Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

"I see... a sacrifice of being for power. I wish I could have known that Nyctores was infected. I would have done everything in my power to put her out of her misery before..."

As Phenom spoke, one could hear Heaven's dropships landing on the surface, and they cut off his voice before he could finish speaking. The blasting of the engines was soon replaced the doors opening and Amanda and Gaspard exiting their own ship. The sole reason they hadn't drawn weapons on the mysterious visitors was because they knew Phenom was inside and if there was a reason to fight, there would have already been a hail of bullets. While Gaspard remained outside with the ships, Amanda approached the inn, ignoring any gazes drawn from the Hunters by the dropships. Just before she reached the inn, she blinked, vanishing in a puff of a black, smokey substance. She reappeared a few feet in front of Phenom in the same black smoke, approaching him. Anyone paying attention to her could clearly see that she was completely cloaked, and not a single detail of her being was distinguishable.

"Apologies for interrupting, Phenom, but the transports are here. Keegan is constructing Metkiy's rifle as we speak, and Gaspard and I are ready for anything." she spoke, rather stoically "As you were." she finished, vanishing once more.

"Right... Ian, if you could bring your... erm... comrades inside, please?"

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

"Of course." Ian responded coming out of what to most would have seemed a one sided conversation with Elise. What the Hunteri knew was that Elise had a very peculiar way of conveying her thoughts simply by expression. While the group moved to one side of the room, the Umbra approached Phenom with a serious face.
"If you wish to know how to tell if an Umbra is infected... Well... should one of my kind ever take the form of the living, they are warning you. Luckily there are plenty deceased since the catastrophe I mentioned before." Her voice had an edge of sarcasm with the last part of her statement. She then handed him a small corlaviri crystal of shadowy purple. "Should you have need of our aid, maki'te." She left by shifting into her shadow and darting outside along with a dozen others. Ian then explained the significance of what she said.

"Maki'te is not a word the Dei'arcs use lightly. You've earned their trust." He smiled warmly before he then adopted a more neutral expression as he nodded towards the door, referencing the transports. "So, coming or going?"

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom glanced at the civilians in the inn, Gaspard entering the building and herding them out and into the dropships, then he looked back to Ian. "Evacuating. As I'm sure you gathered, the people of this colony were under attack before I arrived. As I dropped, they seemed to number around several thousand. Terra, here, informed me of a troubling individual leading them. A man not unlike your Umbras by the sounds of it. She told me he took her form and fought with her abilities. Any ideas?"

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity



Ian raised an eyebrow with a perplexed look on his face. "Umbras can indeed take the form of anyone they meet as well as any unique traits they have... But they cannot use those traits without prior knowledge and training." He looked to Elise who was the picture of concern. "If it didn't have time to do either then I fear that it might be a threat second to only a Nihiliod Adult Swarm: a Demonarc Null."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

"Demonarc Null? Hmm...." Phenom walked over to the main door of the inn and peeked outside to find Amanda and Gaspard, helping with the evactuation. "Amanda. Gaspard. Come. Intel."

The two Angels dropped what they were doing. Phenom speaking in single word sentences usually meant 'This could determine whether you live or die.' They reported to the inn's interior immediately. It didn't matter if Gaspard and Amanda were more experienced or the same rank. Guardian Angels didn't operate with each other by rank. They operated on who had the best instincts, and Phenom's consistently trumped other operatives. They stood beside Phenom as he stood before Ian once more.

"I believe at this point we're obligated to introduce ourselves." Phenom said, stone-faced, "Major Phenom Ortus. Guardian Angel Nine. Heaven's Own." Heaven's Own was the colloquial term for any actual Guardian Angel's association with GaHDD. It was easier and more to the point than explaining what exactly GaHDD was.

"Majeur Pierre Gaspard. Guardian Angel Four. Heaven's Own." The elderly Frenchman said.

"Captain Amanda Washington. Guardian Angel Six. Heaven's Own." Amanda added.

"As I said before, we came from Earth. The station hanging in low atmosphere above us is our base. I'd rather not elaborate details now. What's important is anything you can tell us about this... Demonarc Null."

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

Ian found a seat and gestured them to do the same. "To explain the Nulls, I have to explain the origins of the Dei'arc and the traits of the Nihiliods." He leaned back with his hands pressed together at the fingertips in front of him. "The Dei'arcs, or Demonarcs if you want to be insulting, were created from Arcains to be bioweapons. Umbras were designed to be assassins to take down governing bodies from within, which shouldn't be surprising considering their abilities. When the Nihiliods became a prominent threat again, the Umbras were redesigned to help combat them. Unfortunately, the Nihiliods' ability to evolve rapidly rendered them incapable of doing so.

"The greatest issue in combating Nihiliods is their increased rate of genetic mutation and cellular division. They go through the process of Natural Selection at rates that can render means of destroying them useless in mere days at worst. Kinetic weapons are useless against Adult Nihiliods. So are electrical, heat, and our Gaia based weapons. We still have Aura based, but that might not last much longer. We also have reason to believe Nihiliods have some form of telepathy, due to their tendency to seemingly avoid ambushes, traps, or even someone's next move. Now if you combine the traits of an Umbra with that of a Nihiliod, you get the traits of the Nulls. Nulls are created when an Umbra gives into the Nihiliod infection. They become fused to the Nihiliod hive mind, thus are capable of coordinating swarms of Nihiliods.

"At least it isn't a perfect union: their traits aren't perfect after fusion. Their ability to become perfect doppelgangers is dampened to becoming a shadow of their victim. They retain the Nihiliods' ability to heal rapidly but mutations are limited." When he finished he closed his eyes as if weighing the situation they were in. "We had to deal with a few Nulls over the years. So far we've killed... four of a known seventeen by sending the ship they tried to commandeer straight into the local star. The others are trapped in black matter prisons that Anankerisa set up."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

The three Angels elected to remain standing as Ian spoke.

"Looks like you may have missed one..." Phenom said, "And now he's here. The destruction in this village... this was no mere raid. They're on a warpath. Whatever his intentions are, they don't stop here. They threaten the lives of too many to let him continue... He'll come back for me. I guarantee. And I will kill him."

"We've failed one planet." Amanda said, "We will not fail this one. This march must be stopped here and now. It began with this young girl. Now it will end with the four of us. Would you stay and help fight back the forces that threaten this planet?"

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

Now things get complicated. Ian stared at a point past his hands as he thought hard on what he should do next. Choosing words suddenly became difficult. "During the Old Empire, this planet served as a military outpost, a boundary planet to deter invasion. Then the Old Republic discarded it as being disposable and of no material worth." He glanced up to the three soldiers. "You would be asking me to sacrifice men to defend a planet that has been considered for millennia as being worthless." The chair creaked as he leaned back. "No, I will not help you defend this one planet when we have to conserve resources to purge this galaxy." A but seemed to creep over his face. "However, it would be... problematic if the Null made it off world. Therefore we will help make sure it cannot escape as well as eliminating any resources it could use. I also will strongly recommend that the colonists not return to this planet. There will be a Hunteri gathering on Duon at a stronghold that had been established there long ago. It will be the safest place to settle until the Nihiliod threat has been eliminated."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

"Not surprised by your answer. Stars are vanishing across the universe. This galaxy is the epicenter. Our leaders decreed we investigate this galaxy to put an end to whatever is going on. I suppose your Nihiliods are to blame?" Phenom said, approaching a nearby window. Still blocked up by Phorma's earlier act, he thrust his hand into the blockage, clearing it quickly. The flames of the colony still burned. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be done about them. "If that's the case, then it is Heaven's obligation to kill all of them, and destroy whatever it is that creates them."

Phenom stared out at the colony. "Another problem. This planet has many more colonies, and Heaven has not the manpower to evacuate them fast enough. We lost most of our numbers when Earth was destroyed. We number a mere thousand now..."

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

"Void." The single word was all that Ian said for a moment. "Nihiliods are the symptom of the disease that plagues this galaxy. Problem is, we know the Void is the source, but we don't know how to get at it. If we could, we would be able to save more than just our galaxy." He walked up alongside Phenom with his hands held behind his back. "Right now, we have to play our cards carefully. A thousand years ago, the Hunteri started from only a few hundred. We now number in the millions. There is still not enough of us to purge the Galaxy of Nihiliods and if I know Aion, the leader of all Hunteri, he called all groups together because he thinks we can take on the Void itself." Ian looked at Phenom sideways. "We have made sacrifices over these thousands of years. We had to let planets fall to the Nihiliods. If you are truly from Earth, do not blame yourselves for her destruction. My ancestors accepted that she was doomed. Do not take this planet as a chance of some sort of retribution. There is much more at stake."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom took a moment to absorb all the information that Ian had just given him. But one thing was off to him. Meeting other human-like creatures in this vast and endless universe was one thing, but someone with Ancestors from Earth? That simply couldn't be.

"You said your Ancestors had accepted the fate of Earth. That's impossible. Earth had yet to master even intragalactic travel when Earth died. As for blaming ourselves for its destruction... we were the ones who developed the... weapon..." He said, weapon seeming to sting his mouth considering the true purpose of the Notebook, "That destroyed Earth. There were no survivors. We watched Earth explode."

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

"Who said they did?" Ian started. "Humans simply attempted to flee the dying planet and-" realization slowly dawned on him. "Wait, Earth in our timeline was destroyed by a Gama Ray Burst, not a weapon." Pieces fell into place in his mind as a wry grin crept across his face. "You fell through a Fissure of Time. You are from a different Earth than what Humans here came from."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

Phenom raised a single eyebrow in disbelief, looking over at Ian, Amanda and Gaspard looking on in equal disbelief. "A Fissure of Time? Different timelines... How can this be possible? Unless... Multiverse theory..."

Phenom turned against the wall and crossed his arms in thought. It appeared to him that Earth's death is a sort of fixed point in time, if Earth was destroyed in this timeline as well. He pressed his fingers to his ear. "Lachesis, are you getting all of this?" His question, however, was met only with wild celebration on Lachesis's end of the signal. Never before had she been so excited about a metaphysical theory being proven true. Multiverses existed, and that was exciting enough for him.

"I suppose she got that, then... So that means you're a human. Tell me... Earth Year 2150 anno domini. Was there a calamity caused by a mad scientist? What about a war? Reports of a station like ours floating in the low atmosphere? If there was somehow another GaHDD existing in this timeline..." He finished the statement, speaking to himself. He thought that Ian would surely understand GaHDD as "God," but that didn't matter to him. What mattered was how he answered the other questions.

[Cucoo5]

Prosperity

"EY 2150?" Ian chuckled to himself. "Sorry to say but I didn't study that time in history. I can say that World War... 7... I believe... Was started by some mad man who utilized an orbital station to bombard the surface. First Earth space war; why I remember it." He then shrugged. "Honestly those questions would be more suited for the Archives. Oh, and by the way, I'm a Human-Vatian hybrid. One of us is a pure human." He looked to the other seven. "I'll give you a hint: It's not Sev and Ves." The two Irians huffed in indignation.

"Aw, c'mon, that kinda sucks the fun out of guessing. We could be pure Human for all they knew!"

Ian grinned playfully. "you're a bit too furry, Maki'ti. And the bushy tails don't help either."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=F...-_Complete_OST

---

"I see... and I assume there are no records of any organizations quite like ours then..." He sighed in disappointment. Two Phenoms would be a force to be reckoned with. Night unstoppable. He shook his head, "Back to our Null friend... I told you I plan on killing him. Any suggestions on how I might go about doing that?"