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How did I get stuck on night shift?  Tristan wondered as he watched the monitors, yet another cup of coffee--he'd lost count--steaming in his hands.  Oh, right.  I volunteered.

 

It wasn't like he could sleep anyway; the samples he'd analyzed left him ecstatic.  Back on Earth, he studied the Turritopsis dohrnii, biologically immortal jellyfish capable of reverting back to earlier stages of their life-cycle.  That one species was amazing enough, worthy of intense scientific scrutiny and glee, possibly a key component in the ultimate goal of delivering humanity from the grip of death (and all the subsequent side-effects that would surely work themselves out, or would at least be someone else's problem).  Somehow these rings were accomplishing the same thing on biological matter that wasn't naturally designed for it.  Tristan still had no idea why, but the silver object Velocity mentioned sounded worth investigating.  He wanted to go have a look himself tomorrow, and to ask for help capturing some of the larger creatures living in or near the rings, so that he could study them. 

 

That said, Chase's reaction hadn't entirely escaped him.  Tristan couldn't help but pay attention to the Atoms, and this time his hero worship might've done some good.  If the telepath had a bad feeling, that was worth taking into consideration.  Was the silver object not an object at all, but something living?  Could it be causing these transformations deliberately, for less-than-courteous reasons?  Tristan's personal theory remained that these effects stemmed from a natural energy of the planet, or the lifeglow itself, and the microbes were simply taking advantage of it, similar to how, back on Earth, hydrothermal vents formed the base of entire oceanic food webs.  Still...

 

He snapped out of his foggy, sleep-deprived musings when the flash of silver caught his attention.  Tristan quickly tapped a few buttons on the surveillance gear, rewinding the image on his monitor.  His brown eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

 

"Wake everybody up," he said insistently to the nearest tech operator.  "Especially Chase!"

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GM

 

With commendable speed, the various members of the away mission were woken up and all hands brought on deck. Tesla quickly relayed what was going on to the crew of the Bee, and the Pegasus was warmed up and bulkier items stowed just in case. While that was being handled by the "mundane" crew, Tesla, Chase, Tristan and their superhuman escort gathered for a hasty meeting. 

 

"Obviously, something is altering this planet" Tesla said, arms folded on the table as she stared, as if hypnotized, at the recording that showed the telltale-glimmer "the question is what we do with what we know. Personally I'd like to stay and study things for a while longer, maybe explore and find the source and reason for all this...reversion. But I won't risk it if you," she looked at the others, especially Velocity "disagree that it's a reasonable risk. This is a totally unknown phenomenon after all. Chase, anything on your mind? You've been looking kind of out of it."

 

Her brother refused to look up from the floor, mumbling "No, no I'm okay, just...tired." His sister frowned, unconvinced, and reluctantly turned back to the rest.

 

"...Okay then. Terrifica, doctor Delacroix, any thoughts or suggestions? Wayward, picked up anything?" the lifelong science-heroine seemed much more at home using code-names than regular ones, almost stumbling over Tristan's.

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After her conversation with Tristan, Terrifica had set to work in earnest. Like when Grimalkin held her haunted house, well over a year ago now, she was a stern but ultimately fair taskmistress. Samples were collected and analysis begun. She was all over the site, directing this or that, looking through this microscope or at that display screen. Yet somehow Wayward’s camera crew never managed to film her in a straight shot. She had kept the knack for being where they weren’t. And the entire time, in the back of her mind, she was suspicious. Velocity’s report only hardened her conviction. Something was not right. There were things that didn’t make sense and weren’t easily explained. Granted, that was the point of coming out here. However, too much was stacking up.

 

Terrifica wasn’t a pessimist, necessarily. It was just that when she was involved, when her talents were needed, it was not because something wonderful had happened. In fact, it was virtually always the opposite scenario. And so, she had not actually been sleeping when Tristan shouted for everyone. A thousand and one theories were dancing through her mind. Probabilities analyzed. Logic applied, questioned, and defended. A brain that dwarfed the power of any ordinary computer fired neuron after neuron in pursuit of truth. Terrifica was not the type of person who refused to accept the unexplainable. Sometimes the language, tools, and/or points of reference simply hadn’t been invented yet, and that was fine. What was not fine was a question with no answer. A problem with no solution. By their definitions, questions had answers and problems had solutions. It was simply up to someone to find them. And in this case, that someone was Terrifica.

 

Lost in thoughts orders of magnitude faster than the speech going on outside of it, Terrifica did not reply to Tesla at first. In fact, it took several seconds for her to “clear the boards” enough to permit sufficient mental slowdown for speech. Unfortunately, her flesh and blood was not nearly as speedy as the brain it housed. “The most scientifically prudent thing to do is pull out and observe from orbit. Even if what is happening is entirely benign, the final results may not necessarily be the same.” She let that sink in for a moment. “Of course, that could mean missing a once in a lifetime-if not longer-opportunity, however I have always prioritized safety over progress. We’ll get there eventually. No need to rush and make an unfortunate mistake.”

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Tristan clenched his teeth; this all put him in an unfortunate position, first because he couldn't find it in himself to drag out the truth of Chase's concerns from one of his heroes--like Tesla, he didn't believe the response, and it worried him--and now because he had to publicly disagree with Terrifica, whom he'd much rather avoid altogether. 

 

"...I want to stay," he forced the words out.  "I don't think this, whatever it is, is actually dangerous, or even new.  Velocity saw animals using the terrace-rings for various purposes, very calmly; why would they willingly gather at the site of something unfamiliar?  Even simple animals tend to avoid altered parts of their environment until the newness wears off, or at least behave skittishly around them, when they're drawn in for a reason.  I think this phenomenon is ordinary on this planet.  Studying it could tell us much about the environment and the lifeglow; that's the whole reason we're here.  Caution is still well and good; we could keep the Pegasus prepared for departure, stay on the ship when we aren't actively taking samples, and rely on the surveillance gear more than our own eyes.  But I don't feel sufficiently threatened to leave just yet."

 

His gaze shifted over to Chase, and the doctor added, "Assuming that I'm right and this is all business as usual, one danger that comes to mind is that the rings might be traps for prey, like antlion pits.  The anti-aging effect could be meant to draw in animals sensing its health benefits, and then whatever waits at the bottom could occasionally eat one.  If the perks outweigh the danger for an overall herd of animals, that would explain why they don't avoid such places.  If we do stay, it's probably prudent to not remain directly in a ring."

 

Come on, Chase.  Do you sense something down there?  Why wouldn't you speak up about it, if you do?  Would the suggestion of an animal at the center of the pit draw him out?

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Not really needing sleep Daphne found a quiet little corner to work up what she’d found out, with Mother Unit sat in front of her projecting holographic images of the pictures she’d taken through the day. It was really tough to keep her identity under wraps with everything going on, but she knew how important such thing were.

 

She felt the enhanced change in the mood of some of the people on the ship before any alarms were raised and she had Mother Unit packed away and was on the way to the bridge as quickly as she could . Then she stood quietly at the back whilst people worked through the problem.

 

“Maybe there’s some intelligence behind all this? They could be trying to find out what we’ll do, a test or trap of some kind.”


As she spoke she gently felt out with her mind seeing if she could detect any minds besides those on the ships, she been so concerned about appearing normal she hadn’t thought to do this before.

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Velocity had been sleeping in one of the tents they had set up and woken up quickly enough, getting her costume back on and then aboard Peagaus to warm it up just in case.  Once the spaceplane was prepped for departure, she was back outside to where the others were gathered, listening to their concerns.   

"Well, I will defer to the scientists on whether or not we should leave now or stick around a bit."  The speedster stated.  "So far it has only been some tremors, and whatever that silver thing in the crater might have been.  Nothing seems too dangerous, not yet anyway."

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GM

 

"Alright." Tesla stood up, her brief reverie broken as she took command. "Terrifica, you and the technicians and scientists will remain on the Pegasus while me, Chase, Velocity, Wayward and Tristan look into this, you'll be safer-no offense meant-and better placed for data review. Wayward, if you would, I think a mental link between you and Chase might be a good idea so we can better transmit what's going on and what we find as we find it back to the ship. If it's nothing dangerous, we can easily come back

 

"Doctor Delacroix, you have made clear your desire to stay, so that leaves Mz. Cain's crew and you Ms. Celeste." Tesla Atom nodded to the reporter "Given what we know about the Infraverse your hypothesis has considerable merit, would you like to see it out for yourself? I warn you, Chase's TK is still on the clumsy side, and his flying is appalling."

 

Glancing at her brother, Tesla was rewarded with a faint, distracted shrug as he approached Wayward, looking utterly serious. 

 

Moving along, the Atom suggested "So, this silver thing is under the ground, rather than traveling to where it's a,ready uncovered, what if I just dug us a hole to it?"

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Between the two thrills of working with the Atoms on a real mission and potentially discovering one of this planet's secrets, Tristan all but forgot about the dangers.  Lack of sleep didn't help, either.

 

"I'm on board with that," he agreed to Chase's suggestion.  "If this actually is an intelligent being, then it might not appreciate such an intrusion, but I don't think that's the case here."  The doctor shrugged, slightly apologetically, to Daphne.  He did doubt her suggestion...but Chase's withdrawn responses continued to raise his curiosity.  Had he known about Daphne's abilities too, Tristan would probably be more concerned. 

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The possible danger of all this didn’t even register to Daphne, to her this was an awfully big adventure of discovery. She didn’t even hesitate in volunteering.

 

“I’d like to come along and see if I can help. Maybe I can see something others will miss?”


She’d felt a little guilty about hiding what she could do, but this opportunity had been good for her secret identity, a besides she was sure that the other heroes could handle this well enough. Though just in case she gently reached out with her mind to see if she could psychically detect any other minds out there. Hopefully friendly in this case, it wasn’t like anyone meant them any harm.

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  • 2 weeks later...

GM

 

With little further discussion, the plan was put into immediate action. Tesla hovered above the ground in a brilliant display of golden green nucleonic energy, a tremendous drill of high-tension power forming with meticulous precision out of thin air.

 

In mere moments the noiseless thing was churning meters deep into the soil, transferring the waste into a mound a good distance from the Pegasus. Only a few minutes passed before the steady rustle of the ground and the thrum of the drill was abruptly stopped with a metallic screech. 

 

"We've hit it! Whatever it is!" Tesla called, her eyes snapping open with a flood of golden light. Quickly the drill reshaped and got back to work, and a stairway of packed earth led to down a a vast series of overlapping silvery plates, one lip more than big enough for an adult to walk under, or fly. Other plates and domes could be glimpsed below, attached by sinuous, twining lengths of the same strange metal and seeming to grow out of the bedrock.

 

"Well, nothing else for it. Let's go." Tesla led the way, vanishing like a darting firefly beneath the silver skin and pausing for the others to follow.

Edited by Ari
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Val tries to deflect the suggestion of a psychic link based on her own limited range, but at the insistence that Chase's own psychic powers could make up the difference?  That makes it possible, but also a worse idea.

 

"Listen, Chase.  I have some psychic power, but I ain't like the other psychics you may have met.  A link with me is less cell phone, more open the floodgates, stream of consciousness stuff.  I can't do the whole rigid, controlled mental barriers thing others can do.  It can get..." The first word to come to mind is 'intimate,' but this is going to be awkward enough.  She's always uncomfortable linking with men's minds.  That level of intimacy she can reconcile with another woman, but with men, it makes her feel a little dirty.

 

"You're going to get more than you bargained for.  And you'll probably send more than you're used to, too.  Are you alright with that?"

 

When he agrees, she sighs.  Can't deny the pragmatism; she reaches out and touches his mind.

 

As they head out, Val knows damn well she can't tech tech the tech tech.  At best, she might get a psychic impression of something that matters, but more likely?  If it comes to it, she's there to hit some big scary monster with a stick while the eggheads ogle some 'fascinating specimen.'

 

Chase gets to enjoy this entire line of thought unfiltered.  Along with a few good looks at the cute reporter girl's butt.

 

But then, Val begins to focus.  To ready herself, in case something goes wrong.  Most humans are visual, and that's still true for Val, but she balances her senses differently, relying more on hearing.  Every rustle and crack and puff of breeze comes through the link, but not far behind sound is what Val feels.  That odd fusion between mind and body, between physical sense and intuition.  The feel of terrain shifting underfoot, the tremor through the ground, rising up her leg, the patterns of the wind against her bare arms, to a careful measure of how much her hair stands on end and how much those butterflies in her stomach are aflutter.  And whether those butterflies are from the nervousness of an imminent attack, or from the cute reporter girl.  She projects her constant, acute awareness of her own body through the link, an awareness of self that lets her constantly plan how she will move and strike if an enemy were to suddenly appear.

 

Suddenly, an awareness moves to the front of her mind, transmitting prominently across the link.  A discomfort.  But she adjusts her bra, shifts some weight around, and returns her attention to more important matters.  And after sneaking another good look at Daphne, she returns to her vigilant hyperawareness, following Tesla into the... whatever it is.

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GM

 

His psychic discipline suddenly under seige from angles he had previously only dimly imagined, Chase Atom nonetheless remained composed and calm. At least on the outside, Wayward felt his mental presence in their mind-link as a kind of uncomfortable tightness, like a ship at anchor straining against a restless sea.

 

Regardless, the group made their way unmolested through the dim, cavernous depths of Halluel, the placid organic beauty of the surface nowhere in evidence. Everywhere was shifting plates, thrumming silver towers receding into the far-off(and worryingly visible) core blazing greenly in the unguessable distance below. The living rock of the planet itself quickly began to give way to rounded metal caverns and slowly closing domes sinking into the planet. Between keeping the link steady, his flight consistent, and transmitting to Terrifica what they were seeing, Chase had little energy left for keeping his third eye out for danger.

 

After a few minutes of this travel, Tesla and Chase carrying the others when the footing wasn't sure or existent enough, something began sliding across the mental link between Wayward and Chase, a soft voice, or voices.

 

They're close now

Are they dangerous? Are they scaryfolk?

Could be

BABY SAYS...THEY ONLY WANT...TO LOOK AND SEE

We don't know, Motherworld

No time. We must know now

...Yes, Ak'Ro. We will go to them

 

There was a faint clatter that caught Val's ear as a single pebble was dislodged somewhere nearby. It was almost drowned out by the grumbling and groaning as metal shrank and rock shifted and sunk. 

 

Chase's side of the link registered unimaginable relief, even as his mental voice called to the rest Somebody's close, get ready!

 

Without missing a beat, Tesla flared as she put a glowing golden shield around the party(besides Velocity) as they flew and slowed down perceptibly. "What do you make of this, Dr. Delacroix?" she asked aloud, quite casually, gesturing to a collapsing tube full of young plant and animal life from Halluel coming down from the surface and contained in some kind of jelly, one of the sinking domes receiving it along with several others "Pretty clear to me this whole planet is an artificial construct, what's your take? Testing lab? Some kind of symbiosis?"

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Can't say I didn't warn you.

 

When the terrain gets too rough for the more powered folks' comfort- a mark Val thinks is premature, but she doesn't say anything- the talk goes to an air lift.  It's one of the strangest things she's noticed since she's joined the powered community; how casually folks seem to say, 'I don't feel like walking anymore.  Let's just fly.'  She'd always been of two minds of it.  One two many show-offs, and getting carried around like that feels so... damselly.  Not much Val hates more than feeling damselly.

 

On the other hand, there's something about a woman who can fly, taking her into her arms.  Her eyes scan Tesla, and Chase gets an inside look at Val's remarkable talent for separating personal differences from raw, physical lust.  Wouldn't be the first person she didn't get along with she'd had fun with, and even if they never agreed with one another, after going skin to skin and mind to mind, they always at least understood each other better in the end.  Soaring through the air and sorting out some personal differences with Tesla?  Not a problem with that in the world... honestly, she probably misjudged her.  The way she's been acting, that deserves some respect.  She's definitely a woman worth getting to know better over a nice meal and a glass of wine, maybe cut off some rose petals into a hot bath...

 

...and there goes the ground.

 

Unfortunately, it's Chase who carries her.  Not that there'd be any hands on time anyways.  This weird psychic energy lift thing is no fun at all; just leaves her wiggling in the air, until she notices how much harder that makes it to keep a grip on her and calms down, firming up her grip on her staff.

 

And then, the voices.  She almost relays the info, but Chase beats her to it-

 

-and, laser light show.  The shield crackles into being so fast, Val nearly lashes out at it herself.

 

"Careful," she warns Tesla.  "Whoever's here, they're nervous enough.  Flashy stuff like that all of a sudden might make 'em panic.  Gotta take it easy."

 

She casts her gaze towards the falling pebble, not expecting to see anything.  Whoever was there, they're probably gone now.

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"I...think...probably a test facility, yes," Tristan said slowly.  He wasn't much good at hiding serious emotions, so his concern showed on his face, in spite of the plan (he assumed) Tess seemed to have in mind.  If he was right, and the Atoms wanted to avoid alerting whoever (or whatever) Chase detected, then his best contribution was probably to play along and just try not to ruin it for everyone else. 

 

"Apparently abandoned by the original creators and now running on automatic functions," the doctor went on, calmly as he could.  "Which is, perhaps, not unusual for the Infraverse.  Or, maybe this is terraforming equipment.  We've seen how the pits on the surface influence plant life; that could be one small part of a larger endeavor.  The engineers responsible for all this might've set it in motion and then left, planning to come back after its work was done."

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GM

 

"Very true," Tesla murmured back to Wayward, pretending to inspect a segment of the column of creatures "on the other hand I'd still rather something didn't fall and hit any of us this far down."

 

More loudly she began to address Tristan "An excellent idea, doctor. Obviously we wouldn't be the first to have a scientific curiosity about this dimension, the inhabitants must have-" 

 

Another voice, human but for a faint, trilling buzz behind its syllables, spoke out of the noisy, rumbling darkness "We made this to help spread life. My ancestors, anyway."

 

A human-like figure in armor sparkling gold in Tesla's nucelonic aura hopped down from another collapsing tower, walking briskly up to the heroes and looking up at them from one of the rocky slabs. Her eyes were compound, but looked like they were made of multi-faceted diamonds set into the golden chitin-like mask covering her upper face and holding back her long black hair, two antennas twitching on its ridge. On her hips were an uncannily organic-looking gun and saber hilt.

 

With a slight bow, she went on "Greetings, Ultraworlders, I am Ana Tyet, queen of the captive Aseti and fugitive from the monster known as Rylon of Konteel, Emperor of the Infraverse! And you" she pointed an armored hand at the floating humans "are the ones who will restore my peoples' freedom and end the tyranny of Rylon, sent by the Macrosapience known in your uncouth tongue as the Questor!"

 

The Atoms stared blankly, and Tesla opened her mouth to speak, but Ana raised a forestalling hand "Protest not, Liberators, my eyes are blessed by the Macrojudge, and see the truth of all things! With your help and that of my last free subjects, victory and revelation are assured! Ak'Ro, Tek, come down and meet our new allies."

 

An enormous armored man landed with a thud beside the princess, his ornate armor gleaming a darker shade of gold than hers despite the brilliant wings folding into his back, and his head and face were hidden by a beetle-like helmet. In his hands was an enormous sickle-sword that hummed with power. Gesturing to him, Ana said "Ak'Rohoros Neterath, the last of my guard-race and my protector since childhood." The giant bent his doméd head, but said nothing.

 

A brown insectile face poked cautiously over the egde of the shelf the other two stood on, a weathered high-tech spear slung over one shoulder. The princess smiled "That is Tek, the last, most honest criminal from my world, and my closest friend, which only half the Infraverse can claim."

 

"That is a slanderous lie!" Tek vaulted nimbly onto the shelf, revealing him to be a kind of humanoid cricket, but lacking wings and wearing a baggy green shirt and pants covered in stuffed pockets. He kept close to the edge and eyed the aliens above them warily. "I have never been honest a day in my life(excepting the present circumstances) and am no friend of you or anyone else! ." Fidgeting on crooked, grasshopper-like legs, the Infraverser glanced constantly between the other two and the aliens. Ana took a few steps closer and pointed to the distant, smouldering fire far below.

 

"We know a quick way to the core of this Motherworld, where we can fully explain and show everything, will you please follow me?" 

 

"I..." Tesla and Chase looked at each other, and Chase's mental voice spoke to the group Doubt they are a threat, but can we risk it? Even then, should we get involved?

 

Tesla frowned dubiously at the smiling, confident princess and her friends

I say no, we risk getting into something we can't get out of if we start meddling in local politics. Your thoughts, people? Terrifica, you catch all that?

 

 

 

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Plainly uncomfortable now, Tristan scratched his ear and looked away.  They seemed to have stumbled unwittingly across some savior-prophecy, or these aliens were just desperate for allies; either way, he hesitated to leave them to their troubles.  He projected his thoughts to the others along Chase's mental link--a communication method he wasn't entirely happy with.  It might be secure, but he preferred the personal privacy of a regular radio.

 

Can we really just leave them, though?  If they need help...maybe we should at least hear the full story before we decide?

 

Aloud, he added, "Rylon?  I'm not familiar with that name.  Can you explain?"

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Val takes a look over her shoulder to make sure the camera's still rolling.  This is the kind of weird crap that really gets the ratings.

 

"You know, I'm pretty sure they could listen in on the psychic chatter just as easily as us talking, considering we heard theirs just a minute ago without even trying," she points out.

 

Especially if I'm on the line.

 

She hadn't meant to broadcast that last part, but going in and out of broad open channels makes that hard to filter.

 

"If we don't do anything, sounds like this is gonna be a war.  Some Viva la resistance kind of stuff.  I don't know about you, but I'd rather at least try and stop that."

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  • 4 weeks later...

GM

 

Ana's reply to Tristan was to set her jaw and glower at the floor. After a moment she began reluctantly to explain.

 

"He is...was, the king of the world of Konteel, husband of its queen Variste and father of my dearest friend, Princess Elzaya. For many years there was peace between them and the rest of the Seventeen Worlds, protected from outsiders by the great Scourge Barrier that prevents any living thing from passing through it. But recently some great change has come over Rylon, the gentle man is now a tyrant who sees enemies everywhere, and enslaved my world for supposed "traffic with enemies of the Infraverse." But that is impossible!"

 

Pacing vigorously back and forth, the princess went on 

"The other worlds are now controlled by a network of organitech gates, which only the Konteeli or their collaborators can use. If we can shut those down there's a chance we can win, but even defeating thousands of Gralusian Berserkers or battlebeasts won't be enough. Rylon is being...controlled by something. Or someone."

 

Reaching up to her face, Ana removed the visor covering it, revealing eyes that shone with a vivid silver light "Before we were forced to flee I and my friends had fought our way to the throne room of Konteel, and I saw some presence in the emperor's heart. I am sure it is his brother, Bylar. The man has always resented Rylon's successes and the queen's innovations, and recently had made a suit of orgtec armor that lets him influence the wills of others. Rylon and Variste are heavily guarded, but Bylar is not. If we can get to him, and thwart the gates, victory will be ours!"

 

Behind Ana, now wearing her earlier smile of perfect confidence, Ak'Ro stood still and silent as the grave while Tek vigorously twirled one finger next to his head. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Following a long silence from the rest of the team, Tristan reluctantly directed the conversation again.  "Ahhh...I'm not sure we're as helpful as you think we are.  I don't know much about infiltration; we're a scientific expedition, not a team of spies and assassins."  Well, mostly.  "But if you and your people are in need, then I'd like to do what I can to help."

 

He half-turned and gestured to the distant light further down in the caverns.  "You said you know a way to the core, where you could explain the situation more fully?  I think that would be a good idea.  Once we know the whole situation, maybe we can work together to come up with a plan."

 

Because yours sounds dubious.  Even your friend can see that, and he knows your circumstances far better than I do.  Tristan's eyes settled on Tek before moving back to Ana.  He's the one I need to talk to, preferably in private. 

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  • 1 month later...

GM

 

Well that was awkward. Anyway, we can safely assume the following:

 

1. Upon reaching the core, the expedition discovered that Halluel was a living thing, part of an obscure facet of the Infraverse ecosystem that fed on the regular exchange of life throughout the scattered worlds, in addition to being the Bee's 'mother'. The ship and planet enjoyed a brief reunion thanks to Daphne before Halluel disperesed into thousands of micro-worlds that sped into the red reaches.

 

2. As well, they learned that at least some of Princess Ana's story was true, about the expansionist and genocidal ambitions of the Emperor and the location of the Scourge Barrier behind which were the so-beleagured worlds.

 

3. En route, Velocity's week ran out, and she safely returned to Earth-Prime...but through another portal, in a mountain overlooking San Francisco, with a note by a control panel from somebody called "Bounce" apologizing for "that weirdness".

 

4. Getting to the Seventeen Worlds, the expedition at first found nothing but a weirdly archaic and advanced civilization at perfect peace, which of course led to an attempted ambush and fight to Konteel, where Tristan was forced to transform, though luckily away from the others.

 

5. They discovered that Councilor Bylar was NOT the source of the evil, but the disembodied soul of a space wizard named Z'yx summoned by the magical dabblings of queen Variste and willingly accepted by the greedy king Rylon. In the course of dispelling the spirit it, Rylon and Variste are cast into the Infraverse's afterlife, the Deadzone.

 

6. Stricken by the loss of her parents but in denial of what they were, Princess Ezlaya tries to continue the fight but is talked down by her friend Princess Ana, and the two are wed to formally unite the Seventeen Worlds in peace, the warriors and warbeasts returning to Konteel.

 

7. Val and Tesla Atom are tight-lipped about where they were in the first couple of days after the grueling battles.

 

8. The next week is rather uneventful, with samples being gathered, safer passage through the Barrier being prepared, and character interaction happening. Peaceful and semi-cordial relations between the Seventeen Worlds and Earth-Prime are tentatively established.

 

9. The last week is spent chasing clues to stopping a catastrophic breach in space-time, which ended with a meeting and question-answer session with the Primal Questor.

 

10. The return was uneventful, though the Bee was sorry to see them all go, and Jack Wolf agreed to stay and keep them company for a while.

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