I'm away on another trip, so it took me a while to crank this chapter out. It went slower than I expected, so not a whole lot happens, plotwise. :( Sorry. I have chapter 4 written but not edited, so I'm hoping to get that one up here soon. Trust me, that one has more stuff to it.
All right, a few things that I need to clear up:
-This story is going to be longer than City of Progress. Right now I'm imagining that it will be around 150k long, which means that it will probably actually end up being 200-250k. Scary... :O
-There's a lot of worldbuilding and explaining in these early chapters. Most of it relates to the plot in some way.
-Unlike City of Progress, there's a decent amount of foreshadowing and little hints about character in these chapters. See if you can spot them! :)
-For you astronomy buffs out there, you'll know that there's a dwarf planet called Ceres. The Ceres that I'm writing about is different. It's in the Andromeda galaxy. Don't ask me where in the Andromeda galaxy because I don't know enough about its structure to give any sort of response. :)
-Technology is in a pretty interesting place right now. Psionics have been around for thousands of years, so that's changed stuff up. You'll see what I mean in the next few chapters. ;)
-This story is set in 198X in today's time, but for the people living in it, it's 80 A.F.
-Pretty much all of the kids are going to be the same age, even if they aren't in their games. If you're wondering how I can possibly do that, remember that this is an AU. :) Stranger things will happen.
-I still may or may not own the mother series. ;)
Review Responses:
SuperMarioFan5000: Well, it's not your fault for missing them. ;) It took me a few minutes to put the next couple of chapters up. I was thinking "Nobody's going to read the prologue before I get these chapters up," and then I got a review. :x Oops. Glad to see that you're enjoying this story already! And thanks for the catch! Totally my bad.
OrangeFlight of ShadowClan: Thanks! :) As for Claus killing someone, I can neither confirm nor deny that. Yes, I'm insufferable. :D Well, it's nice to see that you like Ness again! :) I think that he might be the character that develops most throughout the story (again). But who knows what will happen, especially since I only have a foggy idea of what's going to happen during the second half of this story?
Hey, I don't mind you talking about your stories! In fact, I think that it's super cool how we talk about the same stuff! :D Writers for the win!
Just A Fan: Thanks! :) I feel like Ness' and Ninten's POVs will be darker... I have a Jeff POV this chapter and it seems a bit lighter, at least to me. And after everyone gets settled down on Ceres, things might start to lighten up... at least until further conflicts occur.
A Fan: Don't apologize for being late to review! :) Really, I don't mind and I respect your time.
At the start of the prologue it says that it happened four years ago. As for the red, that's open to interpretation. :) And remember that Fuel saw "Massive red splotches." Probably indicates at least a medium-sized wound.
Just because something appears in Ness' mind doesn't mean it's a flashback. I'm not going to tell you whether or not it is (obviously not because I haven't decided yet... I would never do that. ;D). The scene is set in Fourside, and America is a separate country from Eagleland (It said in EB Beginnings that Ninten lives in America, so I'm playing with that). And yeah, the first couple of chapters can kinda be confusing when you don't really know what's going on, huh?
Yep, Poo's restrictions don't make a whole lot of sense. I'll let him explain more when he's ready (which isn't this chapter). :) And I talk about the not having psionic powers and going to Ceres thing this chapter. Are you psychic or something? :P Hm... I suppose that I can answer at least one of your plot-related questions. No, the school on Ceres isn't a Sith-training zone or anything close to that. Still could be a military training thing, though. :)
Ah, yes, this AN turned out quite long... although shorter than some of the City of Progress ones. How did I possibly find so much to talk about? xD
Pain… it's something that we tend to forget after it happens. Looking back, I cannot experience physical pain through memory alone. That is why the pain that I caused does not worry me as much as the psychological torment that the victims will continue to experience.
Because while pain is fleeting, anguish can remain forever.
Jeff looked out at black and grey splotches that made up the planet Ceres.
Wow, he thought. I'm going to live there! My dream is finally coming true!
Jeff squinted, barely able to make out a glowing, purple line stretching out from Ceres. He felt a sense of excitement rush through his body.
"What are you looking at?" Ness asked softly, walking next to Jeff and squinting.
"Do you see that little purple line stretching out from Ceres there?" Jeff asked. "That's the Gate to Prosperity."
"That is the Gate to Prosperity?" Ness asked. "I expected it to be… more."
More than a small purple line originating at a distant planet… I guess I can see why he would be underwhelmed, Jeff thought. Still, it's awesome!
"Well, I still think that a space elevator of any sort deserves excitement," Jeff replied, feeling the need to defend the Gate for some reason.
Ness sighed.
"I suppose… I just find it difficult to get excited about anything on Ceres."
"Why?" Jeff inquired. "You have psionic powers, right? There should be loads for you to do!"
Ninten snorted.
"If he's on this ship, of course he has psionic powers."
Jeff didn't know how to feel about Ninten. On the one hand, he seemed like a genuinely good person. On the other hand, he could act like an insensitive jerk at times. Jeff wanted to reach out to him, but he didn't know how Ninten would react. Maybe Jeff was imagining things, but he got the feeling that Ninten didn't like him very much.
"Well, I don't, and here I am," Jeff countered.
Ninten raised an eyebrow.
"Why? Why go to Ceres?"
"I wanted to learn about psionics," Jeff replied defensively. Who was this kid to question Jeff's goals? "My dream is to be a psigeneer when I grow up."
"A psionic engineer?" Ninten asked. "Really?"
"Why not?"
Ninten shrugged.
"I would think that you would wish to avoid affiliating with that… profession."
"Why?" Jeff asked, furrowing his brow.
"Huh? You don't know?"
Jeff shook his head, feeling a surge of curiosity race through his veins. He had to know this.
"I… think that you should remain in ignorance," Ninten said shakily. "You'll be happier that way."
"Please, tell me!" Jeff exclaimed. "What's wrong with my dream profession?"
"Nothing," Ninten responded curtly. "Have fun and enjoy your life."
Jeff turned away, fuming in anger. If that kid wanted to act like a jerk, Jeff couldn't stop him.
"So, Ness," Jeff said, trying to act friendly. "Don't you think that the Gateway to Prosperity is super cool? I mean, it must be several kilometers long, and it goes straight up."
"I… guess," Ness replied halfheartedly.
"Come on!" Jeff exclaimed. "It has to be more exciting than that. Just think about it!"
"It's not that exciting," Ninten butted in. "I mean, I admire the person who thought of that, but in the end it's really just an application of centrifugal force."
"What?" Ness asked, his eyes narrowing in confusion.
"You know, centrifugal force?" Ninten asked. "When you spin something and its contents move to the outside?"
"Er…" Ness answered.
"It's okay if you've never heard of it," Ninten replied with a friendly smile. "And it's okay if you don't understand it. Knowing how the Gate works doesn't really matter."
"I feel stupid for never having heard of this stuff," Ness muttered.
"Don't," Ninten responded resolutely. "I learned most of what I know from my father. He was a universe-class teacher, apparently. And I bet Jeff here had a quality education as well."
"I did," Jeff admitted. "I agree with Ninten. Don't feel bad for your lack of knowledge! After all, you never had the chance to learn this stuff."
Ninten shot Jeff a gaze at seemed to say "I don't need your assistance." Jeff shrugged.
"Anyways," Jeff continued, trying to move past Ninten's annoyed look. "I wonder how they built the Gate. Even though Ceres has less gravity than Earth, finding a material strong yet light enough to build a tunnel long enough to reach space would be next to impossible…"
"Boron nitrides," Ninten answered. "That's how they did it. It forms a lattice stronger than diamond but is far cheaper to produce. They enforce that lattice with some psionics that I don't understand, which causes the Gate to turn purple."
I bet he made that up on the spot, Jeff thought. But since he didn't know the answer, he couldn't call Ninten out for it.
Ness seemed to sense the hostility between Ninten and Jeff, as he turned to Ninten and spoke:
"You said that your father was a universe-class teacher?"
That seemed to catch Ninten off guard. His eyes scanned the white room, as if searching for an escape route.
"I didn't mean to let that slip…" Ninten said.
"Well, no point in denying it now," Jeff piped in. "Do you want to tell us more about your father?"
"No," came the unwavering answer.
Ness sighed.
"Maybe we should introduce ourselves more thoroughly?" he offered.
Jeff and Ninten nodded, both of them likely wanting to latch onto a topic that wouldn't provoke hostility.
"I guess I'll start," Ninten said. "I grew up in a small American town called Podunk. I have twin sisters named Minnie and Mimmie. They're both ten years old. I get along pretty well with Mimmie, but not so much with Minnie. I enjoy playing baseball."
Jeff nodded.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"Pretty much, yeah," Ninten replied. "My life's boring."
"I guess I'll go next," he said. "My full name is Jeffrey Andonuts, and my father is Dr. Andonuts. We both share a fascination with psionics. He was the one that gave me the idea of travelling to Ceres. Have you two heard of him?"
Ninten nodded.
"Who hasn't?"
"I haven't," Ness whispered.
"Well, now you have," Ninten replied without missing a beat, "So no harm done."
Ness didn't seem to agree with Ninten, but he remained silent.
Ness is way too hard on himself, Jeff thought. And I don't think that Ninten is hard enough on himself.
"Anyways," Jeff continued. "I grew up in Winters, a small town in Eagleland. I've never been into sports, preferring to learn about psionics, math, and science instead. I think that's all."
Ness fidgeted nervously.
"You don't have to introduce yourself if you don't want to," Ninten offered.
"No, I can." Ness took a deep breath. "I'm Ness and I come from Onett… but you guys already knew that. My life has been pretty uneventful overall. I have a sister named Tracy… but we don't get along too well. I have a dog named King and I enjoy playing baseball, just like Ninten. I even packed some equipment."
"Playing baseball is going to be rough on Ceres," Ninten replied with a smirk. "After all, there's less gravity there than on Earth."
Ness stared out of the window into the infinite black that surrounded the ship. His eyes looked forlorn and his shoulders seemed to bear an invisible burden.
"I… didn't think about that."
"I'm sure that you can find some way to make it work!" Jeff exclaimed.
"I hope so," Ness replied with a heavy sigh.
Come on, cheer up!
"Looks like we're almost at the Gate," Ninten noted.
Jeff peeked out the window and saw the long, purple cylinder stretching out below the ship. Large pores were scattered across the otherwise closed face of the cylinder.
"The ship will land right above one of those holes," Jeff explained, "And then we will get into an elevator to head down the Gate."
"Why does Ceres need the Gate in the first place?" Ness asked. "I've never understood that."
Jeff paused. Why did Ceres need a space elevator?
"Look below you," Ninten replied.
Even though his words were directed at Ness, Jeff complied with the request. He looked down and saw a translucent purple dome. Inside, he could see distorted buildings that made up a city.
Of course! Jeff thought. How did I not figure that out earlier?
"That's a psionic force field," Ninten continued. "It blocks everything from entering and exiting, meaning that this ship can't pass through. These holes in the space elevator provide the only way to Ceres, which is why the Gate really is a gate."
"Why do we need a force field, though?"
"If we didn't, we would have to walk around everywhere in spacesuits," Ninten answered. "The atmosphere here cannot support life. So hundreds of years back, a group of powerful psions combined their strength to create an Earthlike atmosphere on Ceres while simultaneously activating the device that created the force field."
"A device created that?" Ness asked in disbelief.
Ninten smirked.
"Yeah, did you think that psions were constantly powering it?"
"I guess not…"
"The force field around Ceres requires an unimaginable amount of psionic energy," Jeff piped in. "So much energy that the Shard of Ceres has to power it."
Ninten raised an eyebrow, his eyes seeming to say: "Why did you feel the need to butt in there?"
"The Shard powers that force field…" Ness said in wonder. "I guess it makes sense. I don't know of any other psionic sources powerful enough to provide energy for something like that."
"See? Isn't this stuff cool?" Jeff asked.
Ness' face darkened and his shoulders slouched.
Wrong thing to say…? Jeff wondered
"Arriving at destination," the monotone voice said from the microphone.
Jeff looked out of the window eagerly as he witnessed the ship land right over one of the pores.
"Exits to the vessel are located below you. You should find a latch, open it, and climb down into an elevator. Thank you for flying with Andonuts Spaceways."
"Let's go!" Jeff shouted. "What are we waiting for?"
"Why so eager?" Ninten asked, looking down at the Gate with worry.
"This is exciting!" Jeff exclaimed. "Think of all the opportunities that we'll have!"
Ninten sighed.
"You may be right. Either way, dawdling here will gain us nothing. You ready to head out, Ness?"
Ness nodded, although his face seemed paler than it had a minute ago.
Jeff walked out of the room and headed down a winding staircase. He reached the bottom level and quickly found the latch that the announcer spoke of. He lifted it and hoisted himself down into the elevator below. There, he came face to face with someone whom he already loathed.
"Hello, Pokey," Jeff greeted coolly.
Even in the dim light that the elevator provided, Jeff could easily make out Pokey's snarl.
"Here to harass me more, nerd?" the chubby kid asked.
"Only if you attack Ness again," the nerd replied with a good-natured smile.
The two of them stood in the cramped elevator, glaring at each other for what seemed like hours. Eventually, more people arrived to break the silence.
"Poo, are you sure?" Ninten asked from outside.
The latch opened and Ness, Ninten, and Poo scaled down the ladder and stepped into the elevator. Ness' eyes flashed with alarm as he saw Pokey. He flattened himself against the edge of the elevator, his posture stiff and his eyes pinned on the bully.
"I told you, Ninten," Poo answered, his eyes lighting up with worry upon seeing Pokey. "That wasn't your fault."
Ninten didn't even seem to notice Pokey there; he looked fully immersed in his conversation with Poo.
"Well, I won't badger you anymore, but please tell me if this really is my fault," he said, concern flooding his voice. "I know that I tend to act like an asshole sometimes, so I need people to tell me when I act like an asshole or else I'll never improve. I wouldn't want to make you feel perpetually uncomfortable!"
Poo released a heavy sigh.
"Thanks, Ninten. I really appreciate that you're making this effort to reach out to me… Which is why I hope that you believe me when I say that this really isn't your fault."
Ninten smiled.
"Sure," he replied. "And even if you're lying and your sudden departure was my fault, it's on you to tell me that."
Poo nodded, looking at Pokey nervously. Ninten turned his focus to the bully and seemed to snap awake.
"Whoa! I didn't see you there, Pokey."
"How could you possibly miss me?" Pokey replied, his venomous voice provoking no reaction from the Podunk boy. "After all, I'm fat."
"You are," Ninten concurred, "And you seem to beat yourself up for that. Why?"
Ninten has no finesse, Jeff thought.
Pokey shot a glare at Ninten to indicate that he felt the same way. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it.
"It's cool if you don't want to respond," Ninten added. "I get that some issues are personal."
Pokey's glare darkened further. Jeff looked at Ninten, who didn't seem to care that another human being was shooting a look of pure loathing at him.
Strange kid, Jeff thought.
"So, er…" Ness spoke up. "How do we send this thing down?"
Oh yeah, Jeff realized. We're stuck in a stagnant elevator. This is awkward…
"Well, there's a button that says 'down' right behind Pokey," Ninten answered with a smirk. "So my best guess is pushing that one."
"Oh…" Ness replied, looking down the floor and shuffling his feet. "I should have seen that."
"Well, I missed that too, so it's okay," Jeff comforted.
A weak smile lit up on Ness' face.
Ness needs to raise his self-esteem, Jeff thought. I wonder if he's always been this hard on himself…
"So, Pokey," Ninten spoke. "Would you mind pushing that button? I'm sure that you don't like seeing us any more than we like seeing you."
Pokey shot a sneer at Ninten.
"You insult me and then you just expect me to comply with your requests?" the bully demanded.
"Yeah, pretty much," Ninten answered. "After all, you probably want to escape my naturally offensive personality, right?"
Pokey's face flushed a bright red. Jeff could see the internal struggle written plainly on his face. Pokey wanted to fight everything that came out of Ninten's mouth by instinct, but he actually agreed with the Podunk boy this time.
"So, are you going to push the switch?" Ninten asked.
"No," Pokey answered, his eyes daring Ninten to challenge him.
Ninten sighed.
"I didn't want to do this, but we do need to land on Ceres eventually…" he trailed off as he stepped forward.
Pokey matched Ninten's step, his hands balled into fists. Ninten shook his head and lunged forward, managing to press the button before Pokey knocked him to the ground. Ninten hopped to his feet, looking at Pokey's enraged face with confusion.
"You couldn't let me have control over that one psyching button, could you?" Pokey roared. "You can't even leave the crumbs for me, huh?"
"I gave you a chance," Ninten replied evenly, "But you acted stubborn out of spite. So I decided to do what needed to be done."
Pokey sneered. Before he could respond, Ness walked up to Ninten, his wide eyes betraying concern.
"Ninten," Ness whispered. "Are you all right?"
"Me?" Ninten asked.
Who else? Jeff thought.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ninten continued. "I just got a few bruises at worst."
That didn't seem to comfort Ness at all.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ninten answered.
"Really?"
"Yep."
At this point, Poo walked over and faced Ness.
"Ness, I think that Ninten really is fine. Remember his conversation with me? He recognizes that if he really has a problem, he should speak up. The fact that he didn't protest means that he really doesn't care."
"Oh," Ness replied. "Did I nag you, Ninten?"
"Nah, I really don't mind," Ninten replied with a smirk. "People in Podunk act so much worse. Truly, you don't know the definition of 'control freak' until you've visited a small town in America at least once."
Jeff thought that he heard Poo mutter something about Dalaam, but he didn't feel sure enough to inquire further.
The elevator started to slow down.
"Are we almost there already?" Poo asked. "These machines provide more efficiency than I thought."
"Yep!" Jeff exclaimed. "It's amazing… and my father designed a lot of this! Well, not the Gate itself, but he made improvements on the structure."
Poo raised an eyebrow.
"My father is Dr. Andonuts," Jeff explained.
"Like… the guy who thought up all of those psionic appliances when he was about your age?" Poo asked. "You know, those fancy new 'telephones' and 'automobiles'?"
"Yeah! Isn't it amazing?"
"That is pretty cool," Ness answered politely. "I didn't know that your father did so much, Jeff."
"I agree with Ness," Poo added. "Your father sounds like a wonderful person."
"It makes you feel like you have to live up to his name, doesn't it?" Ness asked.
Jeff blinked. How had Ness known…?
"Yes," Jeff answered, looking into Ness' deep eyes and finding a twinge of sorrow.
Did something happen to him? Jeff wondered.
The elevator jerked to a stop.
"You might want to ask you dad about the sudden stops," Ninten teased.
Jeff rolled his eyes.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get out of this cramped elevator."
Right as he said that, the door opened, leading the way to a new world full of new opportunities.
Grass. Ninten was walking on grass.
I didn't expect Ceres to be so much like Earth… he thought.
Looking up above, he saw a purple dome above him. Any view outside of the dome was distorted and blurry. It made him feel like he was trapped in some sort of amber. Ninten shivered. He hated feeling trapped. With a sigh, Ninten took a step forward and almost fell over from the lack of gravitational resistance that his leg encountered on the way up.
It will take a while to get used to this… he realized.
He shook his head and started hopping around. Much easier. He looked behind to see his acquaintances struggling with the reduced gravity.
"Try hopping!" Ninten shouted, trying to make himself heard over the bustling nearby. "It looks silly, but it really helps!"
Suddenly, Ninten saw a flash of dark in the near distance.
What… was that? he wondered. That shape of that flash make me think that that it was a person… and he or she must have bounded away for whatever reason.
But why conceal yourself in the first place?
Ninten had plenty of time to ponder that as he hopped through the streets of Ceres.