Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission

Prosperity | Sungrey

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Many, many hours later, the young lady named Terra awoke. Even then, after waking up, she remained in her bed for quite a long time, simply resting. She didn't quite notice it yet, but the ache in her head had all but vanished in her sleep. It wasn't quite as easy to notice absence of pain as it was to recognize it's presence.

At some point, Terra gazed up at the clock on the room's wall. It was nearly 11:00. Just a few more minutes and it would reach the hour. 11 AM seemed like a good enough time for her to wake up. Then, the sleepy girl looked out the uncovered window. No light shone through. None at all. The sky was black.

Fear gripped Terra's heart. What's going on here!? How can it be so dark right now? She thought, then realized. It wasn't 11:00 in the morning, it was nighttime. Terra had slept through the entire day. This fact unsettled her. She had hoped that she could see the daylight when she woke up, and the sunset later on. That would have calmed the poor girl down easily.

Terra stood up from the bed. She couldn't sleep any longer. She had already slept for nearly a full 24 hours. That was enough for now.

Opening up the door quietly in case anyone else was resting, Terra left her bedroom and headed down to the lobby. Hopefully, someone would be there. She didn't care who. She wanted to talk to somebody. But... who? She entered the lobby, fully prepared to begin talking to whoever waited there.

Prosperity | Sungrey

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An entire day of planning and coordinating had passed, ever so slowly. Phenom, who was sitting in a corner near the entrance, thought that it would end up being all for naught, given what they were dealing with. This was ultimately beyond anything anyone on Heaven had ever dealt with. Hyper-adaptive parasitic races? Bodysnatchers of a sort? These things were beyond the scope of any Angels training. He looked over at Gaspard, asleep on the bar, and Amanda, sleeping on a nearby couch. Small lanterns found in the inn, as well as a number of provisions and other resources, were scattered throughout the foyer. It was dim in there. Light enough for someone to make their way about, but dark corners remained, and if one wasn't watching where they were stepping they could easily trip over something. The door and window Phenom opened earlier had also been barricaded with all manner of furniture and whatnot.

He heard a creak and looked to the staircase.

"Oh, Terra. Good evening. Sleep well?"

Prosperity | Sungrey

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Unsure. That was how Terra felt. She was unsure of how she felt. She could only feel that she didn't know what she was feeling. She couldn't tell if she was happy to see Phenom again or just scared of him. Perhaps an intense fusion of both at once was correct.

The young girl nodded her head and quietly said "Yes, I'm fine." She looked over at his two sleeping... colleagues, she supposed she would call them. Or perhaps comrades was the more precise word. Then she looked back at Phenom. "Would it be ok if I sat over there with you? I don't feel like sleeping anymore." A pleading look rose to her face. A look that said "Please let me be with someone else for a little while. I don't want to be alone."

Prosperity | Sungrey

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Phenom shrugged slightly and moved a lantern that was sitting beside him to his other side. He then patted the floor beside him. "Absolutely. You seem troubled. The impending fight aside, is there something on your mind?" First and foremost, Phenom wanted Terra to be in a suitable state of mind for the struggle ahead. Secondly, though, her lonely appearance struck a chord in his heart. It reminded him of his younger days with Lachesis when she would often beg to be coddled.

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"Hiiiii guuuuuys-" Erin began the feed, looking piss-drunk with her face all red and her voice slurred. "Sooooo, I may have had a tiiiiiiny bit too many shots, but I still [hic] feel okaaaaay so don't worryyyyyy, okaaaaay? Tee hee hee- I wonder if the camera will appreciate me having [hic] fun with myself~?"

The feed was cut from there with a message: This video feed is cut due to obscene materials. The way that it was so forcefully sliced made it seem like someone fiddled with it after recording...

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"I regret everything I did yesterday." Erin muttered as soon as the camera came on. She looked like she was having migraine, with her face gathered into a frown. "I have a nasty hangover, I ridiculed myself in front of the camera, and I couldn't even get TITAN Mk.6 started! Looks like I have to work extra hard."

"One thing that I just worked on is voice recognition system for this camera. So now I don't have to reach for the camera or have it come to me every time I want to cut the feed, I can just say a magic word and it'll cut off by itself. Pretty neat."

"Now for today's agenda, I'm going to fix some mistakes I made on TITAN Mk.5 and re-dub it TITAN Mk.6. Another thing I'm going to work on is a supply retrieval drone that's going to go out and get me some food and water and things of that nature. I've been hearing gun fires and mortar shells; and I am NOT going out there, not in my state. I guess I can make it little flat cart that can hold a lot at once. I'll figure it out eventually, I still have a decent amount of food left. Erin Park, out."

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"Project Crossroads, Log number zero-five-nine." Erin whispered into the camera as gunshots could be heard quite close to her workshop. "A group of ragtag rebels broke into my workshop a few days ago and started using the ground floor as their hideout. I'm in the underground and I locked the only access point to the underground, so I'm safe for now, but any loud noise I make will be heard by them. So I can't work on my TITAN Mk.6, or my supply drone-"

The feed was interrupted for a second by a huge explosion noise.

"FUCKING- I hope they leave soon. I'm running out of food. Erin Park, out."

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---

I apologize for the excessive use of swearing. It's necessary to keep her character.

"Look." Erin was in tears. She accrued another huge scar above her glasgow smile one, that reached dangerously close to her other eye. Not only that, her bare body was covered with bruises and minor cuts. "I don't f**king care anymore. This prosthetic limb shit is not going to work out. I've tried everything I could to make this work, but it always comes up with a new plan. It's as if this limb is sentient and is hellbent on f**king with me. I'm f**king done with it. DONE!"

Erin threw the mug with the logo of Twin Serpents that she was holding towards her TITAN prosthetic limbs, which shattered with a dull crash. She looked absolutely irate: a complete package of a furious girl with heavy breathing, red face, and hands curled into fists. After her fit of rage went away and she calmed down a little, Erin looked at the camera and said:

"If you're watching this... and this is the last feed on the list... just know that I am not among the world of the living anymore. Erin Park. Out."

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"Project Crossroads, Log number, zero-seven-seven." Erin started the feed, looking relatively happier than the feed before, although she looked more exhausted and quite a bit malnourished. The wound under her right eye healed up, but her dark circles returned. Her rib cage was visible, and her breasts appeared smaller than before, although still unrealistically large compared to her body. "So... it's been half an year since I made this thing, huh?"

"I... I had to think about the choices in my life a lot. And to be exact, I had numerous incidents where I felt like I just saw no purpose in life... I was sometimes just a small jerk away from pulling the trigger of my handgun and killing myself. But every time, something pulled me back. I don't know exactly what it is: it just did. Eventually, I thought about this project in a different angle, and ultimately I decided on scrapping the walker design and starting anew."

"I'm first going to try out the quadripedal leg design, which means I have to gather more scraps. Fortunately, my cute little supply drone can gather some metal debris from the outside which is COOL. Testing it is going to be difficult, though, since I have very little room in this side of the workshop. I think I'll move the testing to the larger part of the workshop."

"Anyway..." Erin suddenly looked a bit serious as she stared into the camera directly instead of looking around it. "I am going to tag this so that whenever I feel sad and lonely, it pops up for view. If you are the future Erin and you feel like you've lost purpose in life, just take this into mind: there are people out there that need your talent. Erin Park, talking to my future self, out."

((I CAN DO POST FOR EXPENSE SINCE TEWI IS TEH BACK NOW))
The Expense | Hallman's Office

As Emil was beginning to push and pull on the door to the Tardis, Hallman who was still savoring his delicious dinner, sort of laughed a bit despite still being quite annoyed at this strange blue box's durability. After all seeing one of his best men struggling with a door on a large, apparently wooden box was quite comical.

"Come on Emil, I know you can do it! You just got to use your back." Hallmanmockingly cheered as he placed his plate down on his desk while silently chuckling to himself. However he was beginning to get quite fed up with this Police Call Box.


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Colony | Nevaaras

"Okay okay, whatever you guys need we will get. We just need to go to the main building for what you need. There we can get you all cleaned up, have that girl you're carrying taken care of, and get some clothes for me and our newest acquaintance. Now just follow me. " Miranda replied as she began walking. She didn't bother saying anything else... for she was beginning to get quite tired and just wants to focus on getting to the Central Tower of the colony.

Prosperity | Sungrey

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Terra moved to a seat across from Phenom and sat down. "Well... I am thinking about how nice it would be to go home," she said in response. Terra wished she knew that she would be able to get back there. All of her grimoires, every ounce of magical study she had, we're all back at her home. It would have been great if she could access those now.

"Still, though," Terra continued. "Even if I could go home right now, I've gotten involved with this fight. I wouldn't just leave now." Once again, Terra tried to look Phenom in the eyes, but she couldn't do it again. She looked somewhere off to the right just before she reached his eyes, then put her hand on her arm in a shy-looking gesture.

Prosperity | Sungrey

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"I can't say I blame you. You're not so accustomed to the battlefield as we Angels. Once this is over, we'll help you find a way to get home, alright?" Phenom said. His mind drifted to Earth. What a world it had become... Its once splendorous beauty had been overcome by the greed of powerful men and women. Forests had become nearly extinct and the oceans were polluted with toxic chemicals and oils. Grey clouds hung over most of the planet on a daily basis by the time he was born. He wondered if Terra's planet was any different.

"Terra... tell me about your home?"

Prosperity | Sungrey

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"My home...?" Since Phenom was from another planet entirely, it wasn't strange that he wanted to know what hers was like. Terra tried her best to describe it. "Well... It's nice. Nice amount of plants and flowers and grassy hills. Very idyllic. There are cities, too, but I live in a nice, sweet town with plenty of greenery and some little rivers running through, kinda like tiny canals. Well, I don't quite live in the town, but I'm adjacent to it. Still, its a nice place." Terra smiled a bit as she spoke, fondly remembering the landscape she enjoyed back home.

Colony | Nevaaras

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Mokou gave Ethan and SiMo a thumbs-up as Miranda turned to head to the tall tower at the center of the colony.

Tailing after Miranda, Mokou took the time to notice more details about the colony of Nevaaras and its denizens. While the overall architectural style looked like that of the "aughts" but the various technological marvel proved that this colony was nothing like a small town in the 2000s. Dotted around the city were holographic displays of advertisements, notices, and posters. While some colonists walked, others preferred to travel using hovercars and completely silent vehicles. Even the pedestrians traveled with different methods, from anti-gravity pads that allowed them to quickly blast to a higher road, to special boots that allowed people to levitate over buildings.

"Cooooool." Mokou could not stop saying that word as her gaze rapidly changed target from one thing to another. There were so many awesome machines here; the Kappas were no match to this colony. "I, wow, I love this place."

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"Project Crossroads, Log number, zero-eight-four." Erin happily remarked. She still looked very malnourished and tired: her dark circles were darker than before, and you could see her cheekbone protruding from her cheeks. "I finished my ARACHNE Mk.1 just now. I couldn't sleep for the past [yawn] three days, so I think I'm going to put off the testing until tomorrow."

"I'm kind of worried about my supply drone. I sent it out a month ago and it still hasn't returned. I could still see the wireless connection between my computer and the drone, so it's not offline or anything. It may be stuck. I'll- [yawn] figure it out later. For now, I'm going to sleep. Good night~"

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"Project Crossroads, Log number zero-eight-eight." Erin appeared into the camera looking healthier and happier. She looked like she had enough food and rest. "It's been two months since the last log, isn't it? During the absence I made a simple remote control drone to find and retrieve the supply drone. Turns out, it was trapped by a bunch of concrete debris and couldn't come back. It's here now, though, so I took the time to take a big rest and come back to health."

"Anyway, I'm scrapping ARACHNE. The design I came up with was better for a person who was missing the entire lower torso. Instead, I'm going to see if I can make my prosthetic limbs caterpillar tracks. Fun. Erin Park, out."

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The next couple of video feeds were just various update notes and testing videos where the legs go horribly wrong. Eventually, Erin returned to her tired, malnourished self by log number 100.

"Project Crossroads, Log number, one-one-two." Erin muttered, battered and fed up. "It's been... two, three years since I started this project... and I am starting to wonder if it's even possible. Walker, quadruped, wheels, even levitating, I tried it all. I mean, I've been working like a dog-

Erin stopped her rant, her head turning as it printed out a final, possible design for her legs. "Dog. They're digitigrade: they have two joints on their back legs forming an S. If I can emulate that..."

"I think I have a plan. If this doesn't work, I might as well live in a wheelchair. Time to send the supply drone for more scraps, I guess. Erin Park, out."

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Three Years later...

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Twin Serpents Workshop was closed for the past 3 years. Its' metal shutter doors vandalized by the rebels and the windows broken into. However, after three years, the shutter doors that remained shut finally opened, revealing Erin in her new prosthetic digitigrade legs and a prosthetic arm.

Erin's bluish black hair was very messy: her locks were longer than the rest of her hair. She had two scars beneath her right eye; one of which extended from behind her ear to her mouth, making her mouth forcibly curl into a smile. Her murky green eyes lost radiance as Erin cringed at the sight of sunlight. She had a very deep dark circle formed around her right eye, while the left side of her face was burned away without hope of recovery, covered by her long locks.

While her attire of military jacket, dress shirt and a navy miniskirt covered her body well, it could not hide that she looked very emaciated. However, the scene that unfolded in front of her was more barren than herself. What remained of prosperity in the city of Electra was gone, only war and trifle remained. There were distant gun fires far away from her workshop, but bullet holes embedded on the building walls, dead bodies on the road, and bits of ember still burning on the sides denoted that the entire city was in war.

"And here I thought it would die down by now..." Erin muttered as she looked around. No signs of rebels or militia anywhere nearby; they must either be hiding, bidding their time to strike at their enemies once again, or they're just all at a different location. Either way, Erin was glad that nobody was present; she wasn't very competent with her handgun. "I can't believe it... the effects that Gemini Reactor could do..."

Walking through the silent streets, Erin developed a new purpose: destroy the Gemini Reactor and stop this war immediately. However, while Erin was now free to move around, she had neither the resources nor power to back her goal up. If she was to stop this war, Erin would need to come into contact with a rebel group that had the same goal in mind...

That's when Erin thought of Drake and his mercenary group, Drake's Wyverns. His mercenary group was the largest and the most talented, and Drake was fond of Erin before she defected. Whether Drake's Wyverns still serve the Aristocrats or not is unknown to Erin, but if they do, hopefully she can persuade Drake to turn against the Aristocrats and help her end the war.