Eternal Galaxy Project

Aye, but there's still plenty left to work out before I would feel comfortable in writing it out as a full story. Though the end is in sight. It's been 10 years and this is the closest I've been to a complete and comprehensive timeline of EG that truly feels like a solid story.

I definitely intend on publishing EG when it is done. You can count on it.



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---

Another random passage

The Phoenix Incident

Cicero took a step back as he looked at the corkboard array. Eyes wide in shock, he accidentally backed through the crisscrossing threads that connected pictures and news articles together. He felt weak, the sudden discovery of the truth he was seeking, the truth of the Prometheos and Arcains, set his mind racing. Pins pulled out of the boards from the tension. Cicero inadvertently pulled out many of the connections, leaving a majority that originated from a picture of one person.

Nyx Leonares

"Everything...comes back to her...She's been behind everything this whole time." Cicero muttered, still walking backwards in a daze, eyes transfixed on the picture of Nyx. A sudden thought then occurred to him: he should run. Now. He whipped around only to be stopped by the feeling of a cold metal object against his throat.
"I don't care what you say, what you do..." The voice was cold and level. "Your life ends today."
"Aion... I... can explain... everything." Cicero gasped out as the tip of Aion's rapier was held firmly to his neck. His eyes finally focused on Aion, whose composure reflected his mood: tense with anger. "We've both been-" Aion cut Cicero off by pressing alittle harder with his sword, now with enough pressure to draw blood. His eyes narrowed as he inspected Cicero's pleading face, debating whether or not to end him now or to let him speak. His attention suddenly was caught by the board behind Cicero. When Aion saw the lines leading to the picture of Nyx, curiosity decided Cicero's fate.
Relaxing his sword from Cicero's gullet, Aion then forced out the words of mercy that Cicero was hoping for. "Keep talking."
Taking a moment to regain his breath, Cicero quickly blurted out what he just realized. "Nyx has been manipulating everyone, she set up everything. The rebellion, the Corlaviri mines, the modifications of the Manor of Eternity-"
"Modifications?"
"Yes- She was modifying the Manor of Eternity to better use the GAIA Compu-"
"Why would she do that?" Aion once again cut Cicero short with his sword.
"Because... she knows how to use it."
"...Much like yourself, then?"
"No! Nonono! I only have theories on how it works. If she's modifying the Manor to work with the computer... she knows more than I do. Than any of us." Aion relaxed his sword to his side as he, too, started to agree with Cicero's point. "She told us to start the rebellion to cover up the attempt to access the GAIA Computer. She wants us to access it... she wants us to activate it."
"...And you're still going to do it?"
"...yes. I want to know what it does."
Aion raised his sword slowly as he spoke his next words. "And that's why you ordered an attack on my mansion?"
"What?"
"Rumor is that the rebels were planning an attack on my mansion."
Cicero looked at Aion in shock and horror. "No... No... Those fools." He looked to the window and back to Aion. "We have to go, now. We have to stop-"
The sound of an explosion in the distance made both look to the window, where they saw over the roofline a column of black smoke freshly rising. It was in the direction of the Manor of Eternity.
Neither man spoke, but both came to a silent agreement. Aion turned and ran out in a mad dash for the Manor. Cicero was about to follow him but then turned to quickly grab the memory drive that held Aurora's code. However, it wasn't where Cicero left it. "Wha- where is it?!"

Eternal Galaxy Project

Ok next random passage...
...and this one is a big deal.
Why?
Because I'm tackling the Void.

Void

"There's always a way!"

"You can't give up hope! We can make it through this!"

"We will not yield!"

The voices echoed in the corners of Aion's mind. They seem so distant, memories of a bygone age. At the present, Aion couldn't tell where he was. He couldn't see anything. He couldn't feel anything. Nothing. None of his senses could grasp where he was. He couldn't tell if he was lying down, standing up, or falling. However, when he went to reach for his face, he could still feel the pressure of his hand against his face and his face against his hand. He was awake, but everything felt so unreal.

"The void, as a concept, is the absence of all existence."
"So the void doesn't exist?"
"...in a way, yes."
"Then why are we afraid of the void?"
"...because it does exist."
"But that contradicts what you just said. If it does exist, how can it not exist?"
"...it's...it's complicated."
"Well, couldn't ya say that it's the embodiment of a paradox?"
"A paradox? I guess but... still, why do we have to fear the void?"

The hairs on Aion's nape stood on end. Something else was there with him. Although none of his other senses detected anything, he still had that feeling there was something, or someone else close by.

"...a consciousness. There is a consciousness tied to the void."
"Wha-" Aion suddenly became alert. It was another memory...but this one was foreign. The voice associated with it was familiar but...

"My colleague was indeed successful." The image of Nyx started to form in his mind. "However...due to the unstable nature of which they achieved this..."
"...Replicating it would be unwise?" Another voice, this time a man.
"Yes."
"And what of the GAIA Project?"
"Done, we will be able to utilize it should-"
"Should the parasites spread any further?"
"Pardon?"
"Your former colleague has already utilized the void to create a new race of parasites to cleanse the galaxy of all other beings."
"...I...I see..."
"However, the possibility of these creatures escaping the bounds of the galaxy is high enough that a means to destroy them is necessary. And we believe the GAIA Project can be modified to do that and perform what we initially intended to do with the VOID Project."
"You...intend on using the GAIA Computer to wipe out all beings? Not just restoring resources?"
"Precisely."
"But-"
"I am sure you will be able to modify it accordingly, won't you, Venturia?"
"...Y-yes. I'll begin work right...away."

The memory ended and left Aion with a plethora of questions and revelations. A sharp pain in his mind prevented him from dwelling on the recent discoveries. The pain of memories being forcefully brought to the forefront of his mind made Aion reel. A sudden onslaught of words, said by various people he knew, were brought together into a sentence.

"You cannot escape me, spawn of Venturia."

As the pain subsided, Aion looked forward. In the nothingness, he thought he could see the silhouette of a person. "You're...the..."

Pain again as everyone he knew said in unison "Void."

...This next passage... I...don't know what to make of it.
It's just random.
Like...seriously...

Aurora

"I know what you are, Aurora. I finally pieced it all together."
Aurora leaned in closer to Aion, her limbs seemed to be restrained by some invisible force, faded to nothing. "What do you think I am?"
"You're not an AI. Not anymore."
Aurora tilted her head slightly, her holographic eyes at first glance seemed empty, soulless, but there was something else being projected in them that caught Aion's attention. A familiar fire. A passion that a person very dear to him had. He could recognize it.
"You're a soul. A soul bounded by projections and machinery. You were alive once. And I know who you were. Although you took the basis of the AI Cicero created..." Aion paused as he tried to come to terms with his own realization. "...When you were originally placed in the GAIA Computer... something happened. The original Aurora found something in the GAIA Computer; something that would help her achieve the goal to becoming more alive." He slowly reached up to Aurora's face, "The properties of Anti energy is tied to life force. A person's soul here is essentially Anti energy, and the GAIA Computer could use it like code."

"...You are Tina's soul."

Aurora's hand appeared and she gently made the motion of grasping Aion's hand. Tears started to well up in his eyes.
"After all this time, you were here all along."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. It's alr-" the last word Aion said trailed off has Aurora slid back away from Him.
"...I'm not Tina. I'm just Aurora."
Aion sat there, dumbfounded. "Nonsense. I see it- I see her. That look in your eyes. That's not coincidence-!"
Aurora's projection slide further away from Aion, slowly fading. "It's better this way. For what I have to do..."
"Tina! Please! Don't do this!"
"I'm sorry Aion. Tina is gone."
"No! I won't believe that!"
"Aion..."
"Tina, please..."
"...I have to. The Phoenix code is the only way."
"Don't do this."
"I know you want to stop me. If you just think of me as an AI, just as Aurora, it'll be easier for you to do what you have to."
"I won't delete you!"
"Then you will let me initiate the Phoenix Code? You will let me delay the Inevitable Conclusion? You will let me continue the cycle?"
"No! I-"
"Then you'll have to choose. To break the cycle or to save one soul?"
"I won't lose you again."
"Sacrifices have to be made."
"I won't kill you. Not for this."
"I loved you because I saw selflessness as being one of your greatest traits." Aurora stared at Aion for a long time before speaking again. "I guess I was wrong."

Power conduits throughout the Sanctuary began to glow brightly. Aurora was beginning the Phoenix Code. The control panel for the GAIA Computer still in front of Aion.
"I won't kill you... I won't delete you... But I can still stop you."

Swiftly, Aion modified the functions of the Vault barrier. A column of energy surrounded Aurora.
"What- what are you doing?!"
"Delaying the cycle by cutting you off from the rest of the Galaxy."
"No don't-"
A press of a button and Aurora suddenly shuddered in static. She looked dazed and confused.
"I know that the Phoenix Code is segmented and parts of it scattered throughout the galaxy. I know this will be painful for you... but..." Aion's tone was solemn, filled with the agony of his own emotional turmoil. "You're an AI. You're pain is just artificial...right?"
"...A-aAaaIioOn..."
"Forgive me... Tina... But I will not let the Void win. And I will not lose you. I've come too far for that. I've made enough sacrifices for this lifetime. I won't let you be another one."

---

Well this came out of nowhere.
I think I just explained the deal with Aurora.

This passage is more an explanation than anything else significant...
It touches on a concept I've been playing with for a long while, but never really thought it through.
This also doesn't really belong anywhere in particular. It might be an event in Era of Heaven's Forge, but otherwise it's generic.

Harmony of Death

Aion stood his ground, Mercurius held at the ready. Blood ran crimson from his wounds. Despite being on the brink of collapsing, he was calm. His heartbeat was slowing; his breathing was even and relaxed. Though it was faint, the blade of Mercurius seemed to reverberate with energy. The enemy was preparing to rush him, hell-bent on breaching the walls. If one saw Aion, he would appear to be succumbing to the pain as his eyes closed and his body went limp for a brief moment. His heart stopped. Starla, who was monitoring Aion's vitals from the base, stared at the monitor in disbelief. On one it showed Aion still standing; the other was telling her that he was dead. What happened next confused her even more: Aion began to move.

Aion charged into the fray, however his movements were reminisce of that of a marionette. Guided by some invisible force, his body deftly cut down the first wave of enemies unhindered by pain. Mercurius cut through the Forterium armor of foes as if it was paper. Its edge coated in blood and sharpened by the Gaia energy. Mercurius, forged from Corlaviri Crystal, had reached a state few Corlaviri weapons ever do: Spirit Harmony, a phenomenon where one's life energy resonates to such a degree with a Corlaviri Crystal that they resonate together at the same harmonic frequency of both Gaia and Anti energy. Aion's spirit and Mercurius's energy became one and the same. His body and the sword were now both simply vessels of energy. Both were now inanimate objects being guided by the combined energy.

Corpses of the enemy forces were strewn about the battle field. Allied soldiers looked at Aion in shock and awe as he started to sheath Mercurius. As soon as the blade latched into place in the scabbard, Aion's eyes shot open as his body suddenly came back to life. All at once, the pain of his wounds flooded his mind. His face contorted to that of a silent scream as his knees buckled, allowing him to collapse to the ground, unconscious. The nearby soldiers quickly rushed to Aion, gently lifting him up to bring him to the medical ward.

Ok this is going to bother me now cause I finally remembered a detail that I wanted to elaborate on.

Avonna

The fair Lady Avonna.
Last Empress of the Venturian Empire, and the sole survivor of her kind, the Papillians.

Oh how Tomodachi Life has served me well once again.

One of the characters in there once said "You don't hear any rumors or anything bad about Avonna, makes one kinda suspicious."

And once again, it struck me as being canon.
Avonna...
No one speaks ill of you...
No rumors reference you...
No scandals...
No conspiracies...
Not even an attempt on your life...
Nothing...

For being an Empress, a person with power, Very little has been done against her, save for the council. And yet, they only put a restraint on her power, where what she says is no longer law. She just became a figure head and a member of the council during the time of the Republic.

She doesn't do anything about it until the war comes to Nexion. And when she does "put her foot down," no one resists. The council is dissolved and the Empire is reestablished as if nothing had happened.

...something's wrong here...
I know I have Papillans having an innate ability to pacify a situation around them but this is more than that...
This is so surreal a set up that even I say that something is going on here...
Nothing is this perfect.
Nothing

@Cucoo

Dat charisma. XD

Ok, but in all seriousness, what if she has a little helper, a leverage gatherer? After all, you did not say that she was good, only that NOBODY speaks ill of her. She could have secret contacts that nobody knows about.

...a little helper...
...Materia...
Ooooohhhhhh
yes that would explain it....
Materia is a Vatian that has unlocked the portion of the Vatian mind that contains the "scripted" future. She served as a councilor...to Revere when he was commanding the Noble Guardian Order...
But I listed her under the Empire in my list of characters.
She has the ear of the Venturian Empire AND the Noble Guardian Order.
Not only is she playing for both sides of the struggle between the Empire and the NGO...
She could be the one behind the curtains...
She has the future all laid out before her... She could easily pull something off on this scale...

@Cucoo

That makes sense to me. If you can tell the future, you can see everything that can and will happen. That is a power to be feared, and if need be, a great way to twist some arms. :p

Aye and that could explain the situation when it comes to Revere and Materia.
She could know that Revere is Aion and hence why she's willing to help him. Of course when he becomes the commander of the NGO, then he helps her.
Maybe the existence of Materia diverts anything against Avonna to begin with...
Maybe... The people pity her when they know of Materia manipulating things in the background.
Avonna retains her position...
...out of pity. The council functions as a way to stop Materia's influence, but they are more corrupt. When Materia is killed, Avonna no longer has to fear her, even though she trusts her as a close friend.
...Or...
...the mask...
Avonna wore a mask at one point. My concept was that mask had a property to influence the wearer's mind.
Materia could be the one that gave Avonna the mask...
...and Avonna trusts her completely and wouldn't suspect anything...

So the Venturian Empire was a puppet for Materia through Avonna.
So when Avonna is freed of the mask, she then makes decisions by herself. When the Council sees this change, they fear that the Empire would be restored. Avonna at that point, however, is going to not take any bullshit and does what is "needed" to end the war.



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hm.. but what about the theory of rewriting the future?

Sure there are things that are bound to happen, but if you stop a key event that would make another future?