Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - System0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4wKRHmiR8

---

Upon hearing Phenom's and Amanda's cries, Terra turned in her direction and looked to where she was going. Her eyes fell upon Phenom in the distance, who was lying on the ground, shrieking as loud as he could and bleeding out. A wave of nausea hit Terra at the sight of his red blood all around him, but she did her best to shake it off before running over to where he was. "You wanted my help?" Terra inquired when she caught up with Amanda.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

As Amanda made her way to Phenom, she removed a metallic canister that had a nozzle sticking out of the top from the satchel on her waist. She handed it over to Terra as they approached Phenom, one hand over the knife's exit wound, the other on his head.

"I know it's going to be hard, but I need you to stick this into his wound and press the button on top while I hold him down!" She ordered, "Don't worry about Gaspard, he can handle himself!"

As the pair approached Phenom, Amanda blinked over to Phenom and immediately pinned his limbs to the ground, leaving space for Terra to maneuver the canister. Scanning his body, she identified the wound, "There's a hole here, just below his right ribs! Stick the nozzle in and press down the button! It will release a foam to harden and stop the bleeding!"

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - System0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4wKRHmiR8

---

A quick, somewhat confused glance at the canister in her hand was all Terra needed before she complied with Amanda's request. "Alright! I'll do my best!" Terra clenched her teeth, still nauseated by the blood, and pushed the canister to Phenom's wound as hard as her scrawny, weak arms could.

[S121]

Palace

John and Cortana noticed the Doctor walking towards them, but remained completely silent and they watched him walk up to John. John simply looked down at the man and stared at him for a couple seconds before speaking.

"Can I help you?"





CY-001 - Nevaaras

Ethan raised an eyebrow at Joe's question before giving a small sly smile and answering.

"Merc. Life's more exciting that way.", Ethan answered.





The Expense: Hallman's Office

Emil frowned at Astrea and looked at her in disappointment for a good few seconds before continuing. Just from those few seconds of silence, coupled with the look in his eyes, it was clear that the next thing he was going to say was not going to be pleasant.

"Astrea, I highly recommend you find Project Black Rock, or else this will be your last mission.", Emil said to Astrea before continuing.

"You have many, many assets and tools to allow you to fight and win against virtually any target placed in front of you, yet you are not even competent enough to catch a girl. There is no excuse for you to fail time and time again. It is beyond me why they would think of creating a powerful machine crippled by her software, but if you fail this time, they will strap you down, cut out your consciousness, and replace it with a new one. They will strip your mind from your body and replace you with a more competent AI. After that, they will delete you. Is that what you want? Do you want to be replaced? Do you want to die?", Emil coldly, calmly asked Astrea.

[SUSTIC]

Palace

While examining the Spartan's armor, the Doctor looked up instinctively as John had asked the Doctor if he needed anything. This prompted the Doctor to shrug his shoulders and shake his head at the same time, as if he was trying to say 'Oh no I don't need anything.' However what the Doctor said kinda contradicted his recent gesture.

"Oh it's nothing that important. I'm just rather curious about you. You are so tall, yet so quiet. Sort of like a... Silent Giant! Yes that's what I'll call you, The Silent Giant- WAIT! Silent Giant- Actually nevermind that. Probably rather rude of me to call you a random name after just meeting you. By the way are you a soldier of some sort? Or some kind of astronaut? I'm not entirely sure to be honest. Also what is your armor made out of- You know what I'll just scan you with my good ol' magic wand..." The Doctor spoke as he quickly circled around John, closely examining John's suit before giving him a quick wink as he took his Sonic Screwdriver once more, gave it a quick flick of the wrist, and then began scanning John.

For a solid minute the Doctor was scanning all around John's suit, as the high-pitched whine of the small device echoed throughout the room. Then, with a smile the Doctor stopped scanning John's suit and now began looking at the Sonic Screwdriver.
"Now let's see what we have here... Your armor has a Fusion Plasma Hybrid reactor with some Molecular Titanium Alloy in some of the armor itself... For some reason the Sonic is taking a lot longer to scan your armor..."




___________________________
The Expense: Hallman's Office

Astraea stopped crying, yet still had tears in her face. She listened to Emil's explanation of what will happen to her if she doesn't successfully capture her target. With one last sniffle she raised her hand and gave a quick salute while shaking her head as if she was saying 'no' to Emil's question of whether she wants to die or not.

"I-I'll try harder s-sir..."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

As Terra inserted the canister's nozzle into the open wound and the foam within began filling the gap, Phenom began to thrash, attempting to throw Amanda off of him so that he could put a stop to whatever was invading his body. The application of the foam caused him great pain, but his conscious mind was completely unaware of it. Despite that, his body saw necessary to scream louder than it had been, and his cries grew in volume until the foam had hardened. As the bleeding began to slow, Amanda, with her left hand, helped Terra pull the canister out of Phenom's torso. She then slowly got off of Phenom.

"Well.. he won't die of bleeding out from that wound, at least... but our Null is still an issue." She said, over Phenom's cries which had now deteriorated into simple screams of terror as his mind was tormented by the forced memories of the past. Whereas when he originally watched his fireteam die, he was disoriented, he was now experiencing it as a fully conscious individual. This played havoc with his mind.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - System0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs4wKRHmiR8

---

Terra took a moment to catch her breath, telling herself over and over that the bleeding had stopped and it was ok now, but the voice in her head sounded shaky and unsure. As she panted, Phenom's horrid shrieks filled her ears. She couldn't imagine what was happening to him, but... she shuddered. His screams showed clearly what horrors he was experiencing. That was all she needed to know.

[Cucoo5]

Palace

"Oi! You lot, let's move. The longer we stay here, the more likely we'll get ambushed by Nihiliods." Jac motioned towards a hidden access door that the others had recently opened up. "We have a mission to complete. The sooner we finish it, the better."

---

Prosperity

"Frict." The sudden impact sent the fighter tumbling into the ground where it skidded for some distance. He jumps like a fricten Burcrat. Ian, despite being shaken up by the rough landing, kicked the emergency release which opened the armor plating over the cockpit and allowed him to force open the canopy. The Horizon Interceptor was wedged into the ground on an odd angle, causing its pilot to simply tumble out of his seat. Once he was upright, Ian glanced around the fighter to check the status of his craft through the HUD of his flight suit's helmet. No damage to the hull. Starboard engine is junked up. Going to need to run diagnostics for that. Shield Generator is still functioning, so lets create a barrier around this area. Divert 100% of manageable power to Projected Shields, now. A shimmering dome appeared briefly around the fallen fighter. Satisfied that the shield was functioning, he then opened a side compartment that housed his sniper rifle. "It's been awhile since I had to use you." He checked the Corlaviri Core and quickly made sure to charge it fully and synchronize it to his HUD. "Ok, show time." Climbing up on the wing root and leaning against one of the extended armor plating, Ian sighted down range towards where the Null was. Aura bolts might not kill you, but I bet they'll still hurt like a mother fricter.

---

Nevaraas

"Ain't that the truth." Joe chuckled. He eventually stopped to think awhile longer before he pulled out a small sphere-like device. "Hey, if you ever get bored, there's a group of mercs called the Hunters' Guild that could use every capable and willing body out there." The metallic sphere glittered in the sun as he lobbed it over to Ethan. "If you're interested, press the center indentation." Joe then turned to go into the building right after saying one more thing: "Take care of yourself, oh and tell your friends."

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Blazblue OST - The Tyrant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkNMslfJa4

---

Phorma grinned evilly as he saw Ian's ship hit the ground. He was, however, dismayed to see the Hunter survive the crash. That did not matter much to him, as he was about to slaughter everyone left on the planet anyway. The only person who could stop him was incapacitated and was about to die anyway. He opted to ignore the Hunter and turned his attention back toward Phenom, who was now being treated by his compatriot and Terra.

"Ooooh, you don't want to do that.." Phorma hissed. As Amanda was just finishing telling Terra that Phenom at least wouldn't bleed out, Phorma appeared before her and delivered a powerful straight kick to her gut. The impact was so immense that it sent her flying across the battlefield, skidding along the ground on her back as she landed. Her body flailed in the air as it flew. Amanda was immediately knocked unconscious from the force of the kick. Phorma then turned his attention to Terra and began approaching her.

"And here we are again, little one... This time I'll make sure to kill you myself." he said, cracking his knuckles and neck as he slowly stepped towards Terra.

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey

Terra's sharp gaze entered the Null's eyes, unfaltering in the face of his approach. Because he had taken Phenom's form, he was much taller now, so she had to look quite a bit upward. As he came closer, Terra asked him, "What are you doing to him?" She didn't specify who "him" was. She didn't quite feel it was necessary. If the Null was doing something to Phenom, surely he'd understand who she meant. He'd know it was the one he had reduced to a screaming, blood-soaked mess.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Blazblue OST - The Tyrant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkNMslfJa4

---

"Who, the Boy Scout over there? Well, Terra.." He snarled, "As it happens, Soldier boy's got a rather pained past, himself. Something you people call Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, too, tied directly to the memory that I'm forcing him to watch... over and over, and over again."

Phorma arched his back and began cackling wildly over the torment he was putting Phenom's mind through. "HE'S WATCHING PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM BEING SLAUGHTERED ONE BY ONE WHILE HE SITS, HELPLESS AND POWERLESS TO STOP THEM FROM DYING! TIME AFTER TIME AFTER TIME!" He howled, laughing maniacally as he spoke. He then leaned back towards Terra, his eyes widened in madness, staring deep into Terra's, as if peering into her soul.

"And now... I'm going to take your life." he said, before being promptly pegged in the back by one of Ian's Aura bolts. "Agh!" he yipped, turning to look at the source of the shot. He scowled as he saw Ian, safely tucked away behind his shield. "Why you little..."

[Aria of Forbidden Magic]

Prosperity | Sungrey

---

Terra took the Null's distraction as an opportunity to create some more distance between them. She hopped backwards, and after a moment, a pink glow began emanating from her. The light surrounded her, briefly shrouding her from view. Once the light faded away, Terra had magically switched into wearing her battle clothes. She wore a corset and a long skirt that was open in the front, colored in purple, pink, and gold, and under her skirt she wore purple shorts, there for the purpose of assisting her movement. She wore her same leather boots she had been wearing before over long black socks, and she wore golden armor on her chest, hips, shoulders, and forearms, and two black half-sleeves that covered the backs of her hands. Her wavy hair, which had been in a ponytail before, now hung loose, with two braids that started at each side of her head and met in the back. Terra looked much fiercer than she had before, now adorned with garb befitting a warrior.

BGM: Umineko When They Cry - Worldend dominator
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mVr0IUQ6BwE

---

Terra brandished her rapier at the Null, her sweaty hand tightening around its grip. This time, she was ready to try as hard as she could to defeat him. A sharp look was in the young girl's eyes, showing her determination in their pale blue irises. I won't let him do any more damage, she mused. Terra took her sword and, rather than running up to him, slashed upwardly from where she stood. As she did, a wave of light appeared on the ground and began moving toward the Null quickly. Then, two more came from the left and the right of that one, as Terra had swiftly repeated the same motion.

This seems like a nice enough trick, Terra thought. The two waves on the sides, which moved faster than the central wave, were actually not travelling straight as they appeared. Once they got behind the Null, they would turn inward and meet behind him. It was designed so that if the Null tried to dodge the central wave, he'd run into one of the other two that were suddenly behind and to both sides of him. He could only dodge upwards, if he realized this quickly enough. It was a good move to counter Phenom's speed, which the Null had stolen.

[Kilelicus]

Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Blazblue OST - The Tyrant
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnkNMslfJa4

---

As Phorma turned back to face Terra, he was immediately struck by Terra's attack, knocking him back a ways as he skid across the ground. He growled as he lowered himself and pressed off the ground, propelling his body towards Terra at high speed. Aiming his arm at Terra's gut, he planned on catching her in a clothesline and then launching her a good distance. He would have to hold back, though. He wanted to savor this kill especially. If he wanted that, he couldn't kill her too quickly.

[S121]

Palace

John couldn't help but feel rather confused about the behavior of The Doctor, how he pulled out some kind of scanning device and tried to scan his armor. As he began to list off what he had learned about John's armor, John tiled his head but remained silent during the entire ordeal, wondering what would happen if he let this man continue. Meanwhile, Cortana activated the onboard speakers on John's armor and began to speak to the doctor.

"So where exactly are you fro-", Cortana said before being cut off by Jac, warning them of something coming after them.

"Nihilids? What are those?", John asked Jac as he began to walk towards him.





CY-001 - Nevaaras

Although Ethan had his hands full at the moment with the girl in them, Ethan was able to quickly shift her in his arms and catch the orb. After catching it, Ethan gave a small grin upon hearing that he may have another job and spoke out to his new acquaintance.

"Thanks. I'll look into it after this.", Ethan said to Joe as he motioned to the girl in his arms with a til of his head.

After saying his goodbyes to the man, Ethan then began his walk to the hospital to get the pale, sun-beaten girl some medical attention.





The Expense: Hallman's Office

"Pray you succeed, because if you don't, I will not save you from your fate.", Emil coldly said to Astrea before ending the communication.

After speaking to Astrea, Emil lightly and calmly sighed before lightly clearing his throat and leaning against Hallman's desk, now patiently waiting for his boss to return.

[Cucoo5]

Palace

Jac was about to respond but Achlys cut him short. "Nihiliods are parasites that are responsible for the near complete genocide of all living beings in the galaxy. And if any of these creatures are still here, they will be seeking us out due to the recent activity."

"If we keep moving, we increase our odds of evading them as well as our chances of survival." Jac added in before Achlys could continue.

"Yes, and if we get MIMI and Nemesis up and running again, we stand a better chance since those two androids were designed to deal with Nihiliods."