Comes flying in on an old biplane...
Bombs away! *releases new chapter*
Been a while... I know. But thank you for those that were super patient, as well as those that left me reviews, comments, and/or messages wishing me well and telling me how much you liked or loved my stories. I'm nothing if not stubborn and will continue to keep putting out chapters as well as I can muster.
I'm sure a few are wondering... "What took so long?" while most others are like... "Who cares?! More chapters." XD but the short answer to the former question is moving, work, and family drama did a number on my free time. BUT... ever try to get back to something you couldn't do for a while? It's slow to start, takes some effort to keep rolling, but once you get going, it's not that bad? Yeah that was this. lol.
ANYWHO... Now I'm back from battling Aggravating Aunts, Uncertain Uncles, and Cantankerous Cousins. I didn't really... I just wanted to alliterate. Although... cantankerous isn't that far off... XD
Read, review, fav, follow, and enjoy! Grab that strange snack too! Mine today is deep fried mint oreo cookies.
Metal plated corridors echoed with the dull thuds of footsteps, an entourage of beings approaching an open area with lots of equipment and an expansive viewport.
The leading member of the group slowly made their way towards the observatory window, looking out across the region of space outside. The others took up positions nearby, either overlooking her position or attending to the equipment with already present individuals.
They were on a large station, equal in size to a large asteroid and focused on the center of a large nebula that was surrounded by the remains of several celestial bodies.
At the center of the nebula, however, was a strange phenomenon that took many galactic cycles to reopen. Within the multicolored nebula… lie a mechanical ring, arcs of energy seemingly coming from the ring and anchoring at something in the center.
It was a spacial portal, capable of transcending the laws of time and space, taking anything that survived to the other side of it.
"Supreme T'jore?" a voice goaded softly from beside the female entity. She turned and nodded, allowing the subordinate to continue.
"While we could track the new vessel further… the signal still gets lost before it exits the other side," the other explained.
T'jore nodded solemnly, letting the other creature prepare to voice themselves further. Standing at an average height for an intelligent species, she had grey and brown fur encompassing her, with joints and shoulders, as well as the nose and jawline, covered in a deep burgundy colored chitin like plating. Much like the others in the small circle of known Nova Shards, her own eyes glowed a vibrant green.
"As of right now, we are still unsure if anything is making it across to the other side," the station leader talking to her explained. "With no return signals or any sign that pods sent accomplished anything, we are hard pressed to believe we can continue the current missions without…"
He began to clutch at his head, with T'jore raising an arm, palm out and something emanating from her.
"The council is well aware of the unknowns of this, be assured," she spoke out, lacking any malice her actions seemed to entail. Stopping her actions, the affected individual collapsed to his knees and did their best not to wretch in front of her.
Though the scope of her abilities wasn't well known, creating more fear than security in the unknown, one of her more prevalent and popularly known affinities was being able to emit waves of energy from herself that acted like microwaves. The reason it was well heard of was because she used it to cause nausea in those she felt were irritating.
"My apologies, Supreme," the being grovelled with strained breaths. "I only had the best intentions…"
"I know," T'jore told him far softly than her mannerisms suggested. He expected condescendence and anger. "Unless one of our ventures makes some sort of return… we're throwing valuable resources away. However, the endeavor is far too important to not take the risk, no matter the expenditure."
"What if everything is making it there?" he asked, standing up now. "Do you suspect they have means to defend against what we send?"
"Considering those that enacted this event," she said, gesturing to the torn system, "also had a purpose and the means to send the Shard to another place… I have little doubt that there was something there to resist us. No matter, their defenses will erode eventually or one of our teams will send a traceable signal back for us to follow. As such, patience is our overall goal."
"Why does it matter so much?" the being inquired, shirking in fear at any movement T'jore made.
"You see this system?" she asked simply. He only nodded. "It was devastated from a three star supernova event that forged the Shard."
"Alright…"
The Supreme gave him an annoyed glance, rolling her eyes and continuing, "For such an event, it did so little damage compared to much smaller supernovas that even dwarf stars could belch out. The reason being… most of this destructive energy was confined and funneled into the Shard. Naturally created Nova Shards are imbued with power as they are forcibly ejected by the blast of a supernova, absorbing power along the way. Can you guess the difference in power of either method of creation?"
Though he felt small compared to her, he wasn't stupid.
"That isn't a basic value of twofold or three fold… it's exponential," he told her with more confidence.
"Exactly," T'jore's tone became more vigorous and excited. "From initial reports hundreds of Galactic cycles ago, the supernova in this region was barely even 5 percent of it's expected destructive output."
His eyes widened, having been told this mission was important… but never the scope. Now that T'jore was here, the station leader had to wonder what changed for her to show up.
"A Shard of such power could solidify an empire's hold for a time yet to be matched," the Supreme growled out, smiling wide.
"If our forces are making it through, what do you think is a way to get around any defenses?" he dared to say in question.
Supreme T'jore settled into a mild grimace, speaking low, "I can think of no such methods yet, as the spacial anomaly can't sustain large forces… but any defense there must be an exceptional one to resist our might."
0000000
Essie let out a deafening belch after chugging a drink from the platter that Leo brought by.
"That feels great," she sighed. "Always great to down some alcohol after a long day like this."
The android, having only just got there, looked over to Judy, who shrugged, smiling meekly.
As if contemplating the impact of the next words, Leo was silent for several seconds before finally replying, "That wasn't one of the alcoholic drinks. Those are on the opposing side. You just drank some spiced tea."
Instead of getting flustered or trying to shirk the event off, the wild dog simply gave both a deadpan expression and belted out, "Well, I feel like an idiot… but that still tasted good. More please?"
"Of course."
The mechanical being then exited the room with barely audible steps.
With the door clicking shut, the female canine gave the small bunny doe a hug that could crush bones, spilling out, "So… I would ask what's wrong but I've seen this often enough to know what's up. Heck… I was there, too."
Letting Judy give her an empty glance, Essie continued, "You're feeling like you are somehow at fault for what happened. That it happening is negligence on your part. You know what, bunny? Be a shield as much as you want, but you can't deflect every blow thrown at you."
"I know…" the rabbit doe murmured out. "Trust me… I know that. I think that's what's bothering me… among other things…"
"Oh?" the canine goaded with a small smile. "Like what?"
A loud gurgling noise, emanating from the smaller mammal's belly, reverberated within the small room, causing Essie to snort and giggle, Judy's cheeks turning bright pink as she began to pout.
Several seconds of outright laughter later, and the doe had something to say, chastising her friend, "It's not THAT funny, is it?"
"Hilarious!" she gasped in reply. "The timing was too perfect. But seriously… I'll have Leo get food. In fact, let's make a party out of this. No idea why I thought a one on one in here would be a great idea. Everyone else might think I'm trying to seduce you."
It was Judy's turn to snicker, saying, "Well… you did tell Leo to get us a bunch of alcohol and guided me away from the group into a bedroom."
"Eh," the wild dog let out with a shrug. "I could do a lot worse."
"I don't even want to know…" the grey rabbit resolved to announce with paws spread out.
"Ah, right!" Essie piped up before exiting the room, jolting Judy to a still state. The taller female turned and gave the small doe a big hug worthy of a bear. The smaller mammal was lifted from the floor and grunted at the unexpected gesture. "I thought talking to you might take longer… but now I realize I can't solve your problem in a night of drinking. Uh… that sounded better in my head. Anyways, I think you aren't the only one needing cheering up and a whole night of the whole group being…. Well the whole group… might do us all some good."
Dropping the doe, both made their way out, Essie finding and flagging down Leo to help her with whatever she was trying to do.
Next thing Judy knew, she then barged into Gus's quarters and made a loud racket.
"Um and at'em, Bear Bomb!" the canine called out.
"It's been…. Ten minutes!... Let me nap," the bear groaned, shouted, then grumbled… all in one sentence.
"Come on. Come on. Come on!" Essie poked and prodded him, both in speech and literally, her paws playing button mashing games with his arm. "I doubt any of us will sleep with our brains being jerks to us…. So why not just stay up all night and goof off until our bodies have no choice but to shut down?"
The two slowly made their way out, the others looking on with distracted stares, clearly having been mentally engaged elsewhere until the wild dog's rant.
Gus made chewing noises and yawned, wiping at his eyes and muzzle with sore paws as he spoke gruffly, "Anyone ever tell you that you make annoying sense?"
"Yep!" she chirped without missing a beat, counting on her digits as she continued, "My mom, cousin, partner, the Chief, Judy…"
"Got it," the bear interrupted, far from mentally capable in his tired state of remembering anything beyond short sentences.
Conner, Bella, and Nick cut short their distracting work to join the much noisier mammal. It wasn't like they would focus much with Essie turning herself into an unwavering focal point of their attention.
"Games!" Essie called out. "We must have entertainment."
The android reentered the room, carrying a vast amount of food and drinks with an unnatural level of balance and grace.
"I have installed a variety of modified games in the center table here," Leo supplied evenly, setting everything down and powering up the projector. "Best to take the glasses from the storage in front of you. They can overlay holographic items onto the table and show you things specific to you."
"Uh… what kind of games are on here?" the wildebeest inquired, putting the glasses on and looking around curiously.
Belle was scrolling through options on some sort of display that only she could see, smiling as she explained for the robotic being, "Looks like a few board games, some RPG type stuff, and strategy games… I vote strategy!"
"Of course you do…" Conner grumbled, finding the menu and seeing what she apparently saw. "What about this exploration game? Build characters and fight monsters?"
As the others figured out the strange devices, most agreed with the gnu, making the deer doe pout and sucker punch Conner in the shoulder, hurting her own hoof more than his beefy arms.
"Fine…" she grumbled as the game began.
The game reflected an older setting, with weapons mostly consisting of swords, bows, axes, and even some magic based weaponry.
The whole group had varied reactions to their initial interactions with the game, with Judy seeming a bit disconnected, Gus, Conner, and Ellie being excited, Belle begrudgingly doing her thing, and Nick a bit lost. He was usually so lost in his projects that games never felt right to do more than the occasional indulgence. Even then, they were mostly solo ones.
The next couple of hours slowly went from awkward social stumbles to giggles, smiles, and outright laughter, their seemingly simple RPG game turning into some sort of comedic parody of itself.
Leo stood in the back, examining their interactions and such, taking notes of their mental and emotional states.
0000000
Using an alternate body, Leo was also visiting elsewhere, the door to the holding cell for Tim opening.
True to their word, Nick and the android took the efforts to remove a few uncomfortable elements to his prison. While still lacking more than the basic necessities, the Shard did appreciate the difference in treatment.
"Was there something else you desired from me?" the alien asked with a reserved tone. Though believing they weren't some sort of malicious enemy, that still didn't mean he shouldn't question their motives or interest in keeping him alive.
"As a matter of fact," Leo began with the usual even tone, giving nothing away, "I believe I may be able to help you in some capacity, which in turn will give me insight to something else."
The Shard couldn't detect truth or deceit, clenching his jaw and deciding to entertain it as truth for now, replying, "Please proceed to explain."
"Ghostwalk, please," Leo implored, gesturing with one arm in a general fashion.
Tim's eyes widened, surprised at being requested to use his abilities.
"Ah… I do need two points of clarification first," came the voiced afterthought of the robotic being. "Can you hear and converse normally while Ghostwalking? And though you mentioned before, is it true your 'ghost' must abide by the same physical barriers that constrains the flesh?"
"Please don't say 'constrains the flesh'..." the Shard requested in a deadpan manner.
"Understood. I shall adjust my vocabulary."
There was a tepid silence as the avian alien mulled over the questions, with the android unmoving and patient for a response.
Letting out a long sigh, Tim explained reluctantly, "I can hear and talk while doing so, yes. However… it's taxing mentally to focus on two sources of sensory input. As for the latter, that would also be a yes."
"Thank you," Leo simply replied. "I shall try not to tax you too much, but try to listen to me and do as I ask. I am 87% certain that you will be pleased with the results."
"And the other 13%?" the Shard inquired with a sarcastic tone.
"A potentially anti-climactic reaction leading to a self admonishing and overly aggressive criticism," Leo bluntly remarked, making the alien unsure how to respond, choosing to instead finally acquiesce and focus on bringing out his 'ghost' form.
He found a resting position, sitting with his back to the cell wall.
Within a few seconds, Tim stood and turned, looking back from a corporeal form at his physical one. It was always an unsettling experience for the first few seconds to look at himself and it wasn't a reflection.
"I'm ready…," he voiced calmly from his actual mouth, instead of a ghost one, not that he knew if this form made any noticeable noises.
"Great," Leo remarked, turning to the door and opening it. "Exit the cell and proceed down the hallway. I'll remain here to interact with you vocally, as no sensory equipment I possess can track you. Let me know when you have reached a black metal door."
Trepidatious of the whole situation, the Shard was becoming increasingly anxious about leaving his body with Leo. Taking a metaphorical breath, seeing as his 'Ghost' form need not breathe, Tim ventured out of the cell and took slow steps down the hall.
When in this form, he had a body that reflected his real one, subject to gravity and natural body mechanics like walking or running. In the past, it was relatively useless, as anything worth using his ability for was behind locked doors. Although, leaving his body to rest while his 'Ghost' would read through manuals or investigate any devices he used was certainly a boon.
The avian alien noticed and became more alarmed by the doors that remained open. He figured he must have passed through three unsecured doors, not counting the cell door itself, before catching sight of a pitch black metallic door.
It wasn't overly armored, but Tim guessed it was secure enough to give a Flare model some trouble getting through it with brute force.
He almost forgot to mention he made it to the door, the Shard focusing on holding his form and talking from his physical mouth.
"I made it here," came his own voice, sounding so close. It was disorienting to try focusing on two bodies at once. Sight from one and hearing/speaking from the other.
"Understood," the being acknowledged. "Remain where you are, but try to put yourself within sight of the doors you passed through. I'm coming to you."
Looking down the long hallway, Tim saw Leo exiting the cell and approaching the first open security door…
...Stopping just at the threshold and turning to call into the cell, "Can you see me?"
"I can," he responded to the distant voice, wondering what was going on.
The strange being raised an arm and rapped on something invisible, a heavy metal clang echoing out. The door didn't so much close… as appear from nowhere, bleeding in like it was always there. It opened, revealing Leo, who stepped to the next door and did the same thing.
Tim paid closer attention, knowing cloaking tech when he saw it. This wasn't quite the same principle as he was used to, but it functioned very closely to what he knew.
"...how?" was all he could muster.
"The doors are layered in a screen like surface, capable of projecting an image," Leo detailed in reply. "It takes footage from either side of the door and displays the appropriate video equivalent with depth, fooling the viewer into believing the door is open."
Shocked by the potential implications, the Shard gripped his head, his 'Ghost' form reverting and mind phasing back to his body in full.
The alien jolted from a meditative state and leapt to his feet, exiting the cell, completely forgetting the premise that he was a prisoner.
The mechanical being didn't seem to mind as Tim took to looking at the door that wasn't really there.
A bunch of thoughts swirled in the Shard's head… but nothing cohesive could be grasped to form words, much less questions or voice realizations.
Leo spoke to fill in the gaps, "My predecessors compiled much information about Shard affinities, making the explanation of yours quite contradictory to my understanding. However, after hearing your story and extrapolating the potential methods of your previous governing structure, I surmise the result of your limitations was taught… not inherent."
"You tricked me into… breaking that?" the avian alien asked in disbelief, unsure how to process what appeared to be going on.
"I do hope the deception wasn't too much for you," the robot mentioned sincerely. "I knew words might reach you, but the ingrained method of teaching you your limitations may override certain methods I could use to convince you. Your own mind was the error, by intention of those that trained you."
"Why would you do this? Am I not your enemy?" Tim rasped from a breathless throat, coming to grips with not only the fact that he was tricked into something that should be a positive… but also the fact that those that gave him intelligence and purpose restricted him from reaching some semblance of full potential.
"Enemy?" Leo voiced evenly, seemingly mulling over the very nature of the word. "You stopped technically being my enemy when you surrendered, then furthermore when you gave us insightful information. I am doing this in the hopes and chances that you will pursue the means to better understand your own abilities without being held back. To that end, I have left interactive devices with data concerning yours and other general Shard abilities, as well as some cultural exposure information to better understand this planet."
"Should I return to my cell?" Tim ventured to ask, unsure what else to raise a concern about with his mind in such a raw state.
"I have readied this entire area for your own use, along with all the amenities for hygiene, exercise, and mental engagement," the android told the Shard. "I'm still unable to allow you free roam beyond this, but it gives you a freedom that I hope you prove to have earned."
Turning, Leo made to exit the whole area, the large black door unsealing to show a multi-tier system Tim couldn't just make a break running through if he so wished to try.
Nevertheless…
"Thank you…" was all he could murmur, knowing he had a lot to process.
"You deserve at least this much," the mechanical being firmly voiced, the door closing and locking.
0000000
Bonnie had tossed and turned most of the night, taking in all the information she did, while also trying to comprehend how to proceed with Kale. It took a few hours of trying to appear normal and thinking during to find excuses to visit the young buck.
Even the knowledge that he was roomed with his other siblings didn't help to sway her worries.
The young bunny died… that much was unfortunately clear.
But… he came back.
The older doe couldn't figure out whether she was scared of what that meant for him, or if she was scared of him because of it. She hated the last option.
Regardless of this inner strife, her motherly concern continued to override anything else, keeping her awake until Stu finally got her soothed enough to fall asleep.
Although, soothed was likely not the right term so much as giving into exhaustion. Either way, Bonnie woke up at the crack of dawn, per habitual routine, though feeling like she had gained little to no rest whatsoever. Her mind wasn't racing anymore, which was a plus.
"Feeling better, bun?" Stu remarked, getting up with her.
She shook her head slowly in the negative, rubbing her eyes and dragging her paws down her cheeks.
"I wish I could say yes…" she sighed, finding the hotel room's coffee machine and starting a brew. "Yesterday took a lot out of me and… losing Kale like that…" Bonnie shuddered. "...it made me fear what could be."
"Oh believe me, Bonnie," the older buck chirped with a sliver of sadness, "I feel you there. I might be turning myself inside out, but I think you need me to have it together…"
Smiling a bit, the doe felt a bit of guilt for putting that on her husband, as well as hiding what she now knew from him.
A secondary thought did assuage her lamentation, reminding her that she barely understood what was going on… so, how was she supposed to describe it to her mate?
"Want to take the kits and head back to Bunnyburrow?" Stu offered in a soft tone. "I can take care of things here."
"N-no!" Bonnie rebuked, catching her reaction and more quietly amending, "It's okay… the kits might be a bit shaken… but they wanted to come so badly. I won't ruin that for them."
With her brain catching up, the mother rabbit mulled over the reason for reacting like that, concluding it had to do with her daughter and then getting some answers about Kale. Plus, that fox, Rey.
Keeping her mind distracted with her kits, Bonnie began making breakfast, using the limited means in their suite, feeling a slight relief at not having to lead the charge for a breakfast of hundreds this time.
One by one, her young made their way out of the beds and out to the small table.
Seeing the obvious missing party, the older doe having fawned enough over him yesterday, she asked, "Where's Kale?"
The eldest of her accompanying kits piped up, saying after a yawn, "Not in bed… I figured he left earlier to watch the tv or something."
Feeling an icy grip on her heart, Bonnie had the mental wherewithal to fire off a, "Honey, food is cooked but please give your siblings their share."
She barely registered the sleep 'Mhmm' before padding off quickly to rip open the door to the room where her kits slept, looking for the small buck. She looked under the covers, lumpy and strewn about. She checked in the nooks and crannies, where her young decided sometimes it was funny to hide. She even tried looking under the bed, realizing this hotel was one of those that made the whole frame flush with the floor.
About to leave the room, Bonnie noticed something odd…
… or rather, she noticed the oddity of items lacking.
The alarm clock was gone, along with the phone, as well as the tv remote. The remote was usually hard to find, with her kits hiding it so the others would play with it or change the channel from something they disagreed on. Sometimes she even took it so that they would stop arguing over it.
Refocusing herself back to her increasingly desperate task, the mother doe looked around and noticed a low light emitting from the slats of the folding closet doors. She went over to them and opened them gently, keeping her paws from ripping them open to satisfy her curiosity.
"Hi, Mom!" Kale chirped happily, looking none the wiser to her concerns.
Before she could feel calmer and respond, the light from the room showed her something she didn't expect to find, nor knew how to process.
All the items she noticed were missing were in the closet with Kale…
...laid out before him in pieces.
Nothing was broken, but they were certainly well dismantled to the point of likely needing a tool kit to put back together. That begged the question of how it was pulled apart when no such tools were around.
"Um… Kale, honey…" Bonnie began with a slight quiver in her voice, "what are you doing?"
"I slept… woke up, but it was really early and I couldn't sleep," the small brown buck explained, fiddling with a couple parts. "I tried to occupy myself and it was like I could understand all the electronics. So, I played around with them."
The older doe wanted to admonish him, but his wording definitely brought up a few questions in her mind. Not only that, but with the light permeating the room from the sun being dwindled by cloud cover, Bonnie could now see what caused the glow that drew her to the closet.
His eyes now had a low blue glow to them that gave them a brilliance she found entrancing and unsettling. The unsettling part was only because she didn't know why… but it was familiar. She'd seen it before.
"Judy…" the mother rabbit breathed, raising her voice to talk to Kale. "You can't take apart things that don't belong to you, dear. Here… let's go get some breakfast and we'll clean this up."
"Aww… alright," Kale drawled, resigning himself to being picked up by his mother.
Bonnie hefted him up with one arm, the other paw fishing in the pants she apparently slept in for the paper with a number and address.
She needed some answers… not only for herself or Kale, but long overdue ones for Judy as well.
Yay... transition chapters... I love writing these.
*insert sarcasm here*
It's not that bad but writing in between junk (or stuff that leads to other content without having much itself) feels like I'm trying to write the extensive wait at a doctor's office in great and overbearing detail like it's an in progress action scene.
*cue the epic suspense music while reading trash magazines for 30 mins in a room that smells like sterile cotton balls*
XD
Whatever the case, I'm glad I could put this out there and let everyone know I'm not unliving.
Until next time, It's been a hustle, Sweethearts!