Chapter 14: Shadowy Talks (Well, The Room's Brightly Lit)

The guards leading me to the interrogation room are the same as the last few times, but there's a tension to them that wasn't there before, even Raging Form had seemed oddly on edge earlier. I nod in thanks to the guards as they hold the door of the room open for me and step past them, steeling myself for another run in with Claret Sword.

"So, this is the most recent headache that we've been dealing with. Odd, I almost expected him to be… More."

The words are blunt, but not truly aggressive. They're a welcome difference to Claret's usual bark to sit down, but the speaker… well, maybe things are looking up for me. Sitting beside the usual samurai-esque knight is a man clad in midnight black armour, his sharp features hawklike and trained on me with an almost burning intensity. The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop them, "Blaster Dark."

"Indeed, and though you resemble the Perfect Guard units fielded by the Star-vaders, you apparently go by Trent Blackmore. I'd say that it's a pleasure to meet you but honestly, I don't really care," He remarks as he nods to the seat opposite him and the samurai.

I scramble into the chair, even though he's classified in the game as a Grade 2, this is the man known as the Hero of Darkness, and one of the two beings to ever expel their soul from a Lock to allow it to fight in the Liberation War. The man has an aura about him that states, "No, you can't take me."

Taking a moment to think, I break the ice with all the grace of a lame polar bear, "So, what do you think the chances are that Asaka'll ever let Ren know that she's into him and actually get through to him without climbing into his bed?"

Bedivere has his mouth in his lap, his only idea of what is being said from context, while Blaster Dark lets off a faint air of amusement. "Ren knows that Asaka is infatuated with him. However, he also knows that even after all these years she still doesn't know him enough to truly love him. And if that is the case, how can he make any feelings known in return?"

"Pfft, if I'm right then they'll be doing this little dance for the next few years, at least. Aichi's more likely to have realized that he's stolen the hearts of his entire friend group by then," I reply, thinking back to the teen's charisma and the way he seemed to worm his way into the hearts of the people around him.

"And if it is successful, it will be time well spent. If not, then better that she never love him to begin with," Junos answers with a shake of his head, clearly at least somewhat amused by how things are unfolding.

I laugh, "You say that, but watching them dance around each other gets a ittle old after a while. Though they'd make a cute couple."

"I'm sure Pale Moon agrees," he states and suddenly that edge is back. The man currently means business.

Shrugging, I reply, "Well, listen, what happened with Luquier, is not my fault. Actually, it's more Amon's fault," I mutter half piecing it together as I say it. "He's the one who sold out to Chaos Breaker."

"You believe that the Dark Irregulars would simply sell out to the Star-vaders?" he asks, eyes narrowed to slits. "Despite their lust for power and control of the Dark Zone, they are citizens of Cray."

"Sure he would," I don't even miss a beat. "If he felt that he needed to to maintain dominance over Reiji and Schaharot. It's a transaction to him, like some people would read the stock market, he'll read the allegiances and chances of the various factions. He doesn't see Cray winning, so he'll sell out to the Star-vaders."

There is a tiny tremor along the man's arm that says he's fighting back a knee-jerk response. Amon, despite the plethora of horrors to his name was still something like a friend. But he seems to be mentally realigning that with the fact that he was Phantom Blaster's ally, not really his.

"Be this true, something will have to be done. Though I suppose someone who is claiming the knowledge you are would have a suggestion." The tone he put on that last word had only a hint of madness. A subtle reminder that wasting his time might end with a sword to the kidney.

I make a show of thinking before answering, "He'll flip back to Cray the moment that it's clear that the Star-vaders can't win."

"A show of force?" Junos asks, drawing a long breath through his nose, "I believe you can see the issue with that. The Royal and Gold Paladins defend the eastern boarder while Ezel roams the lands where we cannot contact. That leaves Dark Zone to we who know them, and one of our greatest shows of force is under the same spell that ensnared Luquier."

He isn't wrong, but that's because Cray's yet to start its counterattack. I take a deep breath as I reply, "Well, you have to understand that things will change. I don't doubt that things seem bleak, but things are always darkest before the dawn."

"Selling hope with no substance is not what I need," Blaster Dark growls. "No not speak to me of Darkness and Hopelessness. To speak as though I had not been trapped in regret and pain and still found a way to stand with the United Sanctuary when my Clan was tattered and in ruins! But what I ask is strategy. Plans. If you claim to know things that we can't, then what are the Star-vaders military goals? How can we delay and deny them those? How can we turn those lost back, as at least you seem to have done once? As of now you are little more worth than one of Oracle Think Tank's crystal balls after it has cracked!"

"The Star-vaders are here to test a weapon that Chaos Breaker's made, as well as the power of Яeverse. The weapon is a Cyber Golem called Omega Glendios, it draws power from the suffering and hatred produced by the Яeversed, and is capable of destroying planets when fully unleashed," I explain, trying to get the depth and breadth of Glendios across to the knight. "The act of releasing those who have been turned is only a stop gap measure, as Chaos Breaker will create another set of golems called Яeverse Cradles to fuel Glendios."

Junos took another long breath and visibly calmed. "Thank you for that." Then he tilted his head and stared hard again. "Given the adversarial nature of your last… discussions I understand you have said little of your motives. It seems you consider me at least in part someone worthy of whatever it is you plan, so explain it to me… What makes a Star-vader turn against its own? What makes a man give up everything on a side that currently seems to be winning for those he really should know or care nothing about? ...Why should I trust your words?"

"I'm not, I'm not a Star-vader. Sure, I woke up in the body of one, but I'm just a guy from Canada. A university student who's caught up in some shit that I can barely keep up with, and I'm having trouble dealing with all this. But ultimately…" I stare him dead in the eyes as I trail off, biting at the inside of my cheek as I explain. "I just want to go home, see my parents, play with my dog, go to my brother's wedding. And if I teamed up with the Star-vaders then they'd help me get back to my Earth… So they could crush it too."

"That is…" Junos begins looking at Bedivere. "It is a human answer. One that is slightly longer sighted than most, but it is human at its core. Though if you claim to be from an Earth not connected to our world… That begets questions. And I make no promise as to a successful return."

"You guys have the Star Gate, which has let you guys contact the Marvel universe, I'm sure with enough trial and error then I can get home. As for what questions you have for me… fire away," I answer, sweeping my arms out.

"Who would you consider to be the leader of this invasion force?" Bedivere asks, speaking up for the first time.

I nod, "Of the Star-vaders in general? Chaos Breaker Dragon. Of the forces that are invading currently… I'd say that the responsibility is split between Chaos Breaker, Infinite Zero Dragon, and Nebula Lord Dragon. Though I do know that Garnet Star Dragon is kicking about."

"So if your Earth is not the Earth with which we are familiar… How do you know what you claim to?"

"The Earth I'm from does have the game of Cardfight Vanguard, though it's nowhere near as popular as it is on the one you're all familiar with, but there's also an anime. That's how I know about what has happened, is happening, and will happen here on Cray and over on that Earth," I explain, it's not unexpected for them to question my origins and the source of my knowledge.

There was a shared look and something passed between the two knights. "Who would you say was the focus of this… Anime?" Bedivere asks.

"Aichi Sendou is, without a doubt, the main character for the first three seasons. They chronicle his actually starting to play to get his copy of Blaster Blade back from Toshiki Kai after Morikawa stole and wagered it, and all the way up until he helps end the Star-vader Invasion," I gesticulate as I explain, seeing as I don't want to put all my cards on the table. Legion Mate's a fucking trip and a half.

Bedivere raises an eyebrow. So they can totally believe that Aichi was the main character. Probably not much of a surprise. "And how often would you say that the focus shifted to the Craian perspective?"

"It slides over to the Cray side of things more and more as the series progresses and things become more and more clear. There's also the fact that events on that Earth mirror events here on Cray, so it's easy enough to keep track of," I keep going, trying to lay it out plainly.

Junos tsked. "So it is unlikely that you know the exact forces that would be deployed at any given time. I know a bit about how their decks work as opposed to our formations and sometimes they can leave much to be desired. Still, how far would you say that your Vanguard has gotten? I'd assume at least far enough that Clarent's connection that you were so kind as to bring up means that it either becomes relevant later in the war or that something else happens."

"It's a few years into the future beyond this point in time, and there were a few incidents between then and now that would count as large and dangerous events to Cray," I answer, remaining a bit vague on the details.

"Which presumably you would be willing to inform us of when the time draws closer, assuming both that we are all still alive and you are still here," Junos agreed with a smile that seemed to be much more showing of his teeth than something happy. "Though seeing as the mind can forget and all parties intend on upholding any bargain struck it might be good just to get an overview. As you've stated, these problems are likely years in the coming and it is possible or even likely that you might at some point forget, and unintentionally leave something pertinent out that we might need. So by all means, continue."

"Except for the fact that I have a robot brain now. I don't think I can forget," I shot back. Seriously, I just want to keep somethings to my chest…

"Which means nothing if you are to be incapacitated beyond what we can comprehend or resuscitate, if you were to die, or if you were to leave before we became aware of the problems you could alert us to." He put both hands on the table and spoke softly, so that he had to be strained to be heard. Low enough that he knew that if he was heard, I was paying attention. "Effectively, if I think that you might be holding something back that could save lives, especially for the United Sanctuary… I can make it very difficult for you to get to Star Gate."

"Which is fair… but, honestly, most of what I know has to do with the Star-vader Invasion. What I know about Claret Sword, his Vanguard, and all that is less than I'd like, but enough for me to make conclusions," I explain, while still conceding the point to Junos.

"That would still be more than we know now," Bedivere points out.

"As I said, even just an overview of the rest before we focus on the problem at hand would suffice," Junos agrees. "It might put some of the Star-vaders' actions into context."

I sigh, "Well, honestly, not too much is known about the Star-vaders' origins, just that they appeared in space one day and started wrecking planets before eventually setting their sights on Cray. In my opinion, they probably did it as a test of their forces' strength and skill, seeing as Cray is known to be the home of many powerful existences."

Junos raised an eyebrow, "We're that well known?" Then he shook his head. "I'm lead to believe that the Star-vaders themselves are not an entire clan but part of one. Is that true and what would you say their defining characteristics are?"

"They're a sub-clan of the Link Joker, though for the longest time they seemed to be the only members of the Clan. Their defining characteristics are the fact that all of their units are Cyber beings and that they use Lock, and benefit from using it," I answer, though the Deletors would be a fucking trip.

"You said 'that changed,'" Bedivere pointed out. "How?"

"After the Star-vader Invasion, there'll be another instance when the Link Joker end up threatening Cray. The Planetary Collision Incident, though it'll also be known as the Messiah Scramble on Earth," I explain, leaning back in my chair as I think back on the details. "A rogue planet by the name of Brandt will end up on a collision course with Cray, though it's being guided by the inhabitants of the planet, the Deletors. They're a race of twisted aliens who stalemated with the Star-vaders when they were attacked and they mutually assimilated each other."

"Charming thought," Junos stated. "And I'm assuming these would be a seperate Sub-clan? What is their specialty?"

"They are a seperate Sub-clan, and their specialty is in their name, they Delete. It's like Lock but more insidious, in that rather than making them unable to interact or be interacted with, they make the target unable to defend themselves, sap them of their strength, all while being able to hammer away at them. Oh, and if they Delete someone, they can usually get some Locks off," I'm basically tripping over the details, but I hope they don't ask me what they look like, because they are hard to describe.

"So assuming that we manage to overcome the first force, we can't let our guards down for when these things attack," Junos muttered. "Though I'm still unsure of how this connects to Claret Sword."

"He's part of a different incident that happens a few years after the Messiah Scramble." It's a simple enough piece of information, hopefully he'll let it drop for now…

"Go on…" Junos says with slight glare.

I shrug, "With his encounter with Chronofang Tiger and Gear Chronicle, he wishes to ensure the safety of the Sanctuary… By putting it under his military rule."

Junos slightly frowns and Bedivere severely scowls at that thought, but Junos waves it off. "Gear Chronicle, what are they like? Since you were so concerned about him meeting a new Clan before." He is laughing behind that drawl.

"They're a clan that use time magics for fuckery, including setting up their formations more advantageously for ambushes and stuff, as well as throwing people to the ends of time and space," I explain with a shrug, feckin Gear Chronicle.

"Is that personal disdain I hear in your tone?" Now he's really laughing.

"I'm not a fan of fighting Gear Chronicle, okay? They're kind of annoying and bullshit!" I grumble, crossing my arms as I lean back.

"What exactly do they want? Are they a threat to Cray as Link Joker is?" Junos moves on.

I shrug again. "To my knowledge, the Gear Chronicle isn't supposed to be a threat to Cray, but… I don't know about Chronofang Tiger's plans all that much, just that he and his faction are planning… something."

Junos narrowed his eyes, but then the moment passed. "You mentioned a 'Garnet Star Dragon.' How does he factor into this?" Bedivere asks.

Pursing my lips, I explain as best I can, "Well, he's sort of the Star-vaders' back up plan? It's weird. Basically, he and a few Star-vaders go back in time and super Яeverse Blaster Blade in order to make Cray more vulnerable when they attack in the present… but it's all some weird time bubble that's entirely self-contained and doesn't actually change things."

"So you mean to tell me, that even if we manage to repel the invaders now, they will have a technique that we have effectively zero ways to defend against and will simply have to trust in versions of ourselves without this information to succeed?" Junos asks, closing his eyes and rubbing his head as if he's getting a headache. "Brilliant."

Then he opens his eyes and focuses back, "You mentioned that you have your own Vanguard Game on your home Earth. Did any of the Яeverse get a new card after the one that depicted them as Яeversed?"

"Um, well, Luquier's a big one." It was impossible not to notice the weight lifting off of Blaster Dark's shoulders as I said that. "Then there's a Leo-pald, but that's about all there were before I woke up on Cray," I answer, scratching at the back of my head.

"We haven't been contacted by Zoo that Leo-pald has been Яeversed," Bedevere notes.

"Which means you have a rough idea of who the Invaders are going to target for Яeversal," Junos states.

I nod while thinking about my meeting with Nouvelle and Raging Form, "Yeah, but there's a chance that things have changed… and hell, they already have."

"Raging form has reported you telling him that 'he shouldn't have been Яeversed,'" Bedivere stated evenly. "Perhaps… When precisely would the Яeversed Units have come back to themselves? During the War or After?"

"Mostly, if not all, during the war but late in it, hell, the final battle isn't against a Star-vader, but to bring a Яeversed Unit back to their senses," I'm pretty sure at least, though Luquier apparently had some Void left in her after the war…

Bedivere began stroking his chin as he put the pieces together. "Then from what you've said of their goal being this new super-weapon that bases its power off of the Яeversed… It might be that they considered the method by which Vowing Sword returned to his sensibilities to be a refined technique. Thus they believed they would need more Яeversed than initially thought to ensure that the weapon is operable. So it is likely that there will be more Яeversed than what you know of, but they will still strike for the same targets, just some new ones as well."

Junos nodded as he continued on from there. "Which means that knowing whom they were initially going to target could help us build a profile of other potential candidates." Then he smiles and it's just a bit mocking. "See? Talking with others can be much more helpful than keeping all the information to yourself."

"I mean, that's what I came to the United Sanctuary to do, but I don't trust Claret Sword for shit," I grouse at him.

Junos looks around as if to see if a giant Abyss Dragon had materialized within the last 3 seconds. "There is a distinct lack of Claret Sword at the moment," Junos again dryly points out.

I stare at him blandly, "Hence why I was willing to disclose." He just smirks and shows his palms.

Shaking my head, I can't help but sigh at the antics of this guy. Seriously…

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I wave to the others as I return, putting on jovial airs and smile winningly at them as I exclaim, "I'm back~!"

"Damn, and it was actually quiet here for once. Go back, you useless scrap," Gravity Ball spits from his cell, and I make a point of sticking my tongue out at him.

Bursting out laughing, I do a little shake as I cheer, "Ah, but my least favourite neighbour, today's been a wonderful day! How can I not burst with joy like the rainbows bursting in my heart?"

"Personality reboot 053," it suggested in a dull tone.

Then, a soft voice called from the cell I was passing, "Inquiry: What has occured to make this day so exciting?"

"A) Not gonna do it, shitlord, and b) my dear, is that I had a meeting with someone who was infinitely more helpful than Claret Sword was," I explain with a grin at the Colony Maker.

Fenrir gave a chuckle at my insulting of Gravity Ball, but stopped when Raging Form stepped up to loom over me, his voice a rumble, "And? Did you cooperate?"

"I sang like a canary in a coal mine," I smile up at him, and receive a simple nod of approval from him as I sidle into my cell.

Today has been a good day.