The Ancient Ones: Age of Nothingness (IC)

[Prusselanden]

Ackerman had gone out for a walk. Xe looked around the ship docking area with wonder.
"I wonder what I can find out there." Xe wandered into the trading post, bringing some belongings in a backpack. "It's so pretty...maybe I can get even more people to join our ship."

Frederick was playing flute. He then noticed something was wrong in the ship.
".....Where's Ackerman!? Goddamit!" He got up and looked around for Xer. "Did xe go out?"

"Yes", Samuel replied. He squinted, as a lock of hair once attached to the top of his head fluttered down past his eyes. "I think xe wanted to go look for stuff; Xe brought a backpack. Xe didn't say, though, so I'm not sure."

Henry leaned back in his swivel chair and, taking an eye mask out of his pocket, proceeded to cover his eyes and snooze.

Frederick shook his head and facepalmed.
"I'm gonna look for xer. Is anyone going to come with me?" he asked the rest of the crew.
Great, Henry's asleep.

Meanwhile outside, Ackerman ran around Kinhe, looking around excitedly, going into various buildings and bartering for various random objects xe had not seen before.

[Kaidou]

"Yes", Samuel replied. He squinted, as a lock of hair once attached to the top of his head fluttered down past his eyes. "I think xe wanted to go look for stuff; Xe brought a backpack. Xe didn't say, though, so I'm not sure."

Henry leaned back in his swivel chair and, taking an eye mask out of his pocket, proceeded to cover his eyes and snooze.

Frederick shook his head and facepalmed.
"I'm gonna look for xer. Is anyone going to come with me?" he asked the rest of the crew.
Great, Henry's asleep.

Meanwhile outside, Ackerman ran around Kinhe, looking around excitedly, going into various buildings and bartering for various random objects xe had not seen before.

"Wait for me", said Samuel, as Akita continued snipping away. "I'll come when I'm done with my haircut."

"Done", said Akita.

"Oh, that was fast."

"Yep", the old man replied, smiling and urging the boy to look into the mirror. "I trimmed your fringe to slightly-below-eyebrow length, thinned your top and back a little, and shortened the sides so you can see slightly more of your ears."

"Nice. Thanks, Mr Akita."

"No problem." Akita smiled, wiping his hands with a towel.

Samuel headed over to the sink, rinsing the hairlets off his head and wiping his shorter hair dry, before picking up his cello case, adjusting his scarf, and then following Frederick.

"If Henry wakes up", said Samuel to Akita, "tell him I went shopping with Frederick." With that, he took a wad of yen banknotes from the bag and went out with Frederick.

[Prusselanden]

Frederick shook his head and facepalmed.
"I'm gonna look for xer. Is anyone going to come with me?" he asked the rest of the crew.
Great, Henry's asleep.

Meanwhile outside, Ackerman ran around Kinhe, looking around excitedly, going into various buildings and bartering for various random objects xe had not seen before.

"Wait for me", said Samuel, as Akita continued snipping away. "I'll come when I'm done with my haircut."

"Done", said Akita.

"Oh, that was fast."

"Yep", the old man replied, smiling and urging the boy to look into the mirror. "I trimmed your fringe to slightly-below-eyebrow length, thinned your top and back a little, and shortened the sides so you can see slightly more of your ears."

"Nice. Thanks, Mr Akita."

"No problem." Akita smiled, wiping his hands with a towel.

Samuel headed over to the sink, rinsing the hairlets off his head and wiping his shorter hair dry, before picking up his cello case, adjusting his scarf, and then following Frederick.

"If Henry wakes up", said Samuel to Akita, "tell him I went shopping with Frederick." With that, he took a wad of yen banknotes from the bag and went out with Frederick.

He nodded at Samuel and walked with him out of the ship.
" Thank you for coming along Samuel. Let's find that klutz before xe gets too lost in the city. If that happens, we'll have to leave xer behind on Kinhe, I guess."

Ackerman was sitting down, eating something on a bench by the road side. Xe let out a satisfied burp when xe finished half of it. However, xe noticed some stray dogs in an alley.
"Hey." Xe put the rest of the food near them. "You can have this."

"Where do you think xe could have gone?"

[Kaidou]

He nodded at Samuel and walked with him out of the ship.
" Thank you for coming along Samuel. Let's find that klutz before xe gets too lost in the city. If that happens, we'll have to leave xer behind on Kinhe, I guess."

Ackerman was sitting down, eating something on a bench by the road side. Xe let out a satisfied burp when xe finished half of it. However, xe noticed some stray dogs in an alley.
"Hey." Xe put the rest of the food near them. "You can have this."

"Where do you think xe could have gone?"

"I'd say the toilet, shopping, or food", said Samuel, both hands in his jacket pocket. "Let's just walk around and see what we find, I guess."

He looked at the duty free shops as he and Frederick strolled through the bustling streets of the port city.

"Once we find xer, let's get back to the ship and discuss our next plan of action."

...

[Prusselanden]

He nodded at Samuel and walked with him out of the ship.
" Thank you for coming along Samuel. Let's find that klutz before xe gets too lost in the city. If that happens, we'll have to leave xer behind on Kinhe, I guess."

Ackerman was sitting down, eating something on a bench by the road side. Xe let out a satisfied burp when xe finished half of it. However, xe noticed some stray dogs in an alley.
"Hey." Xe put the rest of the food near them. "You can have this."

"Where do you think xe could have gone?"

"I'd say the toilet, shopping, or food", said Samuel, both hands in his jacket pocket. "Let's just walk around and see what we find, I guess."

He looked at the duty free shops as he and Frederick strolled through the bustling streets of the port city.

"Once we find xer, let's get back to the ship and discuss our next plan of action."

...

Frederick sucked in breath and mimicked a certain voice before yelling loudly in the middle of a street.
"FRITZECHEN!"

Ackerman's head shot up reflexively and Xe immediately ran towards their direction, pushing past many other people frantically.
"Ja, Vati?" Xe called and sprinted to Fred and Samuel, jumping over and slipping under numerous obstacles in xer way. When xe reached them, xe panted heavily. Ackerman raised her head as if looking for someone, but xer face fell when xe realized it was only Fred.

"Come on, let's go back."

".....yessir..." Ackerman's voice sounded sadly disappointed.

[Naval Monte]

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Kinhe

Hex looked bored and disinterest with the sergeant as she leafed through the documents, however she kept a close eye on the woman and waited for any moment when trouble will arrive. Once she was done Hex relax somewhat but with Ceiji telling her that Hex's ship never docked before and she needed to sign some files the fake expression of boredom now became a reality. "Bloody hell woman I'm a soldier not a pencil pusher.I rather be thrown to the planet filled with assimilating cyborgs than in here." Hex thought, not wanting to deal with paperwork. However she doesn't know yet that she will be glad to be doing paperwork instead of being on the borg planet.

Hex was cheered up thanks to the anatics of Henry who tried and failed miserably on woeing Ceiji, only for the woman to slap him. Hex think she will like Ceiji. When the annoyed woman asked for Hex to follow her to the office she moved forward when she reach to Henry the woman smiled and turn to the orange man. "Thank you for making my day better." she told him as she resumed to follow Ceiji. With Hex gone some of the crew members began to take out the weapons from their hiding spots and put them back where they belong.

Some crew members left the ship to be supplies or to gather intel about their new surroundings, all wearing civilian clothing. Both Strange and Cain stayed with their normal clothes and both stumble across a library but both men can sense magic within the books. before they can even think on entering they all felt a powerful burst of energy and saw the power of the ship malfunction for a while. The two men sense the source and just as everything return to normal they found James and the spear, Cain not bothering to hide his shock at seeing the spear while Strange was just surprised to see James leaving a dent on the wall and still being alive.

He rushed up to the half blood. "What happen in this room and what is the spear?" he asked him, checking up on the half blood for any serious injuries.

---

Kinhe Immigration Office


Hex was surprised yet not to see an older man who was tired and needed to drink ridiculous amount of coffee to stay active in his work, she has met some people Aegis who are like him and even she can be like him on some days. The interaction between the two custom officers was interesting to say the least, she wish she can say screw formalities on most occasion but sometimes for her missions she has to follow them, it makes the times where she doesn't all the more sweeter.

When Hex was given the paper to highlight some boxes and write down everything about what they want she did so, stopping only a few minutes to create convincing lies to hide who she really works for and her true reason for being on the planet. Soon Hex was finished with her work and walked to the PO box as instructed and drop the paper as she began to leave the building.

[Kaidou]

---

With the paperwork done, SGT Ceiji quietly nodded to Hex and took her leave, sticking her hands into her pockets as she went along, grunting to herself on the way to her next assignment.

"Hopefully, that's the last I have to put up with that lovebird."

...

The Aquila

Being the only truly magically attuned being in the group besides Cain and Strange, Samuel, too, felt the sudden burst of energy exploding from where James was. As he rushed in, clutching his cello case protectively just in case, the boy feasted his eyes upon James, the spear, and the human-shaped impression he had left in the wall.

"Umm... What exactly is that?"

The sound of Henry snoring in the next room continued as per normal, even as Arjun, Yuen, Nekoma, and Yocchi re-entered the ship, Nekoma playfully poking Henry in the belly with a stick he had found on the floor (Henry did not wake up).

"Whatever the case", said Samuel to Hex, taking a seat in the room, "I say we decide what else we need to do before leaving this place. Maybe pick up some groceries and stuff. We could leave, say... tomorrow morning?" The boy yawned.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Saturn
"Five hours? Sounds like you should get out of there now, and spend less time... Uh... Socializing." Hades said, his voice filling the room. Hana stumbled out of the TARDIS, blood trickling down her ears. She groaned and held her hands on her ears."I can't hear anything! What's wrong?!" She shouted, earning a displeased growl from The Judge.

"I dare say that the treatment my poor feline ears recieved on that planet was the worst pain I've felt since the passing of my dear brother... Medical attention would be most appreciated." The cat said. "What?!" Hana asked frantically, earning another pained yelp from The Judge. "And by all means heal the loud female adolesant as well before she strikes me with deafness..."

Hanzo too was deaf, however he was not dwelling on that, and instead was still processing the power that he had witnessed down below. That creature had survived the Dragon Stike; an imposibility.... And yet it had happened right before Hanazo's shocked eyes. The Doctor exited the TARDIS with a weakened but concious Clairus in his arms bridal style. She whiped the last bit of blood from her nose before looking up at the Time Lord.

"I'm okay now Doctor, you can let me down now." She said. The Doctor shook his head. "Oh no no no, you're not going anywhere right now. Not until you've rested that is." He told her. She sighed. "Fine...." Mumbled Clairus as The Doctor approached the group. Before he could spaek however, a purple cone of light appeared on the bridge, fading to reveal the smiling face of Jacob. He chuckled.

"You made it out alive? Good job!" He congradulated the group, a strange tone in his voice. "I hope you don't mind my being here, but I just had to come welcome you back and wish you a job well done... Destroying an entier planet...." Jacob looked directly into Elizabeth's eyes, and his gaze would feel completely unatural to her, as if Jacob was probing her very soul. "I don't suppose that you would know why the Abyss is currently swallowing that planet down there would you?" He asked her, his voice dark.

The Doctor gave Jacob a concerned look. "Conundrum... Are you feeling alright? You look a bit... Mmm... Fierce." The Time Lord asked Jacob. A burst of laughter came out of Jacob. It sounded like Jacob's laugh, yet something wasn't right about it. "Of course I am Doctor! Fierce? How absurd!" He insisted, another laugh emanating from him.

Clairus also looked at Jacob suspiciously. "Conundrum why can't I feel your aura?" She asked him. Jacob looked perplexed, yet his eyes held a look of pure mischief as he said: "What? How would I know? I'm not an aura expert you know!" Something is wrong.... Very wrong.... Clairus thought to herself as Jacob looked back at Elizabeth, expecting an answer to his question from her.

[Naval Monte]

Saturn

The moment Elizabeth heard Star warn her about the black hole along with Hades she knew the two of these wee right and that they should leave the universe before the black hole complete on devouring the planet, who knows what would happen next. Elizabeth broke off the kiss and hug. "Well commander we need your orders to get us out of this universe before the black hole decides to have us for dessert." she told Serena. As Hana kept screaming because of damaged ear drums Elizabeth rolled her eyes and sighed.

"You guys are really going to hate me for this... though you all may hate me for more." she said the last parts to herself. Just as Elizabeth thought of giving one whose hearing was still damaged access to the regenerative powers of her blood Frisk used their powers to heal both herself and everyone. "GOOD WORK FRISK. NOW WE NO LONGER HAVE TO BE SHOUTING JUST SO WE CAN ALL UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER." Papyrus told the child, the irony was not lost to everyone in the room.

Elizabeth looked over at Clarius and the witch asked if she was alright. Elizabeth saw the aura of the beast yet she didn't have as much of a freak out as Clarius, she ponder as to why? Before she can get anything from the kitsune Jacob appeared. "Oh bugger, looks like your trouble now Doctor. I don't think Conundrum likes the fact you were trying to woe away his girlfriend." the witch teased, giving him a wide grin. Elizabeth's good mood however ended when she heard Jacob's tone of voice and felt something off with the half blood.

"WHAT? WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU CONGRATULATE US ON THAT?! WE DIDN'T MEAN FOR THAT TO HAPPEN." the skeleton plead. Snake and Jack can feel something was off with Jacob. When the half blood looked into her eyes the mage knew that whatever was talking to them was not the Jacob they all know. When he asked her why the abyss is currently destroying a planet she didn't even flinch, glaring back at the half blood.

The way Jacob laughed made Elizabeth think of Octavius... No... Infinity. Elizabeth fought back the urge to punch "Jacob" on the face as she let the mad half blood monologue and rant like a two bit Bond villain. Clarius looked at her as to get an answer on why he has no aura. She has one but most likely no one would like it. "I doubt this is the case but back in my home the only beings not to have auras are gods who can hide their auras very well or those that have no souls, and I doubt Jacob is a god." she told the group. The soldiers pointing their guns at Jacob as even they can tell that something was seriously wrong with the half blood.

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Kinhe

6:30PM

"Will the captain of this ship please open the door for routine inspection."

The old, decrepit ship that had docked at Dock 26, just next to the Aquila, did not respond to the call of the corporal and his two men as they stood outside waiting for its door to open. Sensing something was wrong, the corporal called the port central command.

"This is CPL Cuvrias", he said into the microphone of his standard issue smartphone in a hushed voice, handing his megaphone to the private beside him. "Ship number 26-00582 Dhovastros has refused to open their door for inspection for the last two hours since it has docked here. Please send reinforcements; the ship's operators may be hostile."

...

3 minutes later

Central Command had dispatched the specialist SGT Ceiji to command five other specialists to handle the situation at Dock 26.

Ceiji wasn't particularly pleased, partly because she didn't look forward to going near the Aquila for fear of bumping into Henry again, and partly because it was her break time and she was in the middle of clipping her nails, and hadn't finished yet.

Nevertheless, she did respond to the dispatch (work was work was work), heading out with a pistol in her belt and with five men following her.

"This is the ship?"

Corporal Cuvrias stood to attention the moment Sergeant Ceiji appeared, before nodding in response to her question.

"I see... Seems like we need to give them an-"

Before she could complete her sentence, the door of the decrepit ship flew open, and three men in black masks and maroon cloaks appeared in the doorway, brandishing blaster rifles.

"Get down! They're armed!"

The eight immigration officers dashed for cover behind the bulletproof gantries and crates as the three maroon cloaked men opened fire, spraying blaster bolts all over the place. In one swift move, Ceiji stood up, firing a single laser bolt from her bullet (hitting one of the three men in the knee) and then ducking back behind the gantry she was hiding behind. The man whom she shot doubled over, clutching the cauterised bullet wound, but continued firing randomly nonetheless.

The moment a lull in the cloaked men's spraying sprang back up, both Ceiji and Cuvrias stood up and unleashed several bullets; this time, all three of the maroon hooded men were taken down. In the short window of time before more soldiers appeared, Ceiji propelled herself over the gantry and charged into the ship, gunning down the other cloaked men who appeared. Her men followed closely behind her.

With the hostile men neutralised, the sergeant kicked down the door of the ship's pilot room.

The captain, similarly wearing a maroon robe, deftly raised his gun and pointed his pistol at Ceiji, who had also trained her pistol on the man.

Before any conversations could be carried out, the sergeant fired her gun and sent a glowing laser bolt straight into the captain's forehead, while simultaneously jerking to the right to avoid any bullet that the man might have fired. The laser bolt tore into the man's forehead, causing him to scream in pain and shock and, just a few seconds later, keel over and land on the ground.

Wasting no time, Ceiji knelt down and seized the man by the collars of his maroon robe.

"What was your objective?" she interrogated. "Who hired you?"

"Mächiens häl", the man retorted furiously, unloading a glob of spit into Ceiji's face. The sergeant dodged, the glob of spit hitting the door. Much to the horror of her men, the door began to fizzle at the point of contact between the saliva and the metal, before a hole was melted straight through the thick aluminium and titanium alloy.

"Mächiens häl", the man declared again, quivering in pain.

Ceiji scowled, raising one eyebrow. "M... Maechia?"

Seeing no further value in interrogating the man further, SGT Ceiji stood back up, unsheathing her pistol, and pumping several more laser bolts into the man's body, until he stopped quivering, lying still on the floor.

"Nothing more to see here, boys", she said to her men, putting her pistol back into the holster on her belt and standing up. "Let's just call the Investigation Department and have them tow this piece of crap away for further... investigation."

CPL Cuvrias sent a message to Central Command, and in a few minutes, a towing ship from the Police Force came to pick up the once hostile vessel. Ceiji handed the vehicle over, and the police officers entered the ship, searching every last corner. Finding nothing, they went back to their ship and headed off with the empty vessel in tow.

And then it blew up midair. The supposedly empty vehicle's very engine had been rigged with a time bomb. Though the towing vehicle wasn't destroyed completely, it still suffered a great deal, losing a large portion of its rear end. As Ceiji and her men looked on in horror, the figure of a terrified man, his entire body ablaze, fell from the wreckage of the towing ship as the rest of the vehicle keeled about and attempted desperately to steer itself upright. The burning debris from the explosion plummeted towards the ground, where it, thankfully, was a runway that wasn't in use then.

"It's a terrorist attack", Ceiji murmured to herself, standing up in shock. She turned to Corporal Cuvrias.

"Stay here and await further orders. I need to report this."

...

Inside the Aquila

"Is it just me, or did I hear some-"

Barely had Yuen finished his sentence when all of a sudden, from one of the windows, a blinding flash of light exploded through the windows momentarily. Some of the crew rushed to the window to see what had happened, while others remained at the back, looking out in shock.

"An explosion!"

Samuel bit his lip.

"A bomb, eh?" He shrugged sardonically. "Seems like things are gonna get crazy really soon."

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Kinhe

6:30PM

"Will the captain of this ship please open the door for routine inspection."

The old, decrepit ship that had docked at Dock 26, just next to the Aquila, did not respond to the call of the corporal and his two men as they stood outside waiting for its door to open. Sensing something was wrong, the corporal called the port central command.

"This is CPL Cuvrias", he said into the microphone of his standard issue smartphone in a hushed voice, handing his megaphone to the private beside him. "Ship number 26-00582 Dhovastros has refused to open their door for inspection for the last two hours since it has docked here. Please send reinforcements; the ship's operators may be hostile."

...

3 minutes later

Central Command had dispatched the specialist SGT Ceiji to command five other specialists to handle the situation at Dock 26.

Ceiji wasn't particularly pleased, partly because she didn't look forward to going near the Aquila for fear of bumping into Henry again, and partly because it was her break time and she was in the middle of clipping her nails, and hadn't finished yet.

Nevertheless, she did respond to the dispatch (work was work was work), heading out with a pistol in her belt and with five men following her.

"This is the ship?"

Corporal Cuvrias stood to attention the moment Sergeant Ceiji appeared, before nodding in response to her question.

"I see... Seems like we need to give them an-"

Before she could complete her sentence, the door of the decrepit ship flew open, and three men in black masks and maroon cloaks appeared in the doorway, brandishing blaster rifles.

"Get down! They're armed!"

The eight immigration officers dashed for cover behind the bulletproof gantries and crates as the three maroon cloaked men opened fire, spraying blaster bolts all over the place. In one swift move, Ceiji stood up, firing a single laser bolt from her bullet (hitting one of the three men in the knee) and then ducking back behind the gantry she was hiding behind. The man whom she shot doubled over, clutching the cauterised bullet wound, but continued firing randomly nonetheless.

The moment a lull in the cloaked men's spraying sprang back up, both Ceiji and Cuvrias stood up and unleashed several bullets; this time, all three of the maroon hooded men were taken down. In the short window of time before more soldiers appeared, Ceiji propelled herself over the gantry and charged into the ship, gunning down the other cloaked men who appeared. Her men followed closely behind her.

With the hostile men neutralised, the sergeant kicked down the door of the ship's pilot room.

The captain, similarly wearing a maroon robe, deftly raised his gun and pointed his pistol at Ceiji, who had also trained her pistol on the man.

Before any conversations could be carried out, the sergeant fired her gun and sent a glowing laser bolt straight into the captain's forehead, while simultaneously jerking to the right to avoid any bullet that the man might have fired. The laser bolt tore into the man's forehead, causing him to scream in pain and shock and, just a few seconds later, keel over and land on the ground.

Wasting no time, Ceiji knelt down and seized the man by the collars of his maroon robe.

"What was your objective?" she interrogated. "Who hired you?"

"Mächiens häl", the man retorted furiously, unloading a glob of spit into Ceiji's face. The sergeant dodged, the glob of spit hitting the door. Much to the horror of her men, the door began to fizzle at the point of contact between the saliva and the metal, before a hole was melted straight through the thick aluminium and titanium alloy.

"Mächiens häl", the man declared again, quivering in pain.

Ceiji scowled, raising one eyebrow. "M... Maechia?"

Seeing no further value in interrogating the man further, SGT Ceiji stood back up, unsheathing her pistol, and pumping several more laser bolts into the man's body, until he stopped quivering, lying still on the floor.

"Nothing more to see here, boys", she said to her men, putting her pistol back into the holster on her belt and standing up. "Let's just call the Investigation Department and have them tow this piece of crap away for further... investigation."

CPL Cuvrias sent a message to Central Command, and in a few minutes, a towing ship from the Police Force came to pick up the once hostile vessel. Ceiji handed the vehicle over, and the police officers entered the ship, searching every last corner. Finding nothing, they went back to their ship and headed off with the empty vessel in tow.

And then it blew up midair. The supposedly empty vehicle's very engine had been rigged with a time bomb. Though the towing vehicle wasn't destroyed completely, it still suffered a great deal, losing a large portion of its rear end. As Ceiji and her men looked on in horror, the figure of a terrified man, his entire body ablaze, fell from the wreckage of the towing ship as the rest of the vehicle keeled about and attempted desperately to steer itself upright. The burning debris from the explosion plummeted towards the ground, where it, thankfully, was a runway that wasn't in use then.

"It's a terrorist attack", Ceiji murmured to herself, standing up in shock. She turned to Corporal Cuvrias.

"Stay here and await further orders. I need to report this."

...

Inside the Aquila

"Is it just me, or did I hear some-"

Barely had Yuen finished his sentence when all of a sudden, from one of the windows, a blinding flash of light exploded through the windows momentarily. Some of the crew rushed to the window to see what had happened, while others remained at the back, looking out in shock.

"An explosion!"

Samuel bit his lip.

"A bomb, eh?" He shrugged sardonically. "Seems like things are gonna get crazy really soon."

"Looks like...someone planted a bomb on a ship...or this was a suicide mission." Ackerman looked out of the window at the explosion, strangely the calmest one in the room. "Anyways, looks like we'll have to be on the lookout for suspicious packages from now on."

"Do you think the immigration a officer blew up in it?"

"I don't know-maybe the answer would upset Henry."

[Kaidou]

"Looks like...someone planted a bomb on a ship...or this was a suicide mission." Ackerman looked out of the window at the explosion, strangely the calmest one in the room. "Anyways, looks like we'll have to be on the lookout for suspicious packages from now on."

"Do you think the immigration a officer blew up in it?"

"I don't know-maybe the answer would upset Henry."

"Who knows", said Samuel, glancing furtively at the still snoring Henry, before turning his gaze back to Frederick and Ackerman. "In any case, we're gonna have to look out and watch our backs, because-"

He was interrupted by the sound of blaring sirens outside, coupled with an announcement first made in the Nirillian language, and then in English for the benefit of the foreigners not fluent in the language.

"Attention, all citizens and visitors. There has been an explosion above a runway; foul play is suspected. Please remain calm and comply with any instructions given by law enforcement and military personnel. Kinhe will be placed under lockdown until further notice."

"Well, dammit", said Nekoma, sitting down in a recliner and leaning back as far as he could. "Isn't this just great?"

...

[Kaidou]

Three hours after the attack on Kinhe

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Itohalle
Capital of the Niril Republic

Hall of the Sky
Convention of the Grand Duma

Raised high above the clouds of the snowy, rocky planet Itohalle, the Hall of the Sky was the capital of the gigantic, intergalactic entity known as the Niril Republic. With almost 200 times more room than an aircraft carrier, the Hall was a colossal, palatial structure, visible as a protrusion from the otherwise reddish white planet even from space.

Rarely did the Grand Duma of the Niril Republic ever convene in full (the Republic's territories were so massive that even travelling to the capital itself was troublesome for those presiding over the outer planets), but on the occasions that it did, the entire Republic, spanning almost a hundred entire galaxies, was involved in the proceedings, in that extensive coverage of the monumental events would be broadcasted to the corners of its territories.

This was true even in this situation, one of an emergency; this was the first time a belligerent force had launched an attack within a territory of the Niril Republic since the conclusion of the War of Ten, in the 19th year of the rule of Chancellor Ranemosa, almost 80 years ago.

And the Grand Duma was not taking it lightly.

Convocation Chamber of the Grand Duma
LVIII Convention of the Grand Duma

His Excellency, The Baron
Minister Magician
Schienü
HV RV GCStF OrELeL DXCr GHYL OtH YNV JJhV NK

The first major member of the Grand Duma to arrive was H.E. Minister Magician, Baron Schienü, a hunched over, aged member of Chancellor Nasse's inner circle. Hobbling in on two walking sticks, clad in a flowing military uniform decorated with badges of all sorts, the old figure was a sight to behold, a grand relic of the illustrious past of the Republic.

He had served all the Chancellors from Chancellor Niyivu onwards, and had been a central figure of the Niril Republic's politics since the ascension of the late Rohojën to power several decades ago. Now a withered old man, Schienü served not just as a mentor to the fresh young leaders of the Republic, but also as a life force, binding the entire government together through the presence of his indomitable will.

Even his entrance into the hall, supported by his two faithful walking canes, prompted all who were already seated to jerk to their feet, in awe of the great and benevolent presence before them.

The second man who entered, however, inspired a vastly different kind of awe.

His Excellency, The Count Palatine
Field Marshal (Ret.)
Ireun
HV RV HOStF YNV-(Oak Leaves) DXCr LMoAC Lh-IX OtH NK

Retired Field Marshal Ireun, a man of the military for 50 years, and then one of the most senior advisors to both Chancellors Tamku and Nasse, was a fearsome commander when still in service, responsible for expanding the Niril Republic almost a hundred planets, through a series of impossible negotiations and, on some highly controversial occasions, conquest.

His steely gaze pierced through the stoniest of barriers anybody could ever form in their minds, almost as if he could gaze directly into the souls of men with his silver, ghostly eyes. Unlike the somewhat pompous Schienü, Ireun opted not to dress in fancy military attire, choosing more down-to-earth black robes, the only decorations of which were the insignia of his division of the Army, the LXXVI Royal Guards, which was dissolved following his ascension into the political spheres.

Though soft spoken and mild mannered, Ireun was a fearsome man in the seat of command, playing his troops into battle like a chessboard. That particular day, he stood at the podium of the Convocation Chamber of the Grand Duma, the room on the highest level of the Hall's towers, making one of his boldest declarations to open the .

"This attempted terrorist attack", declared the retired Field Marshal, "is an act of war against our Republic. Whoever was responsible for this travesty shall face the full might of Niril!"

...

Manichean Plane
Realm I
???

"Tell us what you know! Tell us what you know, now!!!"

The masked interrogator held his megaphone up, screaming directly through it into the ear of the man tied to the chair with it. The man, a muscular military officer in his mid forties, screamed in pain, his eardrums already perforated badly. Tears rolled down his cheeks as each piercing, booming word from the megaphone tore through his ear some more.

With a grin on his face, the interrogator put down the megaphone, before walking over to the other end of the room and looking out of the tiny, tinted glass window which overlooked the vast desert surrounding the outside of the building and provided just the tiniest amount of natural light for the prisoner, who had been there almost three months now.

It was only after the barely foiled attack on the port at Kinhe, just three hours ago, that this particular interrogator had been called down to talk to the prisoner.

"We know that it was the Balur Commonwealth that launched the attack", cooed the interrogator, into the good ear of the captured officer. "Yes, it was your bosses which ordered this unprovoked attack, Colonel Dienasstin Veknu. The Grand Duma doesn't know yet, because I ordered my men to withhold the information. Think of that as an act of mercy on the Balur Commonwealth. So return the favour." The interrogator purred eerily, crouching and gazing into the prisoner's eyes.

"No... no, I don't know anything... please, let me go... I can't hear anything..."

"You do know", said the interrogator mockingly, "that I could unleash hell on the Balur Commonwealth right now, simply by revealing the evidence to the Grand Duma? The only reason I'm holding back now is because I have something else in mind. But on your end, regardless of when it becomes public knowledge, the Balur Commonwealth is going to get a long hard cock jammed straight into its anus. No matter how you see it, you're all screwed."

"Please let me go... I don't know anything... I can't hear anything..." the man pleaded pitifully. "My wife... my daughters... please let me see them..."

The interrogator laughed sarcastically and, standing to his full height, karate-kicked the man in the chest. The force of the kick was so great that the chair toppled backwards, the backrest shattering upon hitting the ground. The man screamed in pain as some of the splinters buried themselves in his back.

Without removing the mask, the interrogator silently left the room, leaving the man to bleed out on the ground. Before leaving, however, he left one last message for the prison's guards.

"Please play the Barney the Dinosaur theme song on a loop till he loses consciousness; give him doses of hairudoxine so that he will remain conscious for at least six hours, and do not stop the song under any circumstances. Once he's passed out, have him brought to the hospital. Have the truth drug used on him."

The guard saluted nervously, trembling in his boots as the interrogator left the room.

"Yes, Chief Ionian."

...

Convocation Chamber of the Grand Duma
LVIII Convention of the Grand Duma

"I, Councillor Soong Ing-chiao of the Planet Girialu, vehemently object to H.E. Count Palatine Ireun's proposal to have Supreme HQ Intelligence Chief Ionian placed in charge of investigations into this matter."

The Honourable
Councillor
Soong Ing-chiao
宋鷹翹
GCStF YNV-(Oak Leaves) NK
Councillor of Girialu

"Your concern is most understandable, Councillor Soong", said Ireun calmly and gently from his spot at the podium, as Councillor Soong took his seat. "However, it is to my knowledge that Chief Ionian has presided over numerous successful operations in the past, especially in the counter terrorist missions our Republic conducted during the rule of Chancellor Tamku; in 50 years, Ionian has not failed us." Ireun paused, waiting for responses.

One man stood up, across the chamber on the opposite benches.

The Honourable
Lieutenant (Hon. Dis.)
Councillor
Tarju
KStF NK

Tarju was a giant, standing at almost 210cm and with muscles that writhed beneath his smart, bespoke suits. His hair was perpetually coiffed into a curtain of sorts, and his pointy-toed shoes were always polished to a mirror shine. On his left eye sat a monocle which cast rainbows at various angles.

Most noticeable of all, however, was the fact that his right arm was missing from below the elbow; what remained of his sleeve was tucked in neatly and held in place with a golden safety pin.

"With all due respect to the Honourable Councillor Soong Ing-chiao, I would like to state publicly my support for His Excellency Ireun's proposal to have Ionian head the investigation effort against those who perpetrated this attack. Even though we do not know who Ionian is, it is still beneficial to our cause to have him on our side."

Having finished his sentence, Tarju sat back down promptly.

"When the remaining members of the Grand Duma have arrived", said Ireun, "we shall cast the Emergency Vote."

...

Members present: 711 / 1,062

[Prusselanden]

"Looks like...someone planted a bomb on a ship...or this was a suicide mission." Ackerman looked out of the window at the explosion, strangely the calmest one in the room. "Anyways, looks like we'll have to be on the lookout for suspicious packages from now on."

"Do you think the immigration a officer blew up in it?"

"I don't know-maybe the answer would upset Henry."

"Who knows", said Samuel, glancing furtively at the still snoring Henry, before turning his gaze back to Frederick and Ackerman. "In any case, we're gonna have to look out and watch our backs, because-"

He was interrupted by the sound of blaring sirens outside, coupled with an announcement first made in the Nirillian language, and then in English for the benefit of the foreigners not fluent in the language.

"Attention, all citizens and visitors. There has been an explosion above a runway; foul play is suspected. Please remain calm and comply with any instructions given by law enforcement and military personnel. Kinhe will be placed under lockdown until further notice."

"Well, dammit", said Nekoma, sitting down in a recliner and leaning back as far as he could. "Isn't this just great?"

...

"Well, just like what happened at Fort Lauderdale when there was a rumored second shooter." Ackerman sat down, eating some more food. A puppy would poke its head out of xer bag and hop out. "I know that because I read the news yester-" Xe noticed the puppy and yelled. "What!? How-wha!?"
The puppy would nom on her food. "Arf!"
"It's so....adorable!" Fred suddenly squealed like an excited little girl and picked the puppy up, cuddling it. "It reminds me of Biche! Oh mein gott, it's so small and soft..." he cooed at it and kissed its little head, giggling happily as the dog would lick his face in return.

[Legokiller]

Saturn

“Pipe it down Conundrum.” Star ordered, stressed out and having an unusual attitude as of late. “Save the scorning about the campaign ended with a planet being destroyed. I marked the next destination for the ship to arrive at Homeworld, my creator’s homeworld, and you all required to be in the best behavior and formality. The folks are friendly, but could jump to conclusions when their world is threaten.”

“The creator’s Homeworld?” Calem faced Star in a censure look in his face. “There is an oddball in our ship, a girl who looks like Gym Leader Misty, is speaking in dark villainous tones. I doubt they would allow us to bring her into their sector of space.”

“The child under infinite amount of appearances? My sensors detected a conceal true form in Conundrum, and only ones with the Ancient One gene or high caliber magic can see his true form.” Star gestured to Jacob, her voice hostile and frustrated. “Nya, the creators have high self-esteem and mathematically concluded they’re one of the superior beings in the galaxy. This includes being in the top tier list for Pokemon competitive battle scene back at Earth. Ahem, we have representatives of the lost colony of Earth present and I myself will serve as a diplomat to assist the commander in this task.” Star then shouted at Jacob. “Don’t blow it pal!”

Serena’s cheeks were hot pink, her aquamarine gem like eyes linger into the witch's eyes, embarrassed on how their peculiar relationship led to hellish scenarios, but happy to see something out of it and everyone is alive. The borg campaign wasn’t a failure, as they achieved victory over the hordes of the drones, the queen dead, and their fleets crippled. Serena’s morality had to face the challenges of multiple races under enslavement and indoctrination of the drones, and whether or not they have to be eliminated. Her eyes met the data on the holotable, seeing the enemy casualties were around 12 billion. “Twelve billion beings in the world.” Serena muttered. “That’s almost close to my world’s population of humans.”

Serena coldly crossed her arms as she was free from Elizabeth’s arms. It was true, and Mei was right, this is far beyond Serena’s abilities to save these people and the possibilities are endless that ugly outcomes can be lead to some of the saved drones. The whole genocide and a destruction of a planet was… weird and downright disgusting, but it wasn’t a world where people express and show the full scale of the expression specturion. The collective was evil and a threat to all life in the multiverse, and the home universe, but it’s done. Serena felt something in her heart being ironclad, and showing strength not to break down and weep over it. Her arms checked the people she saved, and the drones on board being medically treated to be free. The champion wasn’t going to be broken up by this, no matter how frightening, the cruel and unusual demise for the billions of drones who are more machine than man.

Serena was surprised when Star reported how Jacob appeared in the bridge, acting bizarre and like a movie villain. “Star, make it so. The ship requires much needed repairs to survive out there in the multiverse.” Star nodded as the ship opens up a wormhole to escape the fate of the star system. Glancing at the windows, they’re traveling inside a violent cloud and ocean whirlpool, to bright light show of all the colors passing by the ship.

The alarmed Serena made her way to face “Jacob”, her aura reading detected something completely wrong with the man, something tainted and corrupted. It was similar, making Serena even more concern for the man, like he was possessed by a dark entity? “I must insure you, what Mr. Ashwood had done to open up a black hole to the abyss been an accident. A horrific one mind you and thought to be a trump card against the ‘prefect’ warrior back at the planet, but did nothing to kill the monster. Now it and his creator escaped, and the war against the borg is over. It came with a great cost, and the drone genocide is done. For this reason, I shall forbid my planet and our resources against facing the collective once again and ignore where they resident in their home universe. The crew is devastated from the entire experience and I won’t allow them to repeat the same suffering again.”

“Conundrum, I always wanted to talk with you and sit down at last after a year where we saw each other. It's been crazy back then, and no one desired to allow us breathing room to grow and handle everything.” Serena was already on guard, with Alice next to her side, ready to leap into action if Jacob does anything bad. Jacob trying to be better than humans despite being the same as a human with immortally is dumb enough, this new ‘Jacob’ is a villain. “But I’m not ready to have some dark persona, or you being possessed by an entity to hang around in my ship. Just, what in the world happened to you back in the Traveller Conundrum?”

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Saturn
"Jacob" smirked at the soldiers, and payed little attention to Serena as she talked to him. He was staring right at Elizabeth with a calm but threatening look in his eyes, like a predator stalking its pray. Then he winced and then doubled over as the real Jacob suddenly broke free from his control. "Elizabeth! KILL ME NOW! DO IT BEFORE - GAAAAAAHHHHH!" And then Jacob was silent.

For everyone who couldn't see Jacob's true form, they would see his body fading in and out before his real form was revealed. "Jacob" giggling and looked up at the group. "Awww shucks.... You all know now.... Granted.... Ellie here already knows who I am..." Jacob said, as his eyes began fading in color to become white.

"You were thinking it. I know you were. I knew I couldn't hide myself from you Ellie..... We're far too close you and I..." Jacobs eyes began flashing different colors as he cackled madly. "In fact, ALL of you know me! Every one of you! Because after all...." Jacob smirked and then an unnaturally large grin spread across his face as he said: "You DID kill me...."

The Doctor's eyes went wide as he looked at "Jacob". "No... It can't be..." He muttered. Jacob cackled loudly as he looked at the disturbed and yes terrified Time Lord. "Yes Doctor! YES YES YES DOCTOR! IT CAN BE! You know my name... So say it..." And with a shocked and horrified voice, The Doctor uttered one horrible word.

"Infinity..."

Infinity broke into mad laughter as The Doctor spoke his name, and a purple aura surrounded him as the soldiers flew into the air all around the cackling madman that was supposed to be dead. "YOU DO REMEMBER ME! I'm so happy!" The Ancient One said, smirking at the now stunned and horrified group.

[Mundeo]

Hex's Ship

The crew found the hapless Halfblood sitting against the wall under a dent that was just his size. His head spun. "That was... a bit more explosive than I expected" James said, jumping back to his feet. Doctor Strange was there! Cool!

"I'm okay. It was just an explosion" He shook off that ringing sound in his head, and picked up the spear. It didn't feel much different, but it did radiate with some kind of mysterious power. "We'll find out what this thing does later. Now, I believe that you should lead me to your generators-"

James suddenly lurched forward, as if he'd been struck by lightning. He felt something. Something evil. It was so vile, and so recognizabile. He didn't even have to realize who it was, and it didn't make him frightened, or surprised, or scared.

It made him angry.

"Generators. Now" He barked at the nearest crew member. He had to get those fixed as soon as possible so that he can leave this ship so that he can find the rest of the sword so that he can defeat Zalgo so that he can finally say good riddance to that damned Slenderman so that he can punch Infinity in the jaw.

There was far too much to do on his to-do list.

The Capital City

Samus looked down on the patchwork of streets that sprawled out below her. "Adam, find a place for us to land, and not get spotted"

I am pretty sure that we have already been spotted at this point.

"Just do it"

The ship continued to fly over the city, but lowered until it reached an empty allyway. Samus remained inside; there was no knowing what there was to expect outside before the proper scans. Hopefully, not too many spotted her little fly by.

[Petrokovia]

Wilfre watched various monitors as the boarding party wiped out his forces.
"Hmm... What exactly is their plan? What will they do if I cut the flow of forces?"

Wilfre stopped the flow of forces intercepting the heroes on board Azalea, instead summoning several hundred shadow walkers on board and on top of the Ockham's Razor. With a wave of his hand, several of his ships dropped futuristic armored vehicles and dropships to take out the JDF troops on the ground, and soon a massive army of shadow creatures of all sorts was summoned on the ground to overwhelm the heroes on Terra Firma.

Rooftop Ockham's Razor

The Dragonite was unfazed by the bouncing drone that was so close at the rooftop, only the shield prevented a calamity from happening. Instead of being scared and cowering down on the ground, dragonite huffed as he treated this kamikaze as nothing to be concern, and Iris kept herself excited and cool. In fact, she was astonished on how the spaceship saved them from the drone and the whole scene was awesome! Iris stopped her shivering as the sunny day provided the warmth of the sun, and turned to Gold and Ty.

“Thank goodness for spaceships and its shields, am I right guys? Heheh, that was pretty cool, but no matter! The dragon master will show these punks who’s boss.” Iris swung her arm to direct Dragonite at the fighters. “We got a lot of them to sweep up. Dragonite, use ice beam! Sylveon, use calm mind and then hyper beam! Hydreigon, use dragon pulse!”

With the help of Iris spotting, Dragonite aimed his powerful ice beams right at the cockpits and wings of the dornes and starfighters. The Hydreigon covered the glowing Sylveon as he conjured up a green draconic energy ball from his large mouth, and shot it at the fleet of fighters. As circles of air passed away from the spam of dragon pulses from Hydreigon, Sylveon jumped above her dragon lover to wink and smile at the fighters, shooting a massive love heart shaped hyper beam across the sky at the drones and fighters.

Is she fucking nuts? Ty thought to himself for a moment, getting back to his feet.
"Uh... Yeah, shields are great." Ty said, a hint of facetiousness in his voice. "They keep my insides separate from my outsides."

Gold and Ty continued alternation between solar beaming targets and using Sunny day, to keep from waiting for charging time.

Soon, however, a large amount of shadow walkers would appear on top of the Ockham's Razor, and swarm the trainers on top.

"Woah, shit!"
"Ty, Earth-wait, no... Uh..."
Gold reached for a pokeball, and sent out his ampharos.
"Amph, use thunder wave!"

An electric pulse shot out, and upon contact with the shadow walkers all around them, did nothing.
"Well, shit."
"What do we do?"
"When they get close enough, use fire spin to create a pillar of fire around us, and we'll take out any that make it through with our hands."
"Can do."

Flames shot out of Ty's neck, as he summoned a giant ring of fire around him and Gold. Gold took out his collapsible baton, and he, Ty, and Amph stood back to back, ready to take out any shadow walkers that made it through the vortex.

Valkyr - Alistair
Wilfre's Ship
Tokyo, Japan

---

Valkyr turned her head to Ann. "These men killed dozens, if not hundreds, and you wish for me to spare their lives? Their lives were forfeit the moment they allowed themselves to be accomplices in this crime." Valkyr turned back, and charged into the approaching hoard, diving head first into them. After a moment, the sounds of metal on metal were heard, and blood flew as robots and men were cut to ribbons by the claws on Valkyr's hands.

Dresdas spoke. "Don't let yourself be consumed by this, Operator. You must maintain-"

Alistair cut him off. "These men deserve to die! To slaughter like this with reckless abandon... I will paint this ship red with their blood!" Valkyr ripped apart a robot in front of her, and let out an war cry. When she did, Bloodfyre would most likely feel his blood boil, and his arms quicken in their strikes, while her enemies would feel sluggish.

"Rip and Tear, until it is done!" Alistair shouted as Valkyr dove again into the horde.

Bloodfyre was obviously affected, as the blood-boiling feeling caused him to inadvertantly use his magic. He boosted his physical abilities, moving faster and hitting harder. He switched to his war hammer attached to his side, and took out several robots in the span of a few seconds. However, despite his state, he remained calm, and noticed that the enemy forces were thinning out.

Wilfre's Ship; Somewhere Above Hokkaido, Japan

"That doesn't mean you gotta be so brutal about it!" Ann yelled back at Tenno. The Warframe dove into the next wave of enemies and went berserk with her metal claws, and Ann could tell her complaints were falling on deaf ears. With a sigh, she decided to just focus on her own thing for the rest of the pre-battle. As she blew away a squad of the strange shadow creatures, Ann could tell there was something familiar about them. They look like the bad guys from Drawn to Life, she realized. Dark Walkers, or something. Totally the same, even the way they kinda puff into smoke when they die. And didn't they say we're fighting Wilfre? He's from that game too. This is getting really weird. Almost completely not focusing on the fight now, just absentmindedly blowing foes away before they got too close, Ann had become absorbed in her thoughts. Ooh, I bet he moved universes like we did! And if he came here with an attack plan and everything, he can probably just do it whenever! I wonder if those Project X people can do it too? She internally gasped, getting very excited now. A significant breeze, outside of her normal attacks, could be felt in the corridor as she also unconsciously excited the air. If they can that means we can go home! Ooh but it also means that we can go anywhere in any story we want, too! I gotta tell the others when we're done here! Speaking of that, when will we be done here? She looked around the hallway they were fighting in, and the tide of enemy soldiers seemed to be slowing down considerably. "Hey, guys?" she called out. "Think we can signal the others yet? This zone is looking pretty safe!"

Bloodfyre looked back, nodding, and the forces against them thinned and eventually stopped.
"Hmm, yes. Our foe has cut his resistance to us. I say this is the best opportunity we shall get to summon our allies."

Hokkaido, Japan

Pobeda turned to Marguerite, taking a second to look long and hard at her "My name is Pobeda Voyana. I do not know how I got here, and I assume nobody knows. And you are......" he paused, reading the woman's mind. "You are Marguerite Diorè, you were born February 15th, 1993 in the city of Paris, and you're agent of an international organization called Project X which, by the way, is a terrible name. I read your mind, and I assure you that I am not a simple civilian. I could help you, but I really see no reason to do so at the moment."

TARDIS, Borg World

Kadoor looked to the Doctor "So uh, you said we're going to die soon? I'm used to that. I'm Kadoor, by the way, Kadoor Pământ. I think I was sent here to help you, or something." she went over the the TARDIS door and peeked out, seeing the combat below "Ok, first off, what is it that you're fighting?"

Marguerite stood, her expression a mix of impressed and creeped out that Pobeda was able to ascertain that much information from her instantly.

"Well, as long as you don't get in the way-"

However, her thoughts were distracted by a huge army of shadow walkers, ghosts of all sort, robots, and several forms of armored vehicle appearing; All of the vehicles seemed to sport of plain black paint job, which made it rather easy to pick them out among the chaos of the battlefield. However, what should have been their weakness turned into their strength, as Wilfre's forces dwarfed the regional JDF three to one, and them standing out only made it more obvious.

The JDF forces began firing on Wilfre's Ground Forces, and it became apparent why Wilfre used a superior numbers tactic; The shadow walkers would go down rather easily. However, they did have an advantage in how they died; They evaporated, leaving no dead bodies to get in the way of the still active forces.

Marguerite turned to Pobeda.
"Okay, I think I just found a reason for you to fight. If you don't, it's quite possible you'll be killed by those things." she said, pointing to the shadow walkers now engaging the Japanese infantry.

---

On board the Ockham's Razor, several hundred shadow walkers arrived, swarming the inside of the bridge.
"We're being boarded!" Miku shouted, bringing up several internal defense mechanisms built into the Razor's bridge. Several turrets fired at the shadow walkers, as energy shields covered the control panels and electronics.

Simon, with naught a thought, placed his crown upon his head. struggling, he floated several feet into the air, creating ice barriers to stop the shadow walkers from getting too close, and instead bottle-necking them into one spot.
Okay, staying in control...
It would seem that time slowed for him yet again, more noticeably this time.
Okay... could this be a side effect of my Halfblood powers? he thought to himself. It'll take some getting used to...

Tadayoshi drew his saber, and slashed at several of the shadow walkers at they poured in. Muffet shot out webbing, slowing their already slow pace down to a crawl.

Tadayoshi turned, and noticed the Avengers still on board.
"Oh, hey! I think I've got some work for you guys after all!"

[Forever Neutral]

<< ??? >>
Hex's Ship

The explosion took Aayla by surprise but didn't upset her. It merely earned a look of confusion and slight anxiety, the latter of which subsided after a few seconds. She hadn't made a note to really converse with anyone until one of the passengers began having ... an episode of some kind. She wasn't sure if using her 'mind magic' would paint an accurate picture, or if she should even do that.

[Kaidou]

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Kinhe
Hex's Ship

It was just then that the sound of someone knocking on the door of the ship could be heard. Faint (for the ship was made of reinforced metal, after all), but audible nonetheless. Perhaps it was a person using another metal object to hit the door lightly?

Nevertheless, Samuel did decide to go take a look, choosing to do that over playing with the puppy that suddenly appeared or attending to the guy with the spear (whoever he was).

The man was tall, probably the same height as the 194cm tall Henry, but a lot less bulky, though it was clear that he was also highly muscular despite his suit covering it up. He had a stern but attractive face, and his hair was short, his fringe barely touching his eyebrows. He held, in his left hand, a large metallic briefcase.

"Please let me in", requested the man politely. "There is something I have to explain to your crew."

The boy stood there for a moment, not knowing how to answer; thankfully for him, Nekoma had the same idea as he did, and judging the man to pose no threats, decided to allow him into the ship, at least for the time being.

"Is there a room where I can talk with the both of you without any interruptions from anywhere else?"

"Actually", said Samuel, "we have lots of other crew members too."

"Bring whoever you trust the most."

That would be Henry, Strange, Mr Akita, Yocchi, and Frederick. Henry's asleep, and the Akitas seem to be somewhere else, so it'll just be those two for now.

Samuel headed back to the room in the ship he had just left and, seeing that Strange and Frederick weren't doing anything particularly important, beckoned to the two of them to come over to the smaller room on the other side of the wall to chat with the tall man who had just entered.

As Nekoma and Samuel sat down, beckoning to the tall man to do so, he took out, from his pocket, an identification card with two insignias; one was the coat of arms of the Niril Republic, which they had all seen on the sides of the government ships and buildings. The other one was one which neither Nekoma nor Samuel recognised.

"I am 1st Class Investigator Yūsei Takamatsu of the Niril Republic's Supreme HQ Central Intelligence Unit", introduced the man. "I need to know if this ship is entirely safe for conversation of a sensitive nature."

[The Intergalactic Russian Empire]

Hokkaido, Japan

Pobeda looked over at the Shadow Walkers, unphased as before "Well, technically, as long as I stand here and do nothing, they can't kill me. I'm more or less immortal aside from some vague and annoying conditions. So I could just let you die right here and now. But.......... I guess I'll help you out, as long as you help me in return." he pulled out a revolver and took a few shots at the Shadow Walkers before putting it away and drawing a kind of sabre. Suddenly his outfit transformed and he now wore the hooded green robes that came with his position as Mage of Mind, along with green butterfly-like wings appearing on his back. He then turned to Marguerite "Now I advise you follow my lead and don't get yourself killed, human." before turning back and lunging to the nearest Shadow Walker, slicing through with his blade.

TARDIS, Saturn

Kadoor stayed in the TARDIS while the others discussed things she didn't understand outside. She paced back and forth near the TARDIS door "Ok, Kadoor, think. Why am I here? Am I meant to do something important? Was this just a complete accident? Agh, would anyone know this?!" she suddenly heard something outside, something odd. Was it laughter? She cracked the door open slightly and peeked outside to catch a glimpse of what was happening. "If only Pobeda were here, he'd know what to do." she muttered to herself "He'd probably tell me that we have no business here, that we can't trust any of these people and that we should leave before things go awry. He'd probably be right not to trust anyone here, I don't even know their names."

[Prusselanden]

Manichean Plane
Realm I
Kinhe
Hex's Ship

It was just then that the sound of someone knocking on the door of the ship could be heard. Faint (for the ship was made of reinforced metal, after all), but audible nonetheless. Perhaps it was a person using another metal object to hit the door lightly?

Nevertheless, Samuel did decide to go take a look, choosing to do that over playing with the puppy that suddenly appeared or attending to the guy with the spear (whoever he was).

(Image)

The man was tall, probably the same height as the 194cm tall Henry, but a lot less bulky, though it was clear that he was also highly muscular despite his suit covering it up. He had a stern but attractive face, and his hair was short, his fringe barely touching his eyebrows. He held, in his left hand, a large metallic briefcase.

"Please let me in", requested the man politely. "There is something I have to explain to your crew."

The boy stood there for a moment, not knowing how to answer; thankfully for him, Nekoma had the same idea as he did, and judging the man to pose no threats, decided to allow him into the ship, at least for the time being.

"Is there a room where I can talk with the both of you without any interruptions from anywhere else?"

"Actually", said Samuel, "we have lots of other crew members too."

"Bring whoever you trust the most."

That would be Henry, Strange, Mr Akita, Yocchi, and Frederick. Henry's asleep, and the Akitas seem to be somewhere else, so it'll just be those two for now.

Samuel headed back to the room in the ship he had just left and, seeing that Strange and Frederick weren't doing anything particularly important, beckoned to the two of them to come over to the smaller room on the other side of the wall to chat with the tall man who had just entered.

As Nekoma and Samuel sat down, beckoning to the tall man to do so, he took out, from his pocket, an identification card with two insignias; one was the coat of arms of the Niril Republic, which they had all seen on the sides of the government ships and buildings. The other one was one which neither Nekoma nor Samuel recognised.

"I am 1st Class Investigator Yūsei Takamatsu of the Niril Republic's Supreme HQ Central Intelligence Unit", introduced the man. "I need to know if this ship is entirely safe for conversation of a sensitive nature."

Frederick came over, sat down, and held the puppy in his lap.
"I think so. Ackerman's loyal enough to never spill anything we say. Henry's asleep, and I'd say that the Akitas are well out of earshot for the time being. Maybe Ackerman can distract them or something. I don't know about Yuen though."

Meanwhile, Ackerman scampered up to Akita Sr eagerly.
"Akita-san, do you know how to braid hair?"

[Kaidou]

Frederick came over, sat down, and held the puppy in his lap.
"I think so. Ackerman's loyal enough to never spill anything we say. Henry's asleep, and I'd say that the Akitas are well out of earshot for the time being. Maybe Ackerman can distract them or something. I don't know about Yuen though."

"Okay, then." The man took a seat on the sofa facing Samuel and Nekoma, before reaching into his pocket, taking out his wallet and, from his wallet itself, taking out a business card, completely blank on one side and sparsely printed on the other end, a minimalist design.

"First of all", he said, sliding the card across the table, "here's my business card."

"That's not your real name, am I right?" Nekoma asked, crossing his legs and taking the card.

"That's to be expected for someone working in the intelligence department", Takamatsu replied bluntly. "Anyway, what I have to say concerns what you probably just saw outside a while ago."

"The explosion?"

"Yes", the intelligence agent said, "the explosion. We're keeping the identity of the attackers a secret from the government, but I'm sure some of you may have seen what those men looked like."

"They were dressed in purple robes", Nekoma pointed out. "And with these funny white masks."

"Yes", said the man. "We in the Central Intelligence Unit are keeping this a secret because we do not want to start yet another conflict so soon. So consider this a gag order from the Intelligence Unit. Do not tell anybody you see about what those men were wearing."

"What is it about their attire?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal any more", Takamatsu added furtively.

...

Meanwhile, Ackerman scampered up to Akita Sr eagerly.
"Akita-san, do you know how to braid hair?"

"Well, yes I do", said the old man with a smile, as Yocchi lay on the sofa nearby, gazing out of the window. The commotion with James happening in the adjacent room didn't bother either of them, who tried their best to get along normally. "Would you like me to help you?"

...

[Prusselanden]

Frederick came over, sat down, and held the puppy in his lap.
"I think so. Ackerman's loyal enough to never spill anything we say. Henry's asleep, and I'd say that the Akitas are well out of earshot for the time being. Maybe Ackerman can distract them or something. I don't know about Yuen though."

"Okay, then." The man took a seat on the sofa facing Samuel and Nekoma, before reaching into his pocket, taking out his wallet and, from his wallet itself, taking out a business card, completely blank on one side and sparsely printed on the other end, a minimalist design.

"First of all", he said, sliding the card across the table, "here's my business card."

"That's not your real name, am I right?" Nekoma asked, crossing his legs and taking the card.

"That's to be expected for someone working in the intelligence department", Takamatsu replied bluntly. "Anyway, what I have to say concerns what you probably just saw outside a while ago."

"The explosion?"

"Yes", the intelligence agent said, "the explosion. We're keeping the identity of the attackers a secret from the government, but I'm sure some of you may have seen what those men looked like."

"They were dressed in purple robes", Nekoma pointed out. "And with these funny white masks."

"Yes", said the man. "We in the Central Intelligence Unit are keeping this a secret because we do not want to start yet another conflict so soon. So consider this a gag order from the Intelligence Unit. Do not tell anybody you see about what those men were wearing."

"What is it about their attire?"

"I'm afraid I can't reveal any more", Takamatsu added furtively.

...

Meanwhile, Ackerman scampered up to Akita Sr eagerly.
"Akita-san, do you know how to braid hair?"

"Well, yes I do", said the old man with a smile, as Yocchi lay on the sofa nearby, gazing out of the window. The commotion with James happening in the adjacent room didn't bother either of them, who tried their best to get along normally. "Would you like me to help you?"

...

Ackerman nodded and unraveled xer typical Prussian army braid, letting a long cascade of dark umber hair down.
"Ok, thank you. Do your best, please." Xe sat down on a chair happily, anticipating the braiding.
"....Hey, who's the guy in the next room anyways?" Xe referred to James.

"...I thought we would hear more secret information from you." Fred looked at the contact card of Takamatsu unconcerndedly. "Well, as if they don't give us any trouble, I could care less about this. But since our lives are actually at risk, I guess we'll have to care and keep a look out. So you'll leave after we give you this info, I predict."

[Aeternabilis]

Wilfre's Flagship; Somewhere Above Hokkaido, Japan

Ann smiled at Bloodfyre. "Great! Alex is probably definitely watching through my suit-cam, so she can probably tell we're all good, but I'll call her just to make sure." She tapped a button on the small Bluetooth device in her ear that connected her directly to Alex, and when the other girl picked up, she said, "Hey! We're all clear here, so bring everyone over!"

Project X Headquarters; Tokyo, Japan

"Okay, we'll be there before you know it!" Alex said back, then hung up. She looked up from her viewscreen and addressed the rest of the group. "Okay, it's time to go! Any first-time teleporters, you might want to brace yourselves, because this can be pretty disorienting if you're not used to it." "Seriously. I threw up my first time." "Shut up Marcus, I have to concentrate! I don't want to forget anyone or end up in the wrong place!" "Right, sorry. Shutting up." "Shh!" Marcus made an exaggerated zipping-lips gesture and kept quiet, allowing for Alex to concentrate on her task. She looked deep into the camera image and visualized herself standing there. Then, quickly before she vanished, she expanded her vision, feeling the presence of all her allies around her, and keeping them next to her as she traveled. In an instant, everyone disappeared from Tokyo and instantaneously reappeared in Wilfre's ship, the only sign of their arrival being a woosh and a faint breeze as their bodies displaced the air.

"Hey guys!" Ann said enthusiastically. "We're all ready to go blow up the power generator. Anybody know where it is?" The rest of the heroes looked at each other as they realized they had no idea where they were actually going. "Marcus, why don't you check the futures? Find us a path?" Alex supplied, helpfully. Marcus unzipped his lips and said, "Good idea." He then closed his eyes and glimpsed into the future for a brief moment before opening his eyes, holding his head, and saying, "Ow. Too many intersections and pathways, too many choices, way too many futures. Hurts my head." Joshua rolled his eyes and said, "Great, we can't rely on the almighty future. We'll have to find a ship directory or something like that. Unless one of you knows where we're going?" He directed the last sentence at the Project X agents, Bloodfyre, or Tenno, hoping one of them knew the answer.