to Inquiry, "Honestly how do you deal with little miss god complex constantly thinking she's the only person in the wrong and the only one being questioned?!?" She huffed loudly letting out a pent up breath, her voice dipping and showing a bit of genuine sadness and exhaustion, "I can't even go back out into the multi-verse now, not until I get that bounty off my head all because I tried to help."
Shin was vaguely aware of the brewing conflict, but cared more about Psyche's condition. He continued the conversation with her shard in his head while following behind her to her home.
"I thought that you would want your body back. At least a body that would make you feel more like yourself. Was I wrong? That doesn't bother you?" He asked her in his head. His eyes look around, trying to figure out the discrepancies in this strange place. Was it an illusion, perhaps?
"I just want what will make you happy. I thought having an organic body would help with that."
Kayla’s eyes flared to a blinding intensity as she was still being judged and lectured, by the newcomer no less. She clenched her teeth as the girls rant progressed, eventually snapping and replying ”What makes me different than him!?!? How about I used my abilities to SAVE a planet, without enslaving others!?!”
Then “Triplight” started insulting her intelligence in a mocking tone, accusing her of being just some dumb brute, like Freddie! And that was the straw that broke the camels back.
In a flash, Kayla was in the other girls face! She peered at her with her glowing eyes and with gritted teeth she fumed quietly to her ”You really wanna keep pushing my buttons? Go ahead, give it a go. I can take it, can you?”
Rory squeezes himself between the girls, who are almost nose to nose, trying to separate them before fists start flying. "Ooooookay, lets stop before this gets out of hand. Triplight, we are sorry for the trouble we have caused you and we appreciate the help you have provided us, however, where we come from slavery and the selling of intelligent beings is viewed as unconscionably evil, like we killed each other over ending it. Praetoria, we have all been going off half-cocked, we maybe not Isaiah, and we could probably exercise more caution especially when we could use our powers and tech to do recon from a safer distance... And us fighting among ourselves isn't accomplishing anything. The goal here is to locate Psyche's biological body and get back in one piece, throwing verbal barbs or punches at each other doesn't do that. So please I am begging you two, stop and work together."
Inquiry was frustrated by all this.
"Being fair, I wasn't terribly fond of the lack of basic sense or ethics that seemed present in that universe either. Praetoria, you've accomplished some impressive things. And can go on to do more. So why are you so upset about it? Take joy in your victories, and learn from your failings. That is how one grows."
A shift in posture, and an increase in urgency accompanied Inquiry's change from talking to one in person to talking to all over comms.
"Oh boy, I've dug around in some old history, and might have an idea of what kind of universe we're in. I really hope I'm wrong. But in case I'm right... I would advocate we move with urgency, unless you all fancy spending the rest of eternity as soulless, sub-sapient automatons. We can talk while we move."
Inquiry started to fire up that sympathetic compass, aiming to at least get a direction for travel.
"Maybe an organic body will help, but it didn't the last time she lost one. Shin, you of all people know that once you learn where the rest of your life will lead, it makes it harder to pretend you can't see the strings."
The thought puzzles Shin for a few moments, before understanding begins to permeate his mind. "...We are not puppets of fate. I cannot believe that. If I accept something like that, then what's the point of fighting against Dusk? I cannot believe that your destiny is already determined - and if I have to, I will fight every step of the way to give you a choice."
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Trip's fists tighten as Praetoria gets in her face, she gets interrupted by Rory right before she made her response. With a look between Rory Praetoria, and the reveal of information by Inquiry she sighs and relaxes.
"You're right.. perhaps I went a bit far assuming you all understood the protocols of dimensional shifting. Personally I'd rather not be turned into a mindless puppet. So I'll agree to settle this later. If we make it out of this with our greymatter intact, we can pick things back up."
She stuck her hand out past Rory non-threateningly, while La'Hux'Ti stopped bristling as well. "Truce? At least until we're back in the right sliver of the multi-verse?"
Praetoria scowls at the offered hand. ”Whatever,” is all she musters before turning back to Inquiry and saying ”Let’s move. You can explain on the way.”
"Shin? Why are you so- Oh." The shard seemed to turn sideways, flattening out as she went until she entirely disappeared. Her sending paused for a moment as she reabsorbed
"Don't worry Shin, I'm fine. I know that there's always a way to fight, but we need to understand what we're up against. Pretending doesn't help anyone."
"I'm getting a signal on Psyche's body from the direction of Halcyon City. Of course. Everything weird always seems to happen there. To somewhat explain the rush... this planet looks a lot like an end scenario if an attempt to contain some defective highly-aggressive nanotech in the distant, pre-Collapse past had failed. Defective highly-aggressive nanotech is not something we want to be sharing a universe with for any longer than strictly necessary."
Inquiry started to move in the direction of the city, though it kept a slow pace while waiting for the others to gather and catch up.
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A woman comes to the door. She has the smooth, artificial skin that Kylie has, and her optical sensors focus on her. "Hello?" she asks in a voice just this side of soulless.
After a moment, Kylie recognizes her. This is a replica of Mrs. Jernigan, who owned the house before her parents bought it. She's probably around fifteen years younger than she was when Kylie met the human version of her. But she recalled meeting her when the Wolfe-Aschers were looking for a larger place and the Jernigans were downsizing after their children moved out.
"Can I help you?" she asks.
As Inquiry starts to move toward the city along with whoever wants to join them, the city of Halcyon starts to resolve into a much clearer picture.
It's different, but not by a lot.
Most notably, a few buildings are gone, while a few others are there. Most notably, the Liefeld Station is still standing tall. Finished in the early nineties, it's a gaudy example of '90s excess that was happily demolished in late 2004 after taking damage during an early battle between Ciandra and Captain Stalwart.
The Shuster Skyrail is still running, though its cars look outdated. All the vehicles that the Sentinels see are dated, in fact. There's "life" in Halcyon, but it appears firmly rooted in the mid-1990s. The automata that are driving the vehicles and riding the skyrail go about their business. Signs and billboards show ads that give a chilling indication of the creative stagnation of this so-called society. Jurassic Park is in its 28th year of release, and still in theaters. Seinfeld is in its 31st season.
And the Praetorian and Silver Shield are fighting Dr. Dread in the skies over the Byrne Auditorium.
What do you do??