"So are we gonna have to go through space customs or anything like that? Because I just realized that I don't have any official identification…"
"What do you entail by this "space customs", exactly?"
"You know, like checking your ID and what you're carrying and making you take off your shoes and all that stuff that happens at airports. Me and my dad went through that when we went to Korea. They tried to get me to "take off" my gem, even."
"Does Earth really go through such extensive procedures during flights? What could possibly be the reason for that?"
"Erm…"
"Well, you may rest assured that the security protocols here are nowhere as strict as in your "Korea"." – Ranvaxon assured them.
"Welcome, great heroes, to Encephalonus IV's Medulla, the nucleus of our planet's conveyance system!" – Endrit declared as they exited the really tight spaceship hull. Ben and Steven gazed at the widely open space enveloped by a blue-grayish sky. There were mountains around them, though far apart from each other, covered from top to bottom with various buildings and structures. This "Medulla" was, in fact, on another one of these mountains, and they were so high up that the view of the planet's surface was obstructed by thick clouds, not letting any visual slip through.
The Medulla itself was a wide flat surface built out from the side of the mountain, and it had several ships (all resembling crabs) of various builds and sizes ready to take off.
"Let us advance towards the paternoster if we want to proceed into the city." – Endrit declared.
"Do you know what a paternoster is?" – Steven asked Ben while following their hosts.
"No dude, I have no idea what these guys are saying half the time. I just go along with them. It's probably some super-advanced alien device or something." – Ben whispered over as they entered a room. Suddenly, the room started descending.
"Or, maybe it's just an elevator." – Ben shrugged.
"Transportation by air not is permitted within the confines of the planet to conserve the fuel reserves; henceforth we will be compulsed to use public freights to travel." – Ranvaxon explained to the visitors. "We will reach them as we descend to the lower levels of Medulla. In the interim, you may comprehend the view of the planet's surface."
And after the elevator carried them through the clouds, Ben and Steven gazed upon the alien world. First thing that came to mind was that it was… ugly. Not hideous ugly, but just plain boring ugly. The urban area stretched for as far as the eye could see, and it was composed of a completely symmetrical and identical grid of buildings and roads. Like a mosaic of a single cell, stretching infinitely. There were some mountains here and there sticking out, but beyond that, the main city didn't even have any varying elevation – it looked completely flat.
"It looks… it looks…" – Steven stuttered, trying to think of a nice way to put it so as to not offend their cerbrocrustacean hosts.
"Am I crazy or does this remind me of Jersey?" – Ben blurted out. Steven couldn't help but agree, but was anxious about how Ranvaxon and Endrit would react.
"We are flattered that this reminds you of your homeworld." – Ranvaxon answered. Endrit nodded enthusaiastically.
"Oh." – Steven thought. "That's right. They have no idea what Jersey is like." Though, he had to agree. While not symmetrical, Jersey definitely was as ugly.
"So, where are we going right now?" – Ben asked.
"An excellent question. Myself and Endrit supposed that it would be fruitful if we showed you, young heroes, around to see what our civilization is like first-hand. What say you, Ben Tennyson and Steven Universe?"
"Sounds great." – Ben agreed.
"That's a wonderful idea!" – Steven nodded as well.
"Then we are condordant. Our first destination shall be the subterranean excavation sites." – Ranvaxon declared.
"I thought our starting point would be the appointment I had set?" – Endrit disagreed.
"No, no, we specifically determined that it would be the excavation sites!"
"I nonconcur. You seem to have forgotten our latest exchange about this topic, Ranvaxon." – Endrit disagreed.
"Be that as it may, I have already set the paternoster's destination to level one of the atrium, and it would be inefficient to reroute it now."
"Fine. However, I shall be the one to set the controls next time, lest you make further changes in our itinerary." – Endrit scoffed.
As the elevator took them to the ground floor, where they entered an atrium full of various cerebrocrustaceans scuttling every which way. Though, no one bumped into each other or held each other up. In fact, despite the crowd being massive, everyone knew exactly where to go. Ben and Steven found it hard to keep track of Ranvaxon and Endrit in all of this organized chaos.
"Ben! What are you doing?" - Steven asked Ben, who had his face buried deep in the Omnitrix.
"I'm trying to pick a flying guy so that I can get out of this crowd! Their spikes kinda hurt and I don't want them tearing up my jacket!" – Ben told him. Though, Ben and Steven's clueless presence there was disrupting the commute of the rest of the crabs.
"Watch where you're going, you imbecile rubberneck!" – one of the passers-by angrily told him.
"That's it, I've had enough." – Ben said, slammed down the Omnitrix, transforming into Stinkfly and picked Steven up.
"Whoa! You could have warned me you were gonna do that! And ewww, you stink!" – Steven remarked as Ben flew him over to the gate where Ranvaxon and Endrit were waiting for them from.
"Alright, we're ready." – Ben told them as they landed and he detransformed.
"Splendid. Let us move forth, then." – Ranvaxon told them as they went into the train-like pod.
Ben and Steven noticed again – there were no seats. There were only straps along the walls on the height of the cerebrocrustaceans' bodies.
"I guess we shouldn't have expected seats from a race that doesn't, really, you know, sit." – Ben thought to himself. Though, this also meant that when the pod started moving at high speed, they really needed to hang onto those straps if they didn't want to get knocked around inside.
"This form of transportation uses the most potent fields of magnetic energy on Encephalonus IV to propel it forward." – Ranvaxon explained to them.
"Cool. What's the source of the energy?" – Ben asked them.
"Well…" – Ranvaxon was hesitant to answer. Endrit whispered something to him. Ranvaxon whispered back. Ben and Steven watched the two brian crabs argue while whisper-yelling at each other, though they couldn't pick up on what they were saying.
"Very well." – Ranvaxon said. "We shouldn't hide these aspects of our culture, no matter how shameful they may be, as it is imperative for you to have a good understanding of it. Endrit, you divulge the information."
"Me? Well, I'd- Fine. The magnetic fields are generated by the electric energy of tens of thousands of cerebrocrustaceans focusing the electric potential in their brains. They report to the charging stations and spend a substantial amount of the day in this ordeal, powering many things, among them the rails. This is the cerebrocrustacean equivalent of what you humans might call a "day job"." – Endrit explained.
"Don't they get tired?" – Steven asked concernedly.
"Unfortunately, yes. It requires a tremendous amount of focus to stay active for hours on end, and it takes quite a physical toll on the individual." – Endrit admitted.
"But.. aren't there any better ways to get electric energy?" – Ben intervened.
"Unfortunately, no. Our star is older and much less potent than the one Earth orbits, Encephalonus IV's winds are nearly not strong enough to generate the amount of energy we consume on a daily basis, and the body of water is also substantially smaller than the one on Earth, rendering hydroelectricity insufficient as well." – Ranvaxon took over. "Rather ironic, considering how Encephalonus I, the habitat of our progenitors, was covered in water almost entirely."
"Wow. Spending your day doing nothing but exerting electricity. That must be horrible." – Steven said in shock.
"No kidding. I've been Brainstorm, I know how it feels. I definitely couldn't keep that up for hours." – Ben admitted.
"Despite the drawbacks, this does make the magnetic rail transport extremely fast, allowing the population to traverse the planet in mere minutes. We'll attain our destination shortly." – Endrit told them.
Steven looked around. They were actually in one of those pods, powered by the cerebrocrustaceans. He felt a little bit sick using it. And as the pod stopped, Steven was the first one out the door.
"Let's get going to the mines, then?" – Ben asked. The brain crabs led the way as they approached yet another elevator. They accessed the panel to get the door to open, but for some reason, it was taking them a while.
"Is there something wrong?" – Steven asked them.
"It seems that in our excitement of showcasing our native planet to heroes such as yourself, Ben Tennyson and Steven Universe, we have omitted to account for the fact that access to the mines is restricted to the general population." – Ranvaxon admitted.
"Pfft, is that it? Stand back." – Ben said cockily. Steven expected Ben to turn into some alien that could hack it, but all Ben did was reach into his pocket and get his Plumber badge, which he flashed in front of the console. The elevator immediately opened.
"I thought you were taking a leave of absence from the Plumbers." – Steven told him.
"I am. I mean, I am going solo for a while, but I'm still a part of the organization. I didn't like, actually quit just for a road trip, you know. But I still get to keep the perks." – Ben explained.
It took a while for the elevator to descend. It seemed like the caves were in deep.
"So, what do Brainstorms do for fun?" – Ben asked, hoping to hear a positive about their planet.
"Most of cerebrocrustacean recreational activities consist of solving puzzles, mathematical problems or various other mental excercises to keep the brain stimulated." – Endrit answered.
"That's it? That's kinda bor-" – Ben was about to say until Steven elbowed him in the gut. "I mean, interesting. That's interesting."
"How long is this gonna take?" – Ben asked after a while.
"The excavations are extremely deep into the planet's core, as all the surface materials have already been extracted a long time ago. And as you might expect, going deeper and deeper into the planet will cause the nucleus to destabilize, which will obviously lead to the planet's eventual destruction, just as it did with Encephalonus I and III."
"Not the II?" – Steven asked.
"No. The planet Encephalonus II may remain intact, but our predecessors have drained it of all of the resources, so much so that no macroscopic life may sustain itself on that planet's surface, which is what forced them to relocate to Encephalonus III." – Ranvaxon told him.
"We have arrived." – Endrit declared as they reached the bottom. Though, it was noticeable that the elevator's shaft didn't stop there – there was further construction work being done to accommodate a stop for the even deeper tunnels that would soon be dug down there.
Ben and Steven looked around the cave system. It was a huge chamber that the elevator shaft descended into, with multiple tunnels dug out, distanced evenly from one another. They also noticed that it was harder to breathe down there.
"The tunnels intersect and intertwine, and eventually reach other mining stations like this one, allowing for the optimal amount of resources to be discovered and extracted." – Endrit exposed to them.
"What is this commotion? You aren't permitted to be here!" – a worker cerebrocrustacean (wearing a cerebrocrustacean version of a hard hat) approached them. "The mining operations are restricted for the general population, and especially for off-worlders."
"Official Plumber business. We're here to, um… inspect the working conditions in the caves. Yeah." – Ben thought up on the spot, and flashed his Plumber badge again.
"Very well, carry on. And I hope you do not overlook the constant cave-ins that have been occurring, constantly damaging valuable equipment and endangering lives." – the worker noted.
"Of course there're gonna be cave-ins, you basically hollowed the entire planet out!" – Ben remarked.
"Orders are orders, and they're coming directly from the High Encephalites. They want this whole area stripped clean of all the metals."
"And you're just gonna keep doing that? You're putting your life in danger!" – Steven protested.
"It's either this or the charging stations at the Medulla. Which one would you rather be doing?" – he condescendingly answered. "Maybe you Plumbers might make them reconsider, but until then, I've got my job to do." – the cerebrocrustacean worker told them as he headed for an excavation vehicle, which was also built in the image of a crab, with two large pincer-like appendages in the front that were for digging out ground.
"I think we'd better leave. The levels of oxygen are lower than the required amount for human organisms." – Endrit noted. So, they went back up the elevator.
"And this time, our destination shall be the one I have decided." – Endrit added.
"Do as you will, Endrit, this is not a competition." – Ranvaxon mumbled.
"Hold on, you guys." – Steven interrupted. "Can I decide where we go next?"
"I…" – Endrit hesitated. "Of course, Steven Universe. You are our guest, after all."
"Can we see what the environment is like?" – Steven requested.
"I… do not seem to comprehend what you are saying, Steven Universe. Of which environment do you speak of?" – Ranvaxon asked, confused.
"You know, the nature. Forests, fields, all that stuff." – Steven explained, not realizing why they would find it confusing.
"Ah. Sorry for the miscommunication, it's just that the non-urban terrain has been increasingly recessing, so much so that it didn't even occur to me that you would like to see it." – Ranvaxon explained himself. "Very well, then, off we go!"
Once again, Ben and Steven held on tight to the straps so as not to get knocked down.
"So are you two the only cerebrocrustaceans on the planet that care enough to do something about this problem?" – Ben asked Ranvaxon and Endrit.
"No, there are more of us, helping in various ways. Some of us are pursuing other universally renowned heroes to represent out views, such as the Galactic Enforcers, though they are admittedly harder to get in contact with, since so many planets constantly require their aid." – Ranvaxon explained to them.
"Ah, we've arrived." – Endrit announced as the pod stopped and they all stepped out.
The magnetic rail had taken them to the outskirts of the urban area where nature began, or rather, was contained – this was but a small oasis of the green left in a sea of industrial buildings, surrounded by them from all sides. Even the nature itself felt sickly and dying.
There were several massive trees, large enough to reach the sea of clouds enveloping the planet, and what looked like mushrooms growing in its bark, but upon closer inspection they were actually habitable structures the cerebrocrustaceans had built. The tree itself looked dry and frail, the top branches were weighed down by the faded-colored leaves. There was a lake in the ground, but mostly it was barren soil. It looked like the lake had been bigger before, and dried out.
"This is it?" – Steven asked, disturbed of the state that nature had come to.
"Unfortunately, yes. The planet's biosphere has been decimated in the recent years especially. A multitude of species of both flora and fauna have become extinct after cerebrocrustaceans settled the planet, and those that remain, well… I assume you can see the state they're currently in." – Ranvaxon pointed at the sickly trees. "The exhaust fumes, though not affecting us, have had dire consequences for the biosphere."
"Exhaust fumes? What are you talking about? I thought everything was powered by cerebrocrustaceans!" – Ben exclaimed.
"It wasn't always like this. While it is true that we are currently relying on our own so-called "brain power", until very recently we had been utilizing the non-renewable resources and fuels we still had left. That, however has caused a layer of exhaust to form around the planet, and you can see the consequences it has had over the wildlife."
"What layer? All I can see are the clouds." – Steven looked up.
"My boy, those are the exhaust fumes! What did you think they were?"
Steven looked up in shock. The planet was enveloped by smog?! He felt like it was getting harder to breathe, as if he had been breathing in poison this whole time.
"We thought they were clouds! You know, evaporated water aggregating in the air because of the cold?" – Ben explained.
"Oh, those! Yes, we used to have those."
Ben and Steven looked at each other. Used to? This planet was in a really bad state.
"Alright, let's go. I don't want to look at this anymore." – Steven asked. Ben nodded in agreement.
"Very well. The next stop in our journey shall be the one I had arranged. We are to meet a high-ranking cerebrocrustacean scientist that is well-aware of the problems of this rate of expansion and consumption, and I hope a conversation with him will prove enlightening for you and will help you articulate yourselves better during our audience with the High Encephalites." – Endrit explained to Ben and Steven.
Another long elevator ride and an awkward magnetic pod journey later, they went into another building. The hallway door opened in front of them and they entered a laboratory full of various consoles and apparatuses.
"Ah, B-ben Tennyson." – Ben heard a familiar stutter. "And this is Steven Universe, I presume. Welcome to my laboratory." – Dr. Psychobos greeted them.
Ben instinctually activated the Omnitrix, with the hand ready to slam down. "Alright, Psychobos, don't try anything stupid."
"Stupid? My, my, Ben, what galvan do you take me for? What reason would I have to attack you?"
"Um… I don't know, you're evil, you're always after the Omnitrix, and you've really got a big inferiority complex with the galvans that you might want to talk to someone about." – Ben remarked.
"Do not be alarmed, Ben Tennyson, Dr. Psychobos is the scientist I wanted you to converse with." – Endrit assured him.
"Don't be alarmed? He's an intergalactic criminal! He helped the Incurseans conquer Earth!"
"And I have no intention of doing it again, do I? Furthermore, my presence here is completely legal. I have been released from Plumber custody and the High Encephalites have agreed to employ me."
"Really? Don't tell me he got you off too…"
"Yes, as much as it infuriated me at the time, I was forced to employ Chadzmuth's services… and I use the term loosely. I don't have the time to waste on studying trivialities such as intergalactic law, so it was only logical to employ the only acceptable candidate for the job, even if it was a galvan. As you said, I did conspire and aided in launching a planet-wide invasion."
"Seriously, who the heck is this Chadzmuth?" – Steven asked, but was ignored.
"And all the stuff you did with Maltruant?" – Ben inquired further.
"Even intergalactic law has its limits, and I cannot be charged for crimes I committed in an alternate timeline." – Dr. Psychobos answered.
"And these Encephalite guys are just cool with employing a convicted criminal?"
"Considering how none of my crimes were committed on Encephalonus IV, they pardoned me from any wrongdoings I might have done off-world, as long as I used my brilliant scientific mind for the advancement of cerebrocrustaceans."
"What kind of shady government does that?" – Ben exclaimed in protest. Steven also found that concerning.
"You may argue about the conditions of my release all you want, but I, unlike you gentlemen, do not have all the time in the world, so I'd rather we move on to the discussion you came here for."
"So, you are also against the radical consumption of resources?" – Steven asked him.
"Yeah, I thought a mad scientist like you would go crazy for it." – Ben remarked.
"I assure you, Benjamin, there is nothing mad about me. And yes, continuing the path the cerebrocrustaceans have been on until now, extinction is imminent." – Psychobos agreed.
"Well, why don't you go and talk to the High Encephalites about it?" – Steven suggested.
"Me? Mr. Universe, the only reason I am here to begin with is because I am in good graces with the High Encephalites. I would be exiled the moment I spoke up against their policies, even if it was for the betterment of cerebrocrustaceans, and believe me, Encephalonus IV is the safest place for me at the moment. You, however, are in a position to freely argue with them as you'd like."
"Alright, Psychobos. And what advice do you have for us, then?" – Ben asked, crossing his arms.
"That's Dr. Psychobos to you, Benjamin. And what I have to say to you is simple, really. The Head Encephalites are well-aware of the planet's accelerating rate of destruction. Their intention, of course, is to expand further to more planets. And as they eventually run out of uninhabited planets, I think you can guess what conflict they may come into with habited ones."
"War." – Ben said grimly.
"Indeed. Why else do you think they would employ a so-called "mad scientist", a term that I use very loosely, to develop technology?"
"You're making weapons for them?" – Steven asked in shock. "What happened to the betterment of cerebrocrustaceans?"
"Losing a war wouldn't be for the betterment of cerebrocrustaceans, would it now? And though I would much rather live in peaceful times and not show my proverbial neck in yet another interplanetary conflict, one where I would be a highly sought-after target in, I am still employed to do what I do best."
"That's so very fence-sitter of you, isn't it?" – Ben said in disgust. "That's it, I've had enough of you. I'm gonna talk with these High Encephalites myself. Come on, Steven, Ranvaxon, Endrit." – Ben declared in anger as he stormed out of Psychobos' lab.
"Alright, take us to where these head guys are." – he demanded as they reached the magnetic pod rail.
"So, what's the gameplan? What are you gonna say to them?" – Steven asked Ben as they held onto the straps, trying not to get knocked off their feet by the magrail's speed.
"A piece of my mind is what I'm gonna say!" – Ben told him. "Maybe if I transform into something scary it'll be more effective."
"Okay, whatever you do, don't turn into Rath again, Ben!" – Steven warned him
"Oh, now that's a great idea! Rath does the job everytime!" – Ben enthusiastically agreed.
"Seriously!"
"Okay, okay. I'll take it easy. But if they don't hear what I'm saying, let me tell you something, I'm not responsible for what I might do!" – Ben told him.
The magnetic pod stopped soon enough, as Ben and Steven stepped out of it. Ranvaxon and Endrit, however, did not.
"What's wrong, you guys? Aren't you coming?" – Steven asked them.
Ranvaxon and Endrit nervously looked at each other. "Erm… I don't think it would be in our best interests to go with you in the audience of the High Encephalites." – Ranvaxon admitted.
"What, they're not gonna send you to charging station gulag, are they?" – Ben jokingly said, but judging from their expression, that was exactly what they were afraid of.
"You have our full support, only not in person. There is nothing they could sentence you of, as you're not inhabitants of Encephalonus IV. Their chamber is on the path ahead of you. We will wait for you at our ship at the Medulla!" – they yelled as they took the magnetic pod somewhere else, probably back to the Medulla's atrium.
"Alright, here goes?" – Ben asked Steven anxiously.
"I guess here goes." – Steven assured him, though somewhat hesitantly himself. It was weird to not have their guides with them on this alien planet.
Ben activated the Omnitrix.
"Whoa! I thought you said you wouldn't go alien!" – Steven tried to stop him.
"No, I said I would take it easy. And trust me, this is going easy." – Ben said as he slammed down the dial and transformed into a massive rock-like being, much, much taller than Steven, barely fitting into this chamber. "This is Gravattack. Gravity powers. Kind of like a living planet himself, which seems topical, considering what we're gonna talk to them about. And his race, the galileans, are renowned across the universe for their diplomatic abilities, so I figured that's who I should go with if I'm talking to the crab government." – Ben explained to him.
"Oh. Yeah. That's actually a really good idea, then." – Steven agreed.
As they approached the end of the hallway, two turrets emerged from the walls.
"Please state your identity and purpose." – a voice said from a speaker somewhere in the room.
"Ben Tennyson and Steven Universe are here to see the High Encephalites!" – Ben as Gravattack declared with confidence.
There was a pause. Then, someone asked "Steven Universe of the Diamond Authority?"
"Yes!" – Gravattack yelled.
"I wish people would stop associating me with that." – Steven muttered to himself.
There was another pause.
"Access denied!" – the voice then said.
"Denied? What do you mean, denied?" – Steven protested.
"You do realize that we're getting through there with or without granted access?" – Ben asked them.
There was another pause, much longer than the ones before.
"Very well. You may enter." – the voice said as the door in front of them slid open. Gravattack had to bend down to enter.
They entered a circular chamber, filled with up to twenty cerebrocrustaceans. Their adornment seemed different – more distinguished – than what they had seen other cerebrocrustaceans wear, and their craniums were much larger, probably indicating their advanced intellect even higher than other cerebrocrustaceans. Ben and Steven said nothing as they stared.
"Well? You've interrupted our thinking session, barged in here, even made threats, and now you will waste our precious time further in silence? Say what you have to say and be done with it!" – one of them disapprovingly told them.
"Oh. Sorry. You see…" – Steven awkwardly started but was interrupted by Ben, who confidently took over.
"Your unstopping exploitation of the planets' resources has got to stop! Every time you move to a different planet, you mess up the existing ecosystems, suck all the life out of it, commit your population to a painstaking amount of physical extortion, and once you're done with it, you go and do it all over again! Don't you realize how messed up all that is?" – Ben ranted on.
"I see you have chosen the form of galilean for this audience, Ben Tennyson. However, you are not displaying neither the wisdom nor the maturity galileans are known for. Our best interest is the betterment of all cerebrocrustaceans, and our actions have been nothing but. It is regrettable that it is impossible for us to sustain life on a single planet, but such is the nature of the universe. Nothing is truly renewable."
"Well, that doesn't mean you have to burn through all of it as quickly as possible! I mean, you guys already generate your own electricity, what could possibly be so important to hollow out so many planets for? Cerbrocrustaceans are not the only ones on those planets, you know, you probably wiped out countless other species of animals and plants, and you're intending to do it again. And what are you gonna do when the nearest planet is already inhabited by another civilization, huh?" – Ben asked them demandingly.
The Head Encephalites all exchanged looks nervously.
"I bet I know what you're gonna do." – Ben continued. "And you'd rather go to war over and over again rather than stop your expansion? How much is enough? Encephalonus V? VI? XX?" – Ben challenged them further.
"And what do you propose we do as an alternative?" – another one of them asked.
"I don't know, you're the smartest species in the galaxy, I'm certain you'll think of something if you really want to!" – Ben yelled, omitting the fact that they were, in fact, the second smartest species in the galaxy. Mentioning that in the plea would not have sounded good.
"And don't you know what's gonna happen to you if you don't stop?" – Steven piped in. "Because I do. I've seen it. I'm sure you've seen it too. Either you end up just like the Diamond Authority, with your grasp all over the galaxy, but your citizens leading unhappy, burdened lives, or you simply get wiped out by a power greater than yourselves."
"Exactly." – Gravattack agreed. "If you're gonna go to war with the galaxy, the galaxy is sure as hell going to strike back. Some of them, even preemptively. And if the Plumbers don't get you, the Incurseans, the Highbreed, heck, even the very same Diamonds will! And I'll be there to stop any hostile invasion attempt you make!" – Ben promised them.
"Ben, that's not the part I was gonna focus on…" – Steven whispered.
"I know. But it's the one they'll resonate with." – Ben answered. "So, have we reached an understanding?"
"I think that went well." – Ben noted in the magnetic pod on their way back.
"Threatening a government into submission? I don't know…"
"Hey, you can't talk everyone down. Especially not if they've got a superiority complex with their "highly advanced intellect". And besides, I've done this sorta thing before, with King Jarett, remember?"
"Who?"
"The Tiffin-eater?"
"Oh, right. But that time you were Rath. This time you were straight-up Ben. I mean, Gravattack doesn't have temper issues like Rath does, does he?" – Steven asked,
"No. No, he doesn't."
"And is that not gonna get you in trouble with the Plumbers? I mean, what if they go to war because of what you said?"
"Nah, they weren't ready for war, and I'm pretty sure the Plumbers will be keeping an eye on them after I tell them what's been going down here. And besides, I'm not an official Plumber officer, I'm more of an honorary Plumber."
"But you still got the badge and the clearance it gives you."
"Yep."
"So you're a real Plumber when you need it but when you're getting into trouble you're just an honorary one that shouldn't get problems?"
"Exactomundo. That's the best part of being a superhero." – Ben casually told him.
"Huh. Who's the fence-sitter now?" – Steven jokingly bumped Ben on his shoulder.
"Come on. Let's head back home. I'm hungry. I could totally go for crab cakes right now." – Ben joked.
"Ben…"
"Crab Rangoon?"
"Come on, Ben." – Steven told him disappointedly.
"Okay, okay, crab smoothie. My final offer."
"Alright, fine. But I'm getting something else."
"Those crab guys, though, huh? Why would you even do something like that to your own planet?" – Ben said to himself.
"Yeah, well, there's a lot of people like that."
"Good thing that's not a thing on Earth." – Ben added.
Steven looked at him. "Ben…"
Alright, another month, another chapter.
Exploring Encephalonus IV was... an idea. It was one of the levels that stood out to me in the Vilgax Attacks game. You might recognize some of the area descriptions at the beginning resembling that level. At the same time, we saw in-canon Encephalonus IV briefly in Omniverse flashbacks... But I was already going with the exhausted and polluted vision in my mind so I made that place be one of the only remaining oases of nature that was dying. That way I could fit both interpretations while displaying my own.
The whole idea of cerebrocrustaceans depleting the resources of Encephalonus I, II, III, and moving onto IV was taken from the wikia, and I wanted to lean into that more. The problem was that the wikia also said that the cerebrocrustaceans learned from their mistakes and were determined to keep Encephalonus IV intact, and that kinda contradicted what I was going for, despite inspiring it. That's the part of the lore that I tweaked a little. But we see the cerebrocrustaceans coming to terms with restricting their resource usage, even if it was kinda a little bit by force, so by the end of the chapter we reach that status quo, so yay?
As usual, I had an entire month to write the chapter, but this time I ended up writing like 80% of it in one day. Today. Because I didn't want to miss the deadline. Though I was occupied with some stuff, I do hope I can even it out a little bit more.
Now that Ben and Steven have finished their first space adventure together, what will await them on Earth? Will Ranvaxon and Endrit fix Steven's phone? What government will Ben threaten next? Find out next time on A Trip to Remember!