Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Interlude] Young Justice: Martian Mixer (Fin)

[Karren Gaunt]

Date: May 15th, 2027

Place: The dark side of Mars

Partisipants: Coraline, Butch Cole, Alex, Zephyr, Dan Hawkins, Shaman, Kamiko, Starseed

A rift opened on the rust-red Martian surface ten minutes before the appointed time, an impossible tunnel linking here to there without crossing the intervening space, at least as far as conventional physics had anything to say. It reflected all of the scant light hitting it, a perfect mirror to conceal the location of it's other terminus.

And just as suddenly that mirror had something extraordinary to reflect, it's surface disturbed as Coraline Boehm stepped out onto the surface of the near-airless world. She was clad in eufiber molded into a figure-hugging bodyglove and boots, drapped in a hooded cloak that obscured her present build and features and offered a resistence to the cold that was far more mental than physical, but she was feeling dramatic about today's meeting, prepared a short speech to keep this from turning into a 'Family Meeting', and wanted to dress the part, at least intially. She kept half an eye on the rift behind her, expecting two of her adoptive siblings to follow her through; Butch with bag of heavy tools requested by Starseed and Alex with the quantum means to make this meeting far more comfortable and convient than present.

The rest of her attention swept the Martian horizon in all directions and then above her, white pupils dilating against black schelera as she pushed her vision up and down along the E-M spectrim for more information about this place and who else might be already here. If there were any problems she'd wave her siblings back through Warren's warp and contact Zephyr as they had arranged. Hopefully not though. She had a good feeling about today's event.

E-M Vision to look for any suprises and as always, Quantum Attunement and That Creepy Feeling going for any tricksy people trying to sneak up on Cora

[Doctor Varroxxian]

On time, a dim azure glow formed into a gate that briefly rippled, then closed in a vortex collapse. Moments after, the door to the stealth shuttle opened ... a door into a still cloaked vessel with a ramp that extended to the martian soil below. Inside, three versions of Starseed walked out, each crisply uniformed with slightly different (though not obviously hierarchical) rank insignia and all with a very precise para-military order about them. Two carried fine chain-mesh bags of some brassy alloy containing what appeared to be a number of large, slightly luminous crystalline serpents - animate living crystal with some tinge of unreal energy. The other Star, the one in the lead, had a ruggedized hand-computer and a smaller satchel full of writing materials, notes, and likely other bits that weren't obvious.

"Hello Coraline, nice to see you again" Said the star with the computer. "Don't mind the extra observers I brought .. they are me, and this is a momentous occasion. I want to pay close attention, and I do that in parallel."

... Star noted the open portal, and waited "I'll fetch Kamiko, her mentor Daniel Hawkins, and Zephyr as soon as your portal is closed. No need to connect too many places."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

Shaman stepped through the portal formed for him and looked around. He smiled and nodded to the two girls. He looked over the horizon then bent down and took up a rock and some soil. He put his palm print in the lifeless soil.

"I need to do something about this," he murmurs.

Standing up, he looks to Coraline, "So, how many people are coming today? Anyone I need to worry about."

'Man ... looking good as ever.'

'Say something.'

"Cora, you look really nice today. Aahh ... you too Star."

'Oh, smooth.'

'Sigh. I know.'

'You think we'll forget about her?'

'God, I hope not.'

'That voice.'

'Were life can exist it can be coaxed into existence. Life always finds a way. Sometimes that way will be you.'

'Concentrate on the girl, okay?'

Shaman rocks back on his heels.

"So, you come here often?"

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Hi Shaman! Oh, before you say anything you might want one of these ... you know how they work. This kind has no tactical field though, only core functions." She says, and hands him a Counter Surveillance Field Snake.

She adds to Cora, "They provide anyone who needs it with a good measure of protection from certain spatial and temporal surveillance."

CSF Snakes for anyone that needs them

These are the same ones introduced in Yellow Mountains, without the Force Field function. Provides Blank 5 to the wearer.

If your PC wants a snake, write it in if you like. You can even write in 'Star briefly explains the snakes' bits...

[Karren Gaunt]

"I'm covered," Coraline demurred to Starseed, fighting down the impulse to raise an eyebrow at the younger girl's use of multiple quantum clones to attend the meeting. That meant the girl she met last time was almost surely a clone, too. Useful trick, but if she turned out like Mrs. Chang's wife down the line... Troubling. She recovered enough to smile widely at a Shaman, a fond 'too long no see' smile as she lowered her hood to reveal the blonde hair framing her features today. It really was nice to see him again, a living demonstration of the good things that can happen when you have faith in the flow of the world and let it pass through you. A pleasant person to be around, too. Especially with his murmured thought precisely in line with her own regarding Mar's short term future.

"Nothing and no one we need to worry about overly much on my end, Shaman, just two of my siblings who expressed interest in coming today," Cora's chorus hummed through the thin air, "Unless something's happened on Star's end. Speaking of which, feel free to start opening your own gates. *Nothing* is going through the gate behind me unless my brother approves. Right now that includes Alex and Butch."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

Shaman takes the snake with a 'thank you' and proceeds to entwine it around one arm, over his shoulder and down the other arm.

"These are pretty nifty. Thanks Starseed. I'm not sure who would be watching me, but better safe than sorry."

'That sounds so lame.'

'Well I had to say something.'

'You said too much. Next time, stop at thank you.'

"You know Cora, I have this sense of something just beyond the tips of my fingers. I want to do something, but I don't understand how to yet. Meh, it's getting frustrating."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Understood. I'll open the gates now." Said Star, he clones all getting an intent look and one portal forming serially after another, each staying open for thirty seconds and then collapsing. Zephyr, Dan and Kamiko all had their doors. They were well aware of the exact times, and the exact locations ... barring some emergency they'd all be waiting and ready to go.

"No problem Shaman .. and very correct. Just in case, though you are a Prince."

Star said, with a smile "I finally figured out where I recognize you from Cora ..." and being pretty perceptive she picked up the difference in reactions toward her before and her relative to Shaman "Is everything OK?"

[Karren Gaunt]

"Of course. Just saying hello to someone I plucked out of an ocean and into a Princedom four of my months ago, one month for the rest of you," Coraline easily answered while running a hand through her hair and focusing her awareness outward again, tiny shifts of her pupils bring arcs of the world around her into effortless focus despite tremendous distances involved. She *did* raise an eyebrow now at Starseed, urging her to continue.

"Welcome to being a Nova in a baseline world, Shaman. That feeling isn't going to go away, not so long as you are sane and there are things you can do that you shouldn't if you want to avoid breaking things. Hopefully today will help with that feeling. I know I'm struggling with it, too, as we wait for Aeon to make it's move."

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

At the predetermined spot in the Western Desert, the portal opened. Zephyr lifted up off the ground and headed into the rift. Once on the other side, he spoke softly to Coraline and Starseed.

"Hello again."

He turned to examine Shaman. The boy was about to speak when Zephyr preempted him.

"Your Prince Allen ... Shaman. Pleased to meet you," he tone carefully neutral.

Shaman nodded in response, not quite sure who this new nova was.

"I'm Zephyr, of Team Tomorrow - now Teen2morrow."

Again the boy nodded.

Looking back to Coraline and Starseed,

"I've made a little progress so far, but I will wait for the others to arrive before getting into it."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

... half answered Star thought at Cora's reply, but no matter and in reply to the raised eyebrow "I am fairly sure it was a series of modeling campaigns. I am not casually exposed to much advertising or commercial media, since I use pull-oriented media systems. But I am sure it was from some fashion shots on posters or maybe screen displays I had walked by before meeting you the last time."

...

"Hello Zephyr! Glad to see you." Star said and explained to Zephyr the CSF Snakes - offering one if he needed it.

[SalmonMax]

At that point 'Genesis,' AKA Alexandra, came through Warren's warp gate and immediately sank up to her ankles into the loose, rusty Martial topsoil.

"see?" she said to Cora irritably, her voice sounding tinny and extremely quiet in the barely-there atmosphere, "this is why I was saying Mars was overkill. Hang on a sec."

A moment later the gathering found itself standing under a large crystalline dome, its facets each lined with some kind of silvery metal that spiderwebbed over the entire surface; the edges of which plunged below the level of the sand. Alex then glanced down at that sand, and it obediently evaporated in an expanding ring outwards away from her feet. The floor was the same glossy silver as the supports holding the dome up. A moment later there was a sudden sense of pressure...tangible even to those who didn't need it to survive. Air pressing against the skin, the face, the clothes. Moving around in a gentle breeze. Oxygenated and perfectly breatheable.

"Now," Alex said with satisfaction. "That's a little better, don't you guys think?" She offered a hand to Starseed's closest iteration. "We haven't met. Call me Genesis." Then she nodded at Zephyr. "You I recognize. Team Tomorrow. Zephyr. Good to meet in person."

She had, to Cora's relief, cleaned herself up from the workshop, and was in her 'normal' appearance which was her best-looking 'self.' Her attractiveness wasn't in the exaggerated physical characteristics that some novas claimed, but in the studied perfection of her shape. Her face and body had all the precise engineering that any of her inventions had. The cute overalls didn't hurt either.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Star, the speaker, extended a hand since the other two had hung back except to deliver the snakes "Nice to meet you Genesis. Would you like an appliance to defend against various forms of spatial and temporal detection?" Star gestures to the snake some are wearing and her duplicates are carrying.

Saving a bit of space

Saving Space for Kami and Dan to step through, so they don't miss the thirty second window for gates IC ...

[Butch_Cole]

Butch was wary at first, but Cora talked him into coming to this meeting on Mars. Really? Mars? He could understand caution, but this seemed a bit...much. Still, it would be really freakin' cool to walk on Mars. How many human beings could say they had done that?

The warp gate opened and Cora walked on through. He adjusted the duffel bag full of tools that the young nova calling herself Starseed had requested. Frankly, Butch never felt the need to have some kind of Nova-name. What the hell would he have called himself? Lifeforce? Bioenergy Man? Butch worked just fine.

He recalled asking his dad why he called him Butch. His name was John Lee Cole, Junior, but his dad hardly ever called him that. Not even in that I'm-angry-with-you-so-I'm-using-your-full-name way that parents often did. Butch was what Butch's grandfather was called. His name was William Lee Cole, Jr., and to make the distinction between his grandfather and his great-grandfather, William Lee Cole, Sr., everyone called him Butch. Just the way it was and it stuck with him all his life. Then Johnny Hellfire didn't want to call Butch "Junior", so...Butch he was and Butch he would always be.

Alex was looking quite cute in her overalls, and Butch wondered why he was always so surprised at how pretty his brilliant sister was. Strange to think of someone who he spent the last 3 or 4 years calling sister in a...different way. She stepped through the warp gate, while Butch adjusted the strap on his shoulder once more. He had no idea what was in the bag, only that Cora said that they needed to bring this stuff along.

Finally ready, Butch stepped forward and was instantly transported to Mars. The gathered Novas on Mars saw a tall, handsome young nova walk through the shimmering warp gate. When his Apotheosis struck, Butch became one of the most ruggedly, imposingly handsome Novas around. Butch looked around at everyone there and ran his hand through his short black hair once to make sure it was straight. He was wearing a pair of jeans, well-worn and fraying in places at the knees. Under a beat-up old black leather jacket, Butch wore a simple white t-shirt. He looked down, for a moment wondering if the Red Planet truly was below his feet. With a pair of black combat boots, Butch kicked the silvery surface of the structure Alex had created. It was slightly disappointing since he was hoping to actually walk on Mars. When this was over, he'd be sure to do so once the structure was no longer needed.

He touched his brow and made a haphazard salute to Shaman. "Good to see you again, Shaman. Hope all's been going well in the Congo. Glad your head didn't explode after that clusterfuck of a meeting a while back."

Then, he nodded at the Team Tomorrow Nova called Zephyr. Butch was initially very cautious when Cora mentioned speaking to this very well known member of Project Utopia's pet nova squad. Yet, he trusted Cora's judgment and so put aside his worries and stepped forward to shake the older nova's hand.

"Name's Butch," he said. "Pleased to meet you."

Then he made his way over to the young Nova of whom there were several copies here already.

"You must be Starseed, yes? Cora told me a bit about you. Call me Butch. Nice to meet you," he looked at some of the copies. "And your, um, selves."

He pointed at her uniform, eyes narrowing slightly. "Ain't too familiar with your uniform. You followin' orders by being here? I didn't think we'd be breakin' bread with a representative of some government or organization other then Zephyr over there."

[Karren Gaunt]

"Visiting Mars *is* it's own reason, 'Genesis', even if you do make it much more comfortable for normal conversation. Get everyone's mind off of the risks we face today and on the tommorow we have to win," Coraline good-naturedly countered. Her morning jogs had started becoming much less exciting lately after she had broken through into a whole realm of speed, a bit of irony she very much didn't apreciate one bit. It made the world seem... small. Confining. And it didn't feel the same if she paced herself to make the trip take an hour. Forfeiting to the world. Meh. She'd find an answer she could live with sooner or later. Perhaps explore the oceans like Butch had suggested.

"My good-natured brother is carrying the tools you wanted. Consider it a gift from us to you," she offered to the closest Starseed clone, grinning an impressed grin at the fact girl had connected her modeling work to her eyes. Some of that had been pre Apothesis, but then again, she had been told what to expect.

"So who are your two silent friends?" she offered, crossing her arms under her cloak and inquiring brightly so as to get everyone together before she gave her mini speech.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan was among the last to step through, and Sonja was with him. After what happened in Shinjuku, It would be some time before he left her anywhere, or with anyone save Anna, or Rho.

They both had the serpents crafted by Starseed, and Sonja held a look of extreme awe. she'd only recently gone to space the first time, now she was on mars. He nodded as she stayed beside him, though about a quarter step behind him.

He Easily recognized Coraline. It was hard to miss the young nova model's pictures, though it was her eyes that gave her away. Zephyr of course also he knew, the man directing TeenTomorrow was also recognizable.

"Three." Sonja was clearly visible as she came out from behind her father. Daniel "Delta" Hawkins was not the most striking person there. he was handsome, but utterly normal in this company. The former Elite looked at Butch once, and nodded. So much of his Father in the way he looked, somehow it was fitting. More than that, he was glad to see Johnny had had a son. he'd been one of the rare people Dan had truly trusted.

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

Shaman snorts at Butch's comment.

"I figure for the first meeting on the subject, it could have been much worse. I learned some stuff and got to meet all of you guys. A definite plus."

Beyong that, he was healthly impressed with Alex's massive display of power. What was not to love about pulling oxygen from both the thin atmosphere and dead soil.

'I need to learn how to do that. It will be important.'

'Really?'

'If it is really the River of All Worlds - yes.'

Zephyr

To Alex and Butch,

"It is good to meet both of you. I'm sorry it has take far too long for me reach this point. I have much to repay all of you. We of the first generation have let you down so seriously as to make our other accomplishments a joke."

He was definitely sincere and earnest.

To Dan,

"Good to see you here. Do you feel as old as I do?"

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"Hello, Butch. Yes, Starseed. Nice to meet you ... oh, the uniform? No, no national affiliation, or orders except my own. Actually, its sort of silly. When I was a little kid I worked on exploring space, and I love anime, sci-fi. So I made uniforms, because serious people in space always wear uniforms. Later on, when I started to weave copies of myself it became a great way of organizing my activities. Plus a uniform is one of the few looks where you can have lots of pockets, functionality, and features but no one thinks it's 'weird'."

"I have recently made some changes though, as I am going to be doing business - so the uniform is corporate I suppose. Taking people into space on my larger ships. Have to look the part. Oh, and thank you very much. All of you. I've been working with minimal equipment. Fabricating almost from scratch, scavenging the rest from trash or bartering for it under disguise. You can do alot in a year, especially when you are many people who can all weave servitors - but still, cut off from society. Hiding in space. I have no usable ID, didn't make any friends growing up in isolation, and now no family that I can fall back on ..."

"So this is really, really great. Thank you all so much ... All I can say is that what I can do, just count me in. I can help."

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan looked to Zephyr and nodded. "Yes." Beholding the second generation, the older ones, he couldn't help but smile. Genesis's power was impressive, and he looked to her. "Nicely done."

[Karren Gaunt]

Trusting that Butch would take care of handing off the tools, Coraline turned her focus on the stern-looking man and his, if her senses were worth anything, daughter that she had missed in the confusion. The man was a fighter, a killer, like King Einherjar, but more importantly... No way, just because his quantum gave off the same distinctive patterns Uncle Shen's and her own seemed to that had so put off the Terat's she had met... Couldn't be. Could it?

It would be nice to meet another Qi Meng stylist. Her siblings were sympathetic and always willing to work with her, but they didn't understand how everything had *changed* after that moment when her eyes changed, what working with her chi was like. Maybe he would and could help her get down the basic katas she hadn't mastered yet. Work her way up to the topic by inches, though.

"I never caught your and this young lady's name," she offered, a fascinated smile on her lips as she took in the man's aura more deeply, extending a hand for him to shake. Or kiss for that matter if he wanted. She had gotten a lot of that, much as she tried to avoid off putting people by rebuffing small gestures like that out of hand.

[Dan Hawkins]

Dan look the offered hand and shook politely, and nodded. "Dan Hawkins, this is my daughter, Sonja." His eyes gave it away, he knew as well, He could sense something about her that set her apart.

"I had not expected to meet another who follows the teachings." It was enough to make it clear, to her at any rate.

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

'Oh, I'm even less alone than I thought. Major Dan has survived and kept his daughter alive. I'm not sure I'd bring her to this meeting, but maybe he has no safe place to leave her. Not that Teen2morrow is all that safe. My Son's survival is based more on his 'hiding in plain sight' than any bodyguard.'

"Teachings? What teachings?"

Shaman

He waves to Sonja, smiling. It wasn't hard to smile at her. She was honest and apparently that was in short supply.

'I wonder what she becomes?'

'Maybe something like her Dad?'

'We... are sort of like Dad.'

'Yeah, kinda.'

At the mention of teachings, Shaman centers his attention on Coraline and Dan. It wasn't as if he was so much interested in learning anything in particular. It was an excuse to pay open attention to Cora, and he would feel less awkward than he would feel if he just stood there.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko hurredly hops in, wearing the new suit whipped up for her future duties on one of Star's ships. She knew the window of opportunity was closing but she wanted to show Star what she had for the trip all set up after the meeting. Seeing yet again she's the last to show only annoyed her further at her lack of punctuality. She's got catching up to do.

"So, what did I miss?"

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman

Shaman looked over to Kamiko and gave her a thumb's up.

"Nothing yet. Mainly just introductions. Hmmm .... That's Coraline, the fashion model. Starseed you know. That's Alex, who built this dome and gave us our atmosphere. With her is Butch, one of Alex's and Coraline's brothers ... sorta. Zephyr there is from Teen2morrow. Dan and Sonja, you know. That's everybody, I think."

He looks to Coraline,

"Are we waiting on anyone else?"

Zephyr

The elder nova shakes his head slightly.

"I'm the Team Lead for Teen2morrow. I'm in charge of their training."

He looks to Shaman.

"I'm not actually on the team."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko takes off the clear helmet, showing it to be more of a clear hood as it depressurizes. She adapts to the atmosphere quick. After acclimating she closes close to everyone so she could be heard in the thin atmosphere. "Ah... so we're just getting together. Nice. After... seeing the notes I got a little... scared. Had to do some soul searching before coming. I guess... that was a part of my delay. That last thought before leaping into the abyss."

She adjusts her well fitting and almost not seeming to be a space-worthy suit. "Later I'll explain my manner of dress, thought I'd show Star what having some connections and friends can do with getting some personal space gear. Not that I need it but... I like to have some gear if I am found wanting. And it just looks cool."

[Karren Gaunt]

"A pleasure to meet you both, Mr. Hawkins. My foster siblings and I were lucky enough to be rescued and raised by someone able to show us how to walk the path of enlightenment, much as I'm taking a break from full-time training to actually walk it and these two haven't taken him up on the offer yet," Coraline offered with a wave at Alex and Butch before the commotion of Kamiko's arrival, her smile saying 'I'll explain what we're talking about later' to Shaman and the Utopian.

"This should be everyone, assuming our newest arrival is named Kamiko," she offered to the gathering, brushing a lock of hair behind one ear even as her eufiber cloak and bodyglove flushed through the color spectrim and back to it's starting blue in her excitement, "So everyone here has read the file, right, putting us all on the same page knowing where Nova sterility and Motherhunting began, and the lies tainting Project Utopia away from what it could have been all these years?"

The look she gave Zephyr was sympathetic. Having been through more than a little rough awakening herself these past few months, it couldn't have been easy to find out what he had about Utopia and it's sponsors the Aeon Society.

[Sailor OOC]

"As soon as I read it I destroyed it utterly... after I put it to memory. I tend to remember things I read as easily as remembering to breathe."

She adjusts her glasses. "Assuming you are her, you are this Corra I keep hearing of in regards to this text among who are in the know?"

Kamiko is careful to reveal who she is... only if the people she knows shows trust in Corra, then Kamiko will return a more generous demeanor in regards to who she is. Although her current body language is showing a... welcoming but reserved posture.

[Doctor Varroxxian]

Star nods to Kamiko, smiles and the two thus far silent versions of Star offer CSF snakes around as needed one last time, and they all smile friendly smiles at Kami. One of the Stars puts in a quick wave and a thumbs up at the space suit.

The lead Starseed says "Just to be clear, everyone who can't avoid metasensory powers on their own should be wearing one of these."

...

"Well, I have no major new news. Read the files carefully, very interesting stuff - if a bit disturbing. Trying to make introductions with a number of friendly Novas, mostly in the Congo. The rest of the time I've been busy building and training. Learning Japanese. Planning out some really simple reactor designs suitable for average techs to easily build and run. Hybrid Thorium thermionic and sterling cycle reactors, as mechanically simple, easy to fabricate, maintain, and reliable as possible. Working out a design that is only mechanical and electro-mechanical, and self limiting as a long term power source for space facilities. Most of the engineering is really straight forward, molten salt design variants on what they had been thinking up eighty years ago. Aside from that ... Happy that we can all come together."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko takes her snake and wears it around her waist, as usual. She decides to pull the "helmet" hood back over her head and reconnects it to the neck of her suit, pressurizing it and activating the HUD. With a couple presses of a keyboard on the right arm, Kamiko's voice seemed out of phase, unrecognizable as her, but intelligible still from the built-in speaker. "If everyone doesn't mind from here on I will be using a voice modulator. While I'm sure no one has microphones, it's a safety measure I would rather like to employ." Kamiko keeps the tone and pitch constantly on the move, to keep throwing off any analysis. "I am indeed Kamiko. While for now I would like to keep my relations to the rest here a secret until we can do a proper bug scrubbing of the party."

"And I am sorry I could not be of aid, Dan-Sensei... If I would have known you were attacked I would have intervened."

Somehow some guilt conveyed, even through the voice filter.

[Dan Hawkins]

He nodded to Zephyr. "Something for a later discussion, though I will say decidedly not the ones you're likely concerned with."

He looked to Cora, "I've read it,." He gave her a knowing smile, something that said he'd more than read it.

He looked at Kamiko. "You can take that off. It's alright."

He shook his head. "All you would have accomplished were you there Kamiko is get hurt. I am glad you were not."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko reluctantly turns off the voice modulator, but keeps the helmet on, amplifying her voice so she could speak freely in the martian atmosphere. "I'll keep the helmet on then so I have a proper atmosphere to speak in. And so I can hear everyone. I can increase the sensitivity of the external microphone to adapt for martian climates and the speakers can adapt to the lower barometric pressure."

"I guess you were right not to call..." She sees the arm is still favored. "...I probably would be mourned here if that sort of damage could have been done to you."

She stands more erect, crossing her arms. "Now... about this situation. We should get to brass tacks. Director Thetis moves quickly from what I gleaned off of the text. So should we. I do not know if we have a 'Sphinx' in our camp that could counteract her machinations. So we will have to be thrice as clever."

[SalmonMax]

"It's okay," Alex said, indicating the dome she'd created for them. "It's Earth pressure and temperature in here. You don't need the space helmet." She chuckled.

"Alright, it's great meeting everyone, but I just have to ask...and hopefully it's not too late...what is the objective of this meeting? Is it just a meet and greet? Or are we here to discuss anything specific? I mean, from the level of rank paranoia, I figured there must be something of totally Earth-shattering importance to talk about. And believe me, I know. I'm the queen of rank paranoia. But even I would be hard-pressed to come up with something I'd have to take to another planet before I'd be willing to discuss it. So what's up?"

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko notices the pressure stabilizing in the dome. Somehow she missed that. She depressurizes the helmet and pulls it back again, this time letting it fall back like a hood.

She looks a little dismayed at the surroundings.

"How in the bloody hell could I have missed that?"

note

How indeed? No one caught me on that for 3 posts. NO one.

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline chuckled, "Thank you for asking that question, Alex. I actually put together a little speech about that so we can avoid another 'family meeting' atmosphere. Node knows we get little enough done in those and we've had years to get over one another's rough edges"

The young metamorph nodded her head severely before continuing much more lightly, "You've all read the file. You're all smart enough to know that we aren't going to win this in one strike or even a dozen dozen strikes. You all know that perfect working harmony isn't something we're going to out of this group, not outside of an imediate crisis and not then for long. But, hopefully by this point, you also all know that the Motherhunters' time is getting ever shorter. Every one of us second generation novas that make it through Apothesis alive is another nail in their coffin, the collapse of their twisted cause, and *our* chance to start telling *them* 'no. this isn't right.'"

She paused, took a breath, and continued after a look at Zephyr and Dan, "Some people already have or else I wouldn't be here to say this. We, novakind, are going to win this conflict. One way or the other. But cleanly only if we counter their numbers and brute resources by fighting smart and sharing information with a few trusted friends. Let's start with the war in Congo that's going to break out in a few months, but more importantly, let's get to know one another tonight. Share some contact information. And take a little perspective from the stars."

Coraline nodded again, gesturing at all of them even as she willed her eufiber into a far more causual sundress and sandals pattern, going from 'comic book noire' to 'friendly hostess', "My name is Coraline Boehm. I am a 2nd Generation Nova. I model clothing for baselines by day because my Node makes me very good at it and prepare to help others by night because my Node makes me very good at that, too. I'm very pleased to meet you all."

The was a pause and then she looks a little flustered, "...That wasn't too over the top, was it? I practised that speech for three days my time to get it right. Set the tone."

[Sailor OOC]

"I'm Kamiko... Kamiko Hideyoshi... No..." She looks to the group. "I am Kamiko Aino. And to the world I'm just now starting to make ripples. I've not achieved Apotheosis yet... if I'd even know what the bloody hell that is... I really don't have a specialty other than just being there when people need me. I guess it's what I've trained for..."

Something snaps in her head. "Wait... yeah the war in the Congo... Why you think I've moved out of there for now..."

"I digress... Of all of us here... I'm probably... the most vulnerible of the group."

[Doctor Varroxxian]

"My name is Starseed, and I'm a second generation Nova. I work and live mostly in space, its been kind of my thing for about a year since my family was destroyed by Mother Hunters and their associated host organizations - namely Proteus and elements of Utopia."

...

"My abilities are focused on manipulating energy, including dynamic matter energy conversion on myself, but mostly manipulating energy patterns - weaving servitors, and ships, and appliances like the snakes. Weaving warp gates, and clones too. In some ways I can reach down into the deep quantum - my abilities are growing fast so I am working out new things all the time."

...

"I also like science and technology, but so far I've just been doing really classic engineering, and some applied research, in order to fabricate things with minimal to no help from earth. Trying to live as independently as possible - for safety."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko looks down for a moment. "It should be stated... it was found the Teragen got mine... I don't know who was responsible... but they were a coward at how they did it..."

She sits down. "To be honest I have both the most and least emotional attachment to this."

"On the one hand Proteus in of themselves haven't effected me directly yet they created the environment of wear we now live in."

She starts making a paper lotus on the ground, trying to focus herself.

[Adrian Moss]

Zephyr

"My name is Zephyr. I'm the Team Lead/Chief Trainer for Teen2morrow. Until recently," he looks to Coraline, "I was the fastest man alive."

"I'm here because my organization has been hijacked and torn away from its principles. You don't build a better tomorrow on the bodies of dead, tortured, and brainwashed children. Proteus has to go. The Aeon Society has to be drug out into the light and made to answer for their genocide. No matter what it costs. Nothing else is acceptable to me and mine. We'd like to save as much of Utopia as we can, but not at the cost of one more child's life."

"My son is a pre-Apothesis nova. They've already murdered his mother and they must suspect his existence."

He makes that announcement with sadness in his voice, and regret.

"I came to share what little we've gleamed so far, but to also provide your Sphinx with some of the algorithms that my brainiac has come up with. The most interesting is the one that tracks cash/trade transfers in remote/electronic void areas. Essentially it is a way of finding 2nd Gens and their families who are living off the grid. We'd feel safer handing this off to you, in case any of our systems are compromised."

Which translated as 'if they catch and kill us.'

Mother-Finder Program

Essentially a program designed to be used by a nova, or novas, with Information Manipulation, Cyberkinesis, and Mega-Intelligence Five. It literally tracks the price of black market goods and studies cash flows from said groups, looking for cash discrepancies over a period of time. It also tracks cash payments vs. population profiles in remote areas, looking for the same discrepancies. A hell of a lot of data.

Shaman

'Don't say anything stupid.'

'You mean more stupid?'

'Not in front of her.'

'Okay. I'll try.'

"Hi. I'm Shaman. I'm kind of the direct conduit of information to my Father, the King. I try to phrase what I learn here into information that doesn't put anyone here at risk. I also try to gather as much intelligence from my side to pass on to the rest of you. Since I'm not really trusted there, this is turning out to be tough. I'll keep trying."

"Oh yeah, I manipulate the Weather, talk to plants and animals, and have a limited amount of healing .... for others."

'Oh, I am so thinking about my hands and her.'

'Stop it! She's not like that.'

'She's not ours either.'

'There is that.'

'Yeah, but she is wonderful to talk to, and listen to, and look at.'

'Why don't I ever ask her out?'

'Because we are like terrified.'

'Yeah.'

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko looks up. "I'd really make sure that program doesn't fall into the opposition's hands. It would literally be a rosetta stone for any motherkiller out there. If that is the sole extant copy of said program, then I'd feel just a bit more comfortable having it."

She adjusts herself on the ground. "I've been trying to get more of my computer skill up for a bit on my own. I'm no where near a sphinx yet, maybe someday. Perhaps after introductions someone could tell me what this apotheosis is and what it means for me? Should I not want this?"

[SalmonMax]

"From what he's saying," Alex said, "That program is what the hunters are already using. In which case, I definitely want it. I can run it on Primus and write a bridge to my sat network. I think with that, I have a good chance of finding novas in hiding before the hunters do...and we can intervene before they're found."

She flashed a grin at Zephyr. "Nice work. I've wanted ears in Utopia for a long time now. In fact..."

Alex fished in her pocket and came up with a small plastic egg, about big enough to hold a nickel. "Here. Take this back with you. I'm assuming you have a way in that doesn't involve a lot of security scans. If so, once you're past the checkpoints, open the egg anywhere you won't be seen. If you think you'll be scanned, ditch the capsule before you are. It's nothing big or bad...just a bee. An American honeybee, to be exact. Another set of eyes inside Utopia for yours truly."

"I'd rather it was destroyed than found out though. If Nyx finds out I'm using bees, it'll be in a position to track some recent moves I've made. Inconvenient."

She looks at Kamiko. "Apotheosis is what happens when a second-generation nova 'erupts.' Like baseline eruption, the precise effects are unpredictable. Highly personal. But it pretty much invariably means a steep upward jag in your ability to harness and control quantum forces."

[Sailor OOC]

"I see... so it's a good thing then." She says with some relief.

"As for the program, is it possible to send a virus on a back-trail to destroy the program wherever it is stored? Along with the data on the device that housed it. I would love to pluck out Proteus' eyes if at all possible and this is one method. That is if that is the exact program..."

Kamiko snaps to. "Wait. What if they could do the same to us?!"