Flamelord

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

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Alicia Hayden was tired. Exhaustion radiated through her bones, diffused through her being. It was another long night, and despite her best efforts there was only so much she could do in the circumstances. There was anger, frustration, and the feeling that things were falling apart around her.

The worst part was that she couldn’t ask Sylvia for advice either. Sure she had the others, like Aurelio and Serenity, but at the end of the day it was her call. They didn’t have the same experience managing an organization. So she had to handle it all, the fights, the hostility from the general magical girl populace, the fallout from the Rave and the bomb, and her own relationship with the Ascendancy.

That last thing was what she was addressing now. Bracing herself, she did what she could to hide her tired look, the haunted echo in her eyes from what she’d seen. Then she knocked on the door to Rachel’s office. A meeting had already been scheduled, but she wanted to be courteous. Get things going on the right foot.

Now then, fingers crossed.

Rachel’s voice promptly carried through the door. “Ah yes, come in.”

When she entered, she found Rachel standing beside a table, inspecting what looked like some kind of cooking utensil. However, upon closer inspection, she realized the items were not intended for cooking pasta or baking a delicious blueberry pie.
“You came in at the right time, Paladin Seraph. Thanks to your valorous efforts in the neutralization of the riots, we have received much useful information.”
She then noticed that Alicia was looking at the table. She smiled, and presented a strange-looking device to Alicia.
“Did you know that the Pear of Anguish was not originally intended to be an implement for use in interrogation? It was actually an invention of a deranged robber as aid in crime. However, it’s ability to open up a mouth makes it especially useful when combined with magical potions.”
She placed the implement down.
“Anyway, you wished to speak with me, correct?”

Entering the office, Alicia had not expected to find Rachel looking over her tools for some purpose or other. Not that she had to ask, as the Inquisitor seemed very eager to tell her what it was and how it could be used. More information than she needed, but the Paladin shook her head to clear those thoughts before returning to the matter at hand.

”I did, for a couple of reasons,” she confirmed with a small nod, though she left her head bowed. ”First I….wanted to apologize. What happened at the Rave, if I’d been faster, or better informed, it could have been prevented. I’m sorry.” Tears threatened to well up talking about it, but she kept them down for now.

Rachel noticed Alicia’s vulnerable nature, and walked up to her. She then placed a hand on her shoulder. “Alicia Hayden...What you witnessed was the true reality of our world, and not something you could have prevented. You did your best, and that is what matters, not what could have been.” She sighed. “We were given a grim reminder of the vileness that infests Penrose. It is in the darkest day that our resolve is truly tested, but also when our faith shines the brightest.” She lifted Alicia’s chin. “Save your mourning for later, Paladin Seraph. You are like a shepherd to your branch; they rely on you to stand strong, and to be the unshakable pillar on whom they can lean on. Once our blessed duty is fulfilled, and Penrose is free of sin, then can we properly perform our rites for the avenged fallen.”

Hands clenched tight, Alicia took deep breaths as Rachel walked over. She felt the hand on her shoulder, let her head be lifted, and heard the Inquisitor’s words. It was hard to think and accept, even though she knew that Rachel had a wealth of experience that she lacked. Even if they did not agree on everything, she had to take heed of that.

”it’s just….this was the first time I saw something like this as a magical girl. Even after the bombing, I wasn’t actually there for it. And that was just a distraction. This was deliberate, malicious, like they wanted to kill as many of us as possible and make it as painful as they could.” she admitted. ”It’s taking some getting used to.”

“It’s not something anyone should get used to,” Rachel answered, and removed her touch from Alicia. “The attack was not designed by any loose group of corrupted witches. No, this required the resources of an organization. They had planned for this ever since you arrived back from your dimensional prison.” She crossed her arms. “The Penrose Independent will pay for this. As for you…” Her expression turned more serious. “You have the opportunity to punish the one who caused Penrose’s downfall. Have you started making preparations?”

There was something comforting knowing that she was not expected to get used to this, to become cold and distant to the brutality with which this attack had been committed. While it did not erase the visions in her head, it made her feel less like she stood out from the norm of her peers right now.

She stiffened at the mention of their other task, before nodding. ”I have,” she confirmed. ”I’ve acquired some magical items that may be of use, and started scouting members of the strike force. I’ve also been scrying Mariette to see what other resources she has at her command, so hopefully there will be less surprises.”

Honestly she wasn’t sure that Mariette was the reason Penrose was like this, but she wasn’t going to bring that up. Whether she was or not, this still needed to happen.

Rachel nodded. "Good. From what we have learned of Mariette Pedersen, she is an extremely dangerous magical girl, with power over gateways. In a way, she is like Alice, having sunk down the rabbit hole…" She looked aside. "...But instead of Wonderland, she has discovered an ancient evil." She then blinked, having realized something. "How is Hyun Long?"

”If she’s Alice then what does that make us?” Alicia observed when faced with the unusual literary reference. She supposed that it fit, if one did not look at it too deeply. At least they could both agree on how dangerous she was.

The question of Hyun Long brought her to pause, as she considered events so far. ”Adjusting to how we operate. Eager to make up for the harm she caused when she was under the influence of her corruption. Why do you ask?”

"If that is the case...Enlist her in the task force." Rachel adjusted her glasses. "If she wishes to atone for her past, she is to prove herself in the battlefield. Her Fire magic is potent, even if she has lost much power. Don't you agree?"

An eyebrow rose as Rachel made her proposal, but after some consideration Alicia nodded. ”I can do that. It shouldn’t be an issue.” This sort of thing might not be what Hyun was expecting, but she was confident that she could impress the importance of this on the new recruit.

With that said, she paused and turned the subject to other matters that she needed to address. ”Besides that, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be going into the Overcity for a bit in the next couple of days. I plan to reach out to some of the girls there, but I’m not entirely sure how long it will take.”

She just wanted to be sure the city would still be standing when she got back.

"Don't worry, I shall take upon your duties until you return," Rachel responded, and took Alicia's hand for a shake. "Blessings to your recruitment, Paladin Seraph."

Alicia returned the handshake with a smile, glad that there had been no complications. It gave her a bit more confidence for this next step. ”Thanks. We’ll see how it goes.” A bit of extra luck couldn’t hurt.

Now then, about that other matter. ”There’s one other thing I would like to do,” she admitted once the handshake had concluded. ”We’ve had a public relations problem to this point, at least where normal magical girls are concerned. I want to pull back the curtain a bit, remind them that we’re still human too. I want to let them see a remembrance ceremony.”

Rachel did not react to her suggestion. "I will allow it, on the condition that the proper security measures are taken. We don't want a repeat of the tragedy to occur under no circumstances."

Alicia would admit, that had been easier than she had expected it would be. It wasn’t unreasonable to assume that Rachel would try to defend the sanctity of their traditions, which had always been a more private affair. Which aspect of her argument had caused the Inquisitor to change her mind? Or was it just the accumulated weight of everything that had happened?

”I will,” she assured her comrade. ”I’m going to combine it with our footage of the event, make sure people don’t get misled into thinking that the violence only started because we attacked first. If anyone is willing to listen, anyway.”

"Very good." Rachel went back to the table. "We all have our part to play. Yours is in reaching out to the people." She sighed. "I still remember the speech you made. Back then, I couldn't admit it but...I was moved." She began cleaning the table and placing the items into a box. "If anyone can improve our relations to the unwashed masses, it's you." When she was done, she turned back. "Anything else?"

Rachel’s words were somewhat undercut by the use of the term ‘unwashed masses’, but Alicia chose to appreciate the sentiment even if the exact message was a bit awkward. It was moving to know that she had had an effect on the Inquisitor, even at a time like that. ”Thank you, I appreciate you telling me that. I’m grateful for the leeway you’ve given me thus far, and I hope to keep working for the good of all of us.”

With that, she shook her head. ”No, that was it. I’ll let you know how my Overcity trip goes.”

For the briefest moment, Rachel's expression had a warm smile thanks to Alicia's compliments, only to be quickly replaced with a hard glare. "Indeed. Now, tarry not; a good deed waits on the maker." She then went back to work at her desk, like always; Alicia had never seen the girl take a break.

With a nod Alicia turned and moved towards the door. ”Right. Talk to you soon.” And with that, she left the office to go about making her plans a reality.

---

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Some People You've Never Heard of Before

The time had arrived at last. Climbing the last flight of stairs, Alicia grinned silently to herself as she beheld a tear in reality. It was not visible to the naked eye, but to her magically enhanced Third Eye it was as clear as day.

She had previously told Rachel that she was going to go into the Overcity, and that was the task she was currently embarked on.There was no outstanding business when she left, and anything that arose could be handled by others. For now she had made her way to the back of some apartment complex, where the opening rested near the door to the roof. She had known that she could do this, but seeing it in action was impressive.

Activating it took a lot longer, but it was time that she was willing to invest. There was no one up here to bother her, so she was free to experiment, pulsing magic and feeding the entry until it opened. She supposed it would have been easier to just have someone Shift her there, but she wanted to do this herself. That way she’d have practice for the future if she ever needed it.

”Alright, let’s go for it,” she said to herself, taking a deep breath as she faced the opened doorway. Then she stepped through and into the Overcity.

Then she was there. It was surprisingly easy, and a different experience from shifting. Alicia took a moment to marvel at her surroundings; the buildings, the people, the sky above, and just how alien it all was from Earth.

But she wasn’t here to sightsee. The Seraph pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and glanced down at it. On it were names of former Beacon members who now lived within the Overcity. Names, addresses, even a few known occupations. It was her hope that she could perhaps persuade them back with her hopes for reform. At the very least she could learn from them.

Mind made up, she began to move. First she needed to figure out where she was in the Overcity, then she would begin with the nearest person on the list. Not a perfect method, but with a place this big it was the most feasible. ”Well, at least it’s a nice day for a walk.”

Alicia soon learned from one of the locals that the Overcity consisted of districts, each with their own theme. There was the Bazaar District, where people from across different realities would converge and trade exotic commodities. There was also the Entertainment District, where one could find both the highest of the high in thrills and pastimes, yet also the lowest of the low in the various gangs and crooks that lurked there.

Going through the list of districts, she decided to go to one of the numerous residential districts, where all kinds of magical girls lived. She would note that most former Beacon girls were situated in the same residential districts; one of them was the Angel District, aptly named for the winged magical girls who lived there.
She knocked on the first door. She heard a young-sounding girl’s voice:
“Go away! I’m not buying anything!”

Looking over the list, Alicia couldn’t help but notice the concentration of former girls. While it was specifically those she had pulled, it seemed likely that this was deliberately done by the Beckoners so they could keep an eye on girls after they had left the organization. This would take less resources if they were concentrated in a few areas.

Entering the Angel district, she noted the setup of the dwellings here. There was a lot of verticality to the place, seemingly designed to allow those who dwelt here to take advantage of their wings. A good thing she had her own then, as she joined other denizens of the Overcity in flying to her destination. That was easier too, whether it be because of physics or the latent magic here.

At last she reached her destination. Coming to a stop, Alicia pulled her wings back in and checked the address, before knocking on the door. She pushed past the initial response, instead speaking up. ”I’m not here to sell anything,” she called. ”I just want to talk. I was told to come here by a friend.”

“A friend?” The door opened, and a magical girl in pajamas greeted Alicia with an irritated look. “Who told you to come bother me? I was just about to beat Dragon’s Souls, and you caused me to die. Now I have to go through the stage all over again.”

Pajamas was not what Alicia was expecting. Or being chewed out over video games. At least this wasn’t the worst reception she could have gotten, though it was hard to consider it ‘good’ But the door was open, so that was a good step.

”Sorry about that,” she replied with a chagrined expression. She quickly moved to the pitch though, before said door slammed shut. ”My name is Alicia Hayden. I’m the head of Beacon’s Penrose Branch. I wanted to talk to you about coming back to the organization.”

The girl had a stupefied expression. “Beacon? No, I think you’re talking to the wrong girl...I think...” Her cheeks puffed as her eyes stared forward, as if a memory was about to come up, only to pass. “No, I’m sure. Besides, I’ve retired. I don’t do the monster hunting thing anymore.”

Alicia had been warned to expect something like this, since Beacon girls were mind wiped when they left the organization. So she did not falter. ”Let me show you a different perspective,” she offered, a hand rising. Before there was any sort of objection she released a flash of light, letting her magic clear the spell on the girl’s mind that kept her from remembering.

The girl's eyes sparkled, and she ended jumping from the rush of memories that flooded in.
"Woah! Wait, I...I was in Beacon after all! But then...Damn." She sighed, and offered her hand to shake.
"Well, might as well talk this over a hot cup of butterbeer. I'm Gabriel."

”Nice to meet you,” Alicia replied, now that the truth was out there. She shook Gabriel’s hand before they both moved inside to get that drink she was talking about.

The interior of the place was almost overwhelming. There were figurines, posters, some well used furniture, a nice tv, and more takeout boxes than was probably healthy. A few things she recognized, but there was much more she didn’t. She had the feeling that not all of it was from Earth either.

”This is pretty impressive,” she noted. ”I see you’ve been managing well for yourself.”

"I guess," Gabriel stated while in the kitchen preparing drinks, looking more downtrodden now that her memory was restored. "So you're from Penrose, right?" She asked as she brought two cups to the table; they had a pleasant, buttery scent to them. "I used to work in the local branch there. Did something happen?"

A rueful chuckle escaped as Alicia took a seat. She did one more sweeping look of the room before her gaze returned to Gabriel. “Well we’ve stopped a ritual to remove all emotion in the world, stopped a Horror from manifesting an avatar, had our headquarters bombed, gotten stuck in a paradise dimension for months, had the Ascendancy deployed in the city, had a bunch of girls from the Ascendancy killed in a mass psychic attack...so yeah, a lot of stuff has happened.”

"No kidding," Gabriel added, looking shocked.

There was an inherent sigh, but it did not escape. ”That’s not why I’m here though. You said you were done fighting monsters, and I respect that. But I, personally, need your help.”

Gabriel sipped on her cup, a morose expression on her face. "But why would you want someone like me? I failed and failed again, getting nowhere. And when I tried to make changes, I was hushed out of the room. Eventually, I decided it was pointless, and resigned. It was great to forget all that misery and frustration…" She mumbled, her cheek resting on the table.

Taking her cup, Alicia sipped from the drink while Gabriel expressed her frustration. From what she had read in the database, she couldn’t blame her for quitting. Sometimes she wondered if she would have ended up in the same spot, if things had not worked out as they had.

”i’m sorry if it brings up painful memories. But I think that the time for change is coming. I think all of this bad stuff is causing them to re-examine how they do things and consider that change is necessary,” Alicia explained. ”We’ve allied with monster girls, gone through a trial where the person who had been mind controlled into bombing our HQ was not put to death, modified the Spark, things that would be crazy before. And so far, the Beckoners have supported this.”

Gabriel's eyes widened, and she took a big swig. "No way. All that? I've never heard of Beckoners who'd allow that."

Her hands tightened around the cup as she leaned forwards, hoping to push out some of her passion to the dejected girl. ”I want help from you and others like you who left because I think that the louder a voice we have towards the changes we think need to be made, the more likely it is that we’ll be successful.”

The pajama girl was silent as she thought about Alicia's words. "So you were serious about all that…" she sloshed her drink in the cup. "I got into games because deep down, I still wanted to fight for a just cause. But you're giving the real deal." She slammed her hand on the table, groaning in annoyance. "Fine. I'm in. You better deliver on your promise of change, Alicia."

Alicia was prepared to argue on, to make her case that this time could be different, despite the presence of the Ascendancy within the city. As a result, Gabriel agreeing like that caught her off guard. ”i know things aren’t great right now but-wait, really? Just like that?”

Confusion held her features for several moments before she was able to respond. ”I thought this would be a lot harder. I still had more pitch ready.”

"What, you want me to refuse?" Gabriel answered angrily. "If you're going to butt heads with the Ascendancy, that means you're willing to change Beacon to it's very foundation. And I want to be there to make sure the changes will stay." She drank her cup empty, and slammed it down.
"Are you recruiting others too?"

”Of course not. I just figured it would take more convincing.” Alicia sipped her drink as well, not wanting it to go to waste. At the following question she nodded, lifting up the paper that she had brought with so Gabriel could see it. ”I am. I’ve got a list from the database of girls who left in circumstances like yourself. I just started here because it was closest.”

"Can I take a look?" Upon being handed the list, she nodded. "I know a lot of these names from the neighborhood. Some are even in my 'Muggles and Muds' game group. Can I help you gather these people to one place? These people know me, so they will come. Then you could do your memory restoration on them all at once, and speed up the recruitment process."

Nodding, Alicia passed over the list without hesitation. She waited to see what the outcome would be, and was not disappointed. ”Sure, that would be a lot of help.” At the very least it would save them time, and she was not going to complain in that case.

"Alright. You can count on me," Gabriel said with a thumbs up, and walked out of the door...Before returning. "Oh yeah. I could change my clothes."

…

Gabriel proceeded to spend the rest of the day calling up other former Beacon girls in Angel District. The sun was setting by the time Alicia went to the local activity center where the girls were gathered. As she entered, she saw Gabriel chatting with a group of girls, while other groups were scattered about; she could count 24 girls in total. "So nice of you to invite us Gabriel," a posh girl spoke. "You usually stay cooped up in your apartment. What's the occasion?" She spotted Alicia. "Oh my," another girl commented. "Don't tell me you got a girlfriend all of a sudden~"
Gabriel snickered. "Yeah, right. Anyway, I'd like to introduce Alicia Hayden, Paladin Seraph and branch leader of the Penrose Beacon. Take it away, A."

While Gabriel contacted the people she knew, Alicia would find ways to spend some time in the Overcity, whether it be exploring or writing. But soon everyone was gathered, and she stepped into the activity center to find a good amount of magical girls waiting for her. While she had no doubt she could have gotten to them on her own, this was definitely easier.

Stepping forward, she nodded to all of those gathered here as her gaze swept the room. ”Hello. Once you believed in a greater cause, of making a better world where people are judged on their actions and not their appearances. I’m here to bring you back to fight for that cause.”

Before they could object or scoff at her as Gabriel had before, she unleashed a burst of Light magic to clear the magic from their minds. Now it was time to see what they had to work with here.

When the light swept through the crowd, Alicia saw a mix of reactions; some were agitated, some were shocked, and some were confused. But most seemed to lose brightness in their eyes and lost their smiles, having been reminded of their hardships and downfall.

"Wh-I remember now!" One girl in the back exclaimed. "I was in Beacon!" "Me too!" Another girl shouted. "But….Oof. This sucks." A clamor soon manifested as the girls all at once came to grips with their memories. Gabriel crossed her arms, not saying a thing. Once the girls calmed down, one of them asked: "You said we could fight again. What do you mean by that?"
One girl immediately began walking away. "Don't care what it is. I'm not going through that shit again," they crudely spat out before they left out the front door.

Alicia waited, letting them all get a grasp on what they remembered before she would begin to speak again. The fact that only one girl left was pretty good all told, and she did not focus on that. That was their choice, and she would not waste the effort when still so many remained to hear her out.

”I’ve read the reports. I know why you chose to leave, and I probably would have done the same if I were in your shoes. But I’m here now to tell you that I think we’re approaching a pivotal moment that could change Beacon forever.”

Once more her gaze swept the room, making eye contact with everyone that she could. ”So much has happened in the past months, things that would have been inconceivable before. We’ve allied with Monster Girls, changed the Spark itself, they’ve even put me in charge of a Branch, and we’ve had support from Beckoners in doing this! With everything that has happened recently, they’re realizing that the system doesn’t work if they want to stay relevant in the modern age.”

She took a step forward, hands clasped together as she made her plea. ”You don’t have to fight if you don’t want to. But with your support and your belief in the good that Beacon can be, we can ensure that they listen to us and do the right thing, rather than doubling down on everything that has made the community hate Beacon to this point.” With that said, she braced for the reception either way.

While some of the girls nodded, agreeing with either hesitant smiles or frowns, most were not convinced. The moment Alicia said that they wouldn't need to fight, three girls began to leave. "We're not staying then. She's just some try hard."

However, Gabriel stepped before them with her arms spread. "Wait. Please, listen to her for just a bit more. She is serious about this." "Does she have any proof though?" One of the leaving girls asked. "To me it sounds like she's just BS:ing a bunch of lies just so she could gain more power. Sounds just like old Beacon politics to me."

The misstep was too late to take back, and the realization was nigh immediate. Alicia had wanted to be considerate towards them but she had merely undermined her own footing. Now they doubted her, questioned her, thought she was just doing politics. ”Wait, no...I-”

Her head fell, tears threatening to rise as she considered what she could do, say. How could she make them believe her?

Then she remembered what Ishtar had told her before, about her sincerity, perseverance. She had to speak with her true feelings despite all opposition. Her head remained bowed, yet her voice was clear. ”Several months ago, a girl arranged a meeting of all the magical girls in Penrose to combat a looming threat. She was killed at that meeting, and as far as anyone could tell we were the ones responsible. We had no evidence otherwise, none they would believe. We eventually found out what that threat was and stopped it, but not before our headquarters was bombed by one of our sisters who had been abducted and mind controlled. She was my friend."

The girls in the crowd gasped and held their hands up to their mouths, shocked at the revelation. The girl leading the skeptics turned with a raised eyebrow, but no longer attempted leaving.

Alicia continued. ”"More stuff happened after that evil was defeated. My friend was found, she was purified, they put her on trial. We stopped a Horror from incarnating on Earth, we found a way to make the Spark resist mind alteration. Then we got swept away by some Lesser Force to a paradise dimension for what we thought was a few days but ended up being months. The Ascendancy moved in to restore order. When we all came back me and my friends were put on trial for heresy, for working with monsters and going against tradition. Then when it seemed like things were returning to normal, some girl uses emotion magic to cause a city wide riot, another tries to assassinate a Cardinal, and a third uses a mass Psychic spell to destroy the minds of our sisters deployed to stop the violence.”

The girls continued to be shocked, and one weaker-looking girl actually fainted, held up by another. The skeptics group looked at each other with concern; it seemed Alicia's speech was causing them to think things over.

A sigh escaped Alicia, her hands clenched into trembling fists as images flashed before her eyes. She choked back tears, her heart speaking for itself. ”It’s so hard not to agree with the Ascendancy, when it feels like every success comes at that kind of cost. We try to help people, protect them, and they lash out at us. Maybe we should just kill them all and be done with it. It would be the simplest way.”

Her head rose, eyes shimmering with emotions that threatened to spill out. ”But I believe in Beacon, I believe in the mission and in my sisters. We should be an example people can look up to and aspire towards. But we can’t do that while we’re stuck in the past.” God, maybe she should have brought Penny after all…..

The crowd began to murmur one another, and now Gabriel spoke up. "Like you girls, I was someone who decided to quit from the Beacon. I felt that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't better the lives of people, that I'd just perpetuate the cycle of hate that Beacon is based around. But as Alicia said, we need to believe!" She pointed to the crowd. "Alicia had risked her life numerous times, fought against world-destroying plots, just like all of us. But she is still walking forward, carrying all those burdens. That's because she believes in a new future. It may sound like mere politics, but if that's the case, would she admit to have been nearly convicted of heresy? Would she have come to us veterans, bittered by our treatment, if she just wanted followers? She could have just as easily gathered some naive rookies to do that." The murmurs grew stronger, until the skeptics once again spoke.
"What do you suggest we do, then? How can we move on from our past?" They asked, willing to hear Alicia out.

Elation then. Alicia’s heart rose as her words reached the girls who had previously considered leaving. The fainting was a bit awkward, but hopefully they would be alright. At the same time she knew she couldn’t rest easy. It would be too easy to throw it all away like she almost had before.

So she turned to their question. ”We show that our way works. We help people, do good for the places we’re assigned to. We hold true to our beliefs and we find people in Beacon who feel like we do and who are losing hope or still struggling to do the right thing, and we support them so they know they aren’t alone.”

Her head rose, sadness no longer present as she advocated for action. ”I have the feeling that real soon the higher ups are going to have to address this issue, otherwise the Penrose Branch will be on a different path from the rest of the organization. When they do, we’ll have our moment.” And if they didn’t, well, Alicia could always force the issue if she had to. But that was for the future.

Most of the skeptics nodded, only one of them still frowning with a cold stare. "When that happens, you're going to be squashed. I've seen it before. I can't take it. The rest of you can try your luck." She then passed by Gabriel, who stepped aside, and left from the center. The rest of the girls stayed. "I believe in what she's saying." "Let's give it another try! If the Spark can change, so can Beacon!" "Beats staying at home." Alicia heard a number of voices, each unique, yet all of them sharing the same sentiment. "Uhh, excuse me," one strange-looking magical girl raised her hand. "So, uhh, where do we go? Back to our previous branches? I was in Briarazor, but that town was wiped out," she admitted with grit teeth.

It seemed her words had persuaded many. Not everyone, but she did not fault them for their choices. She did consider offering them mind wipes again, but if they wanted it they wouldn’t have stormed out. It would be fine, probably.

Instead she turned to the question. ”Anyone who wants to come to Penrose can,” she replied. ”As you may have noticed things are a bit crazy there, but there are a lot of good people there too. Otherwise I’ll put in a word with the Cardinal to have you sent back to your old branch or anywhere else you might want to go.”

“Hands up, who’s fine with going to Penrose?” Gabriel asked. In response, 19 people lifted their hands. “Alright, we’ll work out your relocations later for the rest of you, so wait for a call. As for the rest of you...Welcome aboard!” She shook hands with the girls, and they in turn went to shake hands with Alicia. “I’m still on the fence about this,” one of the girls said. “But I’m willing to give this another shot.”

All in all, Alicia couldn’t help but feel a bit proud. There had been some rough spots, but it had gone better than she had thought it would. This was nothing to sneeze at. ”Thank you everyone.”

The handshakes would be returned with an earnest sincerity, as she wanted to make sure they knew just how much she appreciated their decision. ”I’m honored that you’;re willing to give me this chance. I’m sure you all have a lot to teach me as well.”

After the handshakes were done, the girls began to leave in scattered groups, and Gabriel went over to Alicia. “Good job, Alicia! We managed to convince a big chunk out of the Angel District girls! Word of this might spread to other districts too, so we could get more girls to join back to Beacon. I’ll go work out the details in rejoining now, but let’s stay in touch.” As she said that she offered her phone number to Alicia.

”That sounds good to me, though I’m not sure how many of them will remember they used to be part of Beacon. But it will only help,” Alicia agreed once the group began to disperse.

Alicia took the phone number before giving her own back. ”Let me know if you need anything, and I’ll be over as quick as I can.”

Gabriel smiled after the exchange. “Got it. See you later!” She waved, and then left the activity center.

”See you later.” Alicia watched her go, humming to herself. With a pleased smile she looked around the room before heading for the entrance that had brought her to the Overcity the first time. It had been a very productive day.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer

And so the time came. The meeting broke up, and the two expeditions departed. One was on a scientific mission, the other on a diplomatic one. Only time would tell how both ended up resolving themselves.

On the bridge of the Pride, Korax watched the two groups departed the ship. Its face was expressionless, not that 5there was much expression there in the first place. While they went about the missions at hand it would oversee the ship. If assistance was required by either party it was the Pride which would have to provide it. That was why it had stayed here.

Korax then turned from the viewscreen, moving to stand near the Captain's chair. "Carry on with your duties as normal," it informed the bridge crew present. "They will alert us if any difficulties arise."

Beyond presenting an air of calm, it was for the best. A prolonged state of alertness would have a deleterious effect upon the crew, leaving them tired for the times when an actual emergency might arise. They were on potentially hostile territory, but it wanted to ensure that the crew did not stress themselves too much during the course of this mission. Who knew, the Captain might depend ion it in the future. It would also make for a useful precedent in future encounters. The crew would know what its leadership was like and be able to react accordingly.

For now Korax began its silent vigil, reading reports and handling issues as they arose. Otherwise, it waited for the Captain to return. Hopefully all would go well.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Having gotten the blessing, or probably more accurate the curse, from the Inquisitor to offer purification there were some matters to attend to. The start of course was continuing to make coins in order that people may use them. They let Alicia know that they’d like to talk. She could visit whenever it was convenient. Everything as it was the twins were careful to stick pretty closely to their usual routine. In the lab a fair number of Binky clones were still around that hadn’t managed to destroy themselves somehow. With the actual Binky gone they had suddenly become more cooperative in order to avoid being offed by the twins or Cindy.

Entering the lab, Alicia glanced around at the Binkies hard at work. That was still a bit strange but she’d grown used to it. She’d finally found some free time in her schedule, and decided to check in on the twins after getting their message. Besides, she wanted to see how things were going with Cindy after the contract that had been signed.

Having satisfied her curiosity, the Seraph walked over to the twins. ”Hey, how’s it going?” she asked as she approached them.

”Hey Alicia!” Jenna would smile and wave. ”Pretty good. We’re not dead.” She would say a bit more cheerfully than should probably be allowed. She needed to keep things in a better mood than they had been though, for both their sakes.

Janet smiled and looked up from her work. ”Heh, yeah that’s almost a surprise.” She shuffled some things out of the way. ”We talked with Rachel about Cindy so... yeah.” The encounter left her with mixed feelings on the matter. Still they had some recourse.

An eyebrow rose as Alicia heard what the twins had gotten up to recently. ”I discerned as much,” was the deadpan response to their current state of not being dead. It would have been hard to send her a message after all, though erpahsp not impossible. She did have her Sorcery after all.

”Is that what you wanted to talk about?” she asked. It seemed the most likely subject, unless they needed supplies or something.

The girls seemed to consider it a moment. ”A little bit. I think we have most of that covered.” She would motion to the coins they had crafted thus far. ”Added to the ones we made before I think we have enough for most of our patrols at this point. That just leaves Rachel’s deal.” The first bit was a little shaky when under the scrutiny of Alicia’s Light magic. It was pretty natural to understate things though.

That was good to hear, though the ambush of the patrols before had left things a bit in doubt. ”Hm, with what happened the night of the Rave, I’m worried about what other actors might be doing if they’re deliberately trying to acquire White Coins,” the Seraph pointed out. ”Could they make a way to reverse its effects?

Jenna would roll her chair back and scratch her head a bit. ”Depends on what part you mean. The ShineSpark is supplied by Beacon so that would be pretty tough. We don’t even really understand how that works. The purification part would be pretty tough too. Part of the reason it isn’t as potent as the one we took was to avoid someone stealing it.” She would point to their sigled instruments. ”Even if they did figure it out though good luck without these. Cindy has taken a look at them and I’m pretty sure she has a ways to go before being able figure out how it works, much less make one. Hell, I know how to use them but I don’t know how I would go about making more of these things.” She would chuckle slightly. ”Kinda limits the maximum output but oh well. I think if someone had a coin maker like Binky then they could use the White Coin much like they would the Red. Figure out how to load different effects to it. So for the most part I think we’re pretty safe. We planned for the eventuality that someone would steal one, because of course they would.” She stuck her tongue out cheekily. They really did attempt and be careful though. In the wrong hands the full potion they used could have been just as bad as it was good, a reality their wish made them all too aware of.

Alicia breathed a sigh of relief as Jenna laid out her explanation. That certainly helped to put her mind at ease for what might end up happening in the future. ”Alright, just figured I would make sure.” It was good to hear that they had planned for something like this happening.

With that said, she moved on to the other topic that the twins had raised. ”Now then, what’s this about ‘Rachel’s deal’?”

”Yeah so. She reacted about as well as we expected. She thought I was crazy that I would bring Cindy back in my head. Not that... well you know. Anyway, at one point it seemed like maybe Cindy was getting through about restoring order and some of the plights that monster girls kind of have to deal with. She grabbed our neck for a moment and tossed us aside. In the end though she’s giving us the chance to offer purification to those in the Sanctuary. It sounded more or less an ‘accept it or die’ ultimatum though.” Janet was rather calm during the explanation. It was in the past though.

While Alicia wasn’t surprised to hear any of this, she would admit that it sounded like it had gone a bit better than expected. Rachel wasn’t insisting that Cindy be removed by any means after all. So that was probably a good sign.

”That doesn’t sound too bad,” she observed. ”Though that sounds like something you should talk with Penny about.” She was the one managing the Sanctuary after all.

”Agreed. I wanted your opinion on something though.” Janet would step over to the newly replaced lock box, the last one having been destroyed by Hilde’s creation, and took out a small vial. Coming back over and holding it up it up the liquid was clear, but still had the same star looking effect of the potion she had used. ”We can make some of these as well. Same purification as the coin but it doesn’t join you into Beacon. We would rather people use the coin, but at the same time giving some kind of option would probably go a long way to helping our image.” She set the vial down.

Examining the potion that Janet had produced, once again Alicia found herself impressed by the Twins ingenuity. This was something that she never would have imagined when joining Beacon. Having said that, there was something about this that bugged her. ”What’s wrong with our normal purification rituals?” she asked. ”If it’s about trust, I doubt they would trust a potion that we provide as much as they trust a ritual.”

Janet cocked her head to the side slightly. She probably wasn’t the best person to answer that question. Setting down the vial she would switch over to Cindy. ”Perhaps. Admittedly I do not know very much about your ritual of purification. In time you may have some seek your more traditional methods. Yet in this city your Ascendancy is having those they deem tainted cut down should they show their face. Would you come to me if you believed doing so meant death?” She would look at the coins and the vial. ”The outcome may not differ, but presented the choice in relative safety is preferable.” She would turn back to Alicia. ”At this time I am afraid you appear to be an exception in Beacon. I would like to know why that is.” Her tone was not so judgemental as it was simply stating fact. The end however was more of curiosity.

While Alicia understood the stance, not all of her concerns had been addressed. ”Won’t they have the same mistrust if we just give them these potions? Just changing the location doesn’t change what the expected outcome might be.” She would address the other question, but she wanted to discuss this first.

Cindy nodded. ”Very likely a demonstration would need to be in order. Part of that will depend on how I reveal that I still live or we would leave that up to Penny and Goblina. I lack the Third Eye to confirm such, but Jenna tells me those who possess it should see its intention if it were to be examined more closely.” She would glance at Jenna for confirmation.

”Should be able to. Oh and this one you actually just drink. I don’t think they would enjoy so much getting swallowed by space.” It was the best description that she had for what happened.

”Alright, as long as you’ve considered it.” This would be very awkward if they went to all the effort only to meet with a resoundingly cold reception to their advances. But now Alicia could worry a bit less about that.

Instead she turned to what Cindy had asked of her. ”I suppose it’s because I’m in charge of the Branch. I have to set an example for people when they’re understandably scared and worried because someone decided to use psychic magic to fry their comrades brains. And when someone arranged a meeting with our Cardinal only to try and kill her.” Not that she was blaming Cindy, but a reminder seemed like it was needed.

Cindy studied Alicia for a moment. They had not really openly spoken before now. Penny had shown her what transpired at the rave and the twins the park. She had expressed some level of remorse to Rachel, but her responding behavior struck close to how Cindy herself had been. Since waking up she seemingly had been undone and forced to reassess who she was, or perhaps wanted to be. The honesty was welcome though. ”I cannot say that I am not at fault for what has happened. My hubris was used to bring about death and the city’s further destruction. This is not what I envisioned when I lay claim to Penrose. It is not something I intend to repeat.” She would offer a light smile to the Seraph and would place a hand on the other girl’s shoulder. ”Your courage is admirable, Alicia Hayden. May it take you further than it would have me.”

She would remove her hand and cross her arms behind her, which had a way of making her stand up straight. But it also meant she had less use of her hands so she must be comfortable enough around the high ranking Beacon girl to let her guard down. ”I have done part to make amends. Your Cardinal will recover. The twins and I saw sure to that.” She sounded rather proud to say so.

While Alicia would not have directly blamed Cindy for what had happened, there was no doubt that she bore some culpability in the events that had transpired. However, the fact that this was done with the visage of Janet helped to dull some of the anger that might have otherwise be present. Especially since this version of Cindy did not remember what had transpired. ”i do what I can,” she responded with a sigh.

The mention of the Cardinal brought things to a lighter point as the Seraph nodded. ’So I heard. Thank you for that. She is important to all of us. Now we just need to find the ones responsible.” And then they would make them pay for their crimes, in full.

Cindy would nod in agreement. ”You have my blessing to that.”

There was a slight pause before the subject would revert back a bit. ”I understand that one of mine had been purified by a White Coin, Hyun Long. I would like to speak with her. Perhaps she could give me insight into her experience thus far having been brought into your fold.” Seeing as they were discussing offering others the chance to join Beacon, Cindy was quite curious to know how the girl was doing. Her own experience perhaps being atypical.

The mention of Hyun brought a small chuckle, though it was likely not for the reason that Cindy might think. ”That can be arranged,” she confirmed with a noid. ”Seems Hyun is pretty popular after her transformation. I’m a bit surprised.”

Cindy would raise her eyebrows a bit. ”Oh? That bodes well I hope.” She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the comment.

”I wouldn’t call it bad,” Alicia assured her. ”You’re just not the first person who’s been asking about how Hyun Long is doing post transformation so far.” It would only be a problem if Hyun or Rachel considered it to be one.

For a moment the lightning girl seemed reluctant to say something. She however carried on. ”She may be reluctant. Our relationship was tenuous. Her impulses to feed required a heavy hand when it threatened to overwhelm her. Assure her that I mean her well and wish to know how she fares. Explain my own circumstance if you must. Her testimony could be powerful if she has been treated well.”

Jenna would pipe in. ”Just as long as it’s not tomorrow morning.”

”I’ll keep that in mind.” While Alicia was somewhat unaware of the relationship that Cindy and Hyun had had in the past, she was more than willing to be courteous and respectful towards any problems or hesitation that might arise. It wasn’t like this was a matter of life or death importance.

Glancing over to Jenna, she regarded the girl with a curious look. ”Something happening, or are you two just not morning people these days?”

”Oh, we’re all day people. Magic or whatever. Janet just has a doctor’s appointment. Our parents have noticed she’s been acting weird and talking all old worldy sometimes so I guess they’re trying to figure out why.” She would narrow her eyes looking at Cindy.

Huffing a bit, Cindy would ignore the stare. ”I am not accustomed to your droll manner of speaking. Really I do not understand the need of parents at this stage.”

Well, that was much less serious than she had thought. ”Ah, I see. Alright.” She was confident that they could accommodate this.

That just left Cindy and her dismissive stance. Holding back a sigh, the Seraph instead shook her head. ”Parents provide emotional stability for girls who might otherwise feel overwhelmed with their magical responsibilities. Not only that but they provide a reminder of what it is that we’re fighting for,” she explained. ”Maybe some parental discipline is what you need right now Cindy.”

Her head would snap around and she would stare at Alicia for a moment. Responding as she would normally would be an extreme irony in this moment. It was clear she wanted to say something potentially scathing or further dismissive but caught herself. ”I will try and be less of a…” She paused as if searching for the right word. ”pain for their parents.” Clearly not convinced she would shake her head. ”Regardless, I believe that Janet has more personal matters she wishes to discuss with you.” Leaving in as close to a huff as could be imagined Janet was suddenly back at the wheel.

All of Janet’s usual uniform would return in a soft white light that washed over her. She would shiver a bit. ”Ah. That’s still weird.” Jenna would stand up and give her sister a hug. While they may have come to a compromise, this wasn’t easy on any of them.

”Thank you,” Alicia concluded as Cindy agreed to try and do better when it came to Janet’s parents. She stood aloof, letting the twins embrace with Janet’s mind returned to her for the moment. As she had said before, she was in no rush.

But eventually she would speak up once more. ”Janet, Cindy said you still had something you wanted to talk about?”

Janet would take a breath before speaking. ”Justine. Penny told me something about...”. She would shake her head slightly. ”Working with her?”

Ah, right. Honestly Alicia was surprised that Janet didn’t know about that. She hadn’t exactly been subtle in approaching Beacon. ”That’s correct,” she affirmed with a nod. ”We were approached about finding common cause in stopping Mariette, who has all the resources she took from Justine during that fight a while ago. Then once Mariette has been stopped, we’re going to purify her.” Not that it would be that simple, but she was prepared for it.

Janet would consider the prospect for a while. It just sounded like a bad idea all around. Not that Mariette was all that high on her list of people to work with, Justine was far lower. ”I don’t like this. Not at all.” There was silence for a while. ”Yeah, I don’t really know what to do about that one.”

Alicia resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the twins voiced their disapproval. Not that there was much of a surprise there. ”She would be doing this with or without us. At least now we know what she’s up to and where she’ll be. Both me and Rachel agree on this one. We’ll stop Mariette and then purify Justine, even if she isn’t sincere about it.”

She then glanced over to Janet. ”As much as I would prefer they work it out amongst themselves, I have a score to settle. This is closer to her than we’ve been before and may ever be.”

The twins were not in a good position right now. Something was up with Cindy, they didn’t know what but they could feel it. And thanks to their little agreement now in place they couldn’t really say much. Not like they disagreed with what was being done, but with of all people… With a sigh she would lean forward and cover her face. ”What did she do again? Besides kidnap me?” She would ask honestly. There was so much going on as of late she swore her brain was melting. That or she was suffering from temporary memory loss like Cindy had.

Now that was a question Alicia was more than willing to answer. ”She took many items of value from Justine’s castle during that fight. Not only that but she also took the other girls that Justine had acquired while trying to carry out her ritual, and kept them for whatever her Patron intends to do.” Her hands clenched in anger as she recalled how gullible she had been. Never again.

”Right...” She wouldn’t say much more than that for the moment.

Frowning, the Seraph fell further into her thoughts as she folded her arms over her chest. ”I would be fine if it was just working with us to save her own skin. That’s reasonable. But I can’t accept her just taking advantage of us to become a greater menace. That’s why I aim to fix this mistake now, before we regret it more later.”

Janet would nod understandingly. ”I understand. I’m not really sure how much help I might be for that. I have enough to do as is. And avoiding Rachel for the time being is probably in my best interest.” She wasn’t entirely sure on that last part. Presumably if things went well that could change. For the time being though she was teetering as a target of Beacon, or the Ascendancy at least..

The Seraph shrugged, understanding the hesitation and not able to argue Janet’s assessment. These days the Twins didn’t seem like they wanted to be involved on the front lines. There was only one thing that sprang to mind. ”Well, if you have anything lying around that we could use on Justine when the time comes, that would be useful. Otherwise we should manage with what we’ve got.”

Jenna would think for a spell. ”We don’t really have anything handy. For the most part we’ve tried to avoid weaponizing the things we make.” Going into that territory opened up a can of worms that they didn’t really want to get into. Cindy had expressed some curiosity for why they hadn’t done so, seeing the potential. At the same time though the caution was appreciated as they surely would have been used to harm those she intended to protect. Still a tempting prospect.

”Fair enough,” Alicia conceded. It didn’t hurt to ask after all. ”If that was all then I guess I’ll let you guys get back to it now”

”Almost.” Janet would step over and give Alicia a big hug. ”I don’t say it enough, but thank you. You’re a better friend than I deserve.” She would hold onto her for a little while. Eventually letting go she would look to be feeling much better even if her eyes were a little watery. ”You’ve always been there for me. If you need anything just ask. I mean it.” Wiping her face a bit she smiled brightly.

Taken aback with the sudden embrace, after a moment Alicia returned the gesture. ”You’re welcome. I’ll keep that in mind,” she replied with a warm smile. She was glad that Janet felt better, and she was feeling better too as they stepped apart. Things were tough now, but as long as they believed in each other she was confident they could triumph in the end.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

&

The night had been long, and the day promised to be longer. Alicia had informed her parents that she would be busy for the day due to an emergency with a friend, lest they worry about where she was. That seemed like it would be important in the days to come.

Then she had thrown herself into work. Patrols organized, girls who were causing havoc from the rave dealt with. Because of what had happened the bleeding in the organization was severe, and that meant she could not afford to give anything less than her all. Not with how bad things were.

Eventually she did manage to get a break in, the Seraph seated in the lobby of the building. Her shoulders were slumped, her head fallen. She had recovered from what happened earlier, to some degree. Her hands only shook when she wasn’t paying attention now, so that was an improvement.

”Sylvia…” she muttered to herself. The tears had dried for now, but the pain of losing a close friend would not fade so easily.

God, this was a nightmare.

Alica would feel Penny’s presence only a moment before the newly reforged girl appeared. She stood a short distance away carefully watching Alicia, her gaze much more guarded and unsure then the light user had ever seen.

Soon Penny would gather up her resolve and slowly approach Alicia “Hey…” She would say softly pulling a seat next to her best friend, perhaps her only real friend, or at least that was how it felt at times. “How are you holding up?” It wasn’t the most burning question that Penny had, but it was still the right question to start with. She was working on being less selfish after all.

Glancing over at the arrival of her friend, Alicia looked over Penny for a moment. Her eyes held an empty look, vision dulled by the carnage that she had bore witness to and everything else. The fight at the graveyard, the assault on Justine’s castle, none of that was like that.

”As well as can be expected, better than some,” she replied slowly. She had to be strong, had to keep the others moving. That was what a leader did.

Of course there was one element that had not escaped her attention. ”You changed again,” she noted. ”Work things out with your human half?”

Penny would place a hand on Alicia’s shoulder in support, she understood, better than most, of all the carnage that the two of them had been through. Penny also knew that she was built to handle it better than most. Thus her heart went out to her human friend.

“Yeah. Only got one of me roaming around once again. It…” Penny would stall for a moment as she looked at Alicia once again, her gaze searching the other girl for some unknowable sign. “It was good, for the most part, and a nice send off. Came with a few nasty surprises though” She would go on to say as she pulled her hand back turning it so that Alicai could see it open up and reveal a small microchip.

“Were you aware of this?” she would ask softly even as her gaze focused on Alicia all the more intently.

”That went quicker than I thought it would. Should I expect an angry Chloe to swing by with murderous intent in the near future?” Surely she had not taken this change in the status quo lying down. And with what they had just been through another person gunning for their collective heads was the last thing they needed.

Her gaze narrowed as Penny opened up a portion of her hand to reveal a small chip in it. ”Looks like a computer part. Should I know what it is?”

“Chloe’s vanished” Penny would reply with more than just a little heat, the memory of feeling the Hero token slowly fade into just a simple trinket rushing to the forefront of her mind. “I don’t know where she went, but she’s gone for now. That abandonment is key to what helped heal the rift.”

Penny would let out a sigh, or at least the motions and sounds of one, before moving on “This, on the other hand, was snuck into my systems by Sylvia” she would go on to explain letting Alicia take another good look at the simple looking chip, before she sequestered it back into her frame to be tucked away until she knew what it was she wanted to do about it. “She didn’t tell you about it I’m guessing. Which I’m not sure how to feel about that, Other then I am glad you didn’t know about it beforehand”

She would rest back into her chair as she let her gaze drift towards the ceiling “It’s a mind control chip effectively” She would say succinctly “Installed back when we were working on my legs”

Somehow, with everything else that had happened tonight, Alicia was able to take learning that Penny had a mind control chip installed in her in stride. What was one more thing with everything else that had happened?

”Sylvia’s gone,” she said, the words heavy and like ash in her mouth. ”She was defending the Cardinal from Cindy’s sneak attack. She could have scried what happened, but had not been able to work up the will or courage to do so.

Another shaking breath escaped as her hands were clasped together in her lap. It was easier to keep them motionless that way. ”I didn’t know. I guess she just didn’t trust Laat.” Considering what had happened with him, it wasn’t the most unreasonable decision. But what to do about it now?

“I know” Penny would reply with a shrug “I’ve been tapped into the Beacon network most of the night doing what I could to help. I saw the report. Don’t blame her for not trusting the bastard, it’s…” She shook her head and sat up “Not important right now.”

“You are more important right now. Is there anything I can do to help, anything. I’ll even track down Kimble and drag her here if you need it” They could deal with this ghost later, it wasn’t important right now even if Penny wanted to vent about it. She could be patient, and ask Sylvia about it herself one day if she really needed too. Right now Alicia needed more support than Penny did, Penny wasn’t fine, she wasn’t going to delude herself on that, but her issue could be put on hold, besides Alicia didn’t know anything that Penny didn’t about it at the moment.

Well, if Penny didn’t want to discuss this issue further, Alicia couldn’t blame her. As she had noted, there was plenty vying for their attention right now, the very organization perhaps at stake in this struggle.

”Just doing what you would expect,” she replied matter-of-factly. ”I think we’ve got most of the monster girls who escaped the rave taking cover now. But we’ve still got to deal with the Penrose Independent, and the holes this left for dealing with the normal monsters. That and making sure somebody doesn’t blame us for what Vi and the PI did.” She had some plans in mind for that, but the time to do it was proving much harder to grasp on top of the current major crisis

“I might be able to help with that” Penny would say slowly as she thought about it “Or at the very least I can give you a starting point for that” as she spoke up her little drone would pop out and float over to Alicia and just bob in front of her for a moment before give a few cherry beeps.

“Meet Snoopy. I had him in the rave, even after you told me not too, because I saw Veronica head in and felt it would be a better idea to keep an eye on her.” Penny would explain as the drone bobbed around just looking at things. “That means I have a recording of most things that happened at the Rave. That should be a decent starting point for a PR campaign”

Her instructions might have been ignored, but for once Alicia could be glad that that was the case. Sure, it wouldn’t convince everyone But those individuals who were not swayed probably weren’t the ones they were trying to appeal to anyways. ”That’s good. We’ll have to see about getting that up in the public eye.”

For a moment she considered mentioning collaboration, before being silenced by the other thing which had been digging at her brain this whole time. The issue that grew more and more glaring as she looked at it. ’Still, for best you keep away from Rachel. Not with...whatever it is that you did to your Spark.” Her gaze was sharp, perhaps closer to a glare. A suspicion that perhaps Penny’s issues were not as resolved as she claimed.

Penny would give Alicia an odd look for a moment before understanding seeped in, a somewhat sad smile on her face as it did “The Spark is fine” She would say leaning forward onto her knees “And there isn’t going to be another Split issue either” She continued on her gaze tracing across the far wall. She didn’t have it in her to match eye’s with Alica for this next part. “There can’t be another split issue, Jason is gone after all, so it’s only me in here. For better or worse.”

”Explain,” Alicia replied, confused and not all that reassured by the answer. Jason? She didn’t want to force the secret out, but she would if she had to. Seemed she would be doing that a bit more these days.

“When we first met face to face, I told you I considered my name to be Penny, and that they had referred to me as the Engine. That’s because they never got used to all of this.” She would gesture around as she spoke quietly, for this was a secret that she had always kept close. “She used to be he, and his name was Jason. The Coin gave him a way out, something he had wanted for a long time if we are being honest, but it left its effects as you can see.”

She would look at Alicia again, a tired smile tugging at her lips “I don’t think it’s possible for me to become anymore human then I am right now, because at my core, I am no longer human. But the Spark hasn’t left me yet, which I think counts for something, and if it ever does that won’t change that I am here for you if you need it.”

There was something incredibly off putting here, the notion that Penny had reached reconciliation by excising the human portion of her soul entirely, removing it from the world of magic and leaving only herself behind. She supposed that did explain some things, even if this was a situation she had never been confronted with before.

She wasn’t sure how to feel about it, confused and still a bit worried despite Penny’s reassurances. After what had happened in the past, trust was proving more difficult to marshal. Still, she did at least have a point when it came to the Spark. Silently, the Seraph resolved to talk to the Beckoners about this later.

”Alright,” she agreed in the end. ”I’d still avoid Rachel though. Even at the best of times I’m not sure how well she would take this.” As it was now, there was just too great of a risk.

“I hear ya.” Penny would agree with a nod, Rachel had been accepting of her before but this was a change rather out of left field so there was no reason to provoke the Ascendency while things were still tense. “It’s not how I wanted this to turn out, but his spirit was too close to breaking and I was worried for the both of us.” She would add after a moment as she knew that what she had done was very much in a gray area, and she was under no illusions that Alicia’s trust in her was fully restored after only a week.

“Hey, at least this way I can claim to have known you most of my life” Penny would give a short lived grin as she tried to inject some levity. She couldn’t help but feel that it fell a bit flat so...

With a sigh she’d shift back to other topics “Other then the PR issues, anything else that I might be able to help with?”

”Heh.” Alicia snorted a bit at the joke, though it really wasn’t all that funny if she was being honest. But she at least appreciated the attempt.

That quickly returned to normal as Penny asked what she could do, if there was any way to help. ”I’m not sure. Just keep doing what we normally do. I wanted to try and do some of my plans, but when things are like this…..It’s hard to say the Ascendancy is wrong.” If their enemies were willing to go to such lengths, maybe it was easier to just burn it all and sort it out in twenty years.

“It seems like that” Penny would agree “But I wouldn’t say that they are sustainable long term. From my point of view everytime they purge an area they simply kick the issue down the road. For in twenty years there are going to be a lot of girls returning, and nothing will have really changed other than that to those girls returning Beacon has become someone to distrust which will only make it more likely that the Ascendency needs to be called on again.”

“You and the Beacon you have shown? Well there is me and Kimble at least, that know better, and untold numbers that will learn due to the white coin, that will only trust it because you showed you were willing to trust girls like me and Kimble. Those are the girls that will help change the world to one that doesn’t find itself needing to be purged again and again in two decade cycles.”

“I hope others feel the same way,” Alicia noted aloud. She was, of course, pleased by the support that Penny had for her dream and what she wanted to do. But making it work in reality, against the conflict that the Ascendancy and the Mint were pushing, that was an entirely different story. They had already lost some, and in all likelihood more would fall before this was over. Could she pay that price?

After a moment she rose, smoothing out her clothing once she was on her feet. There was no point in sitting around and getting down about it, not when there were things that needed to be done. ”Anyway, like I said right now we’re mostly doing damage control. That’s the big area you can help with. Once things have settled we’ll see about more long term plans,” she told her friend.

“I’ll do what I can” Penny would agree as she stood up with Alicia “That being said I am working on a longer term plan as well, they kinda dovetail into each other in this case.” She would add rubbing the back of her neck a bit nervously “I’m working towards taking Cindy’s place. I kinda took command of the girls that stayed behind when I got to the Sanctuary last night. Sent a few groups out to try and help quell the riots. And now with Cindy’s death I don’t think it would be a good idea to leave the Sanctuary without someone leading it for long so I’m kinda stepping into the void left behind.” She gave something of a helpless shrug after that admission, knowing full well that she had more or less admitted to massively breaking part of the basic vow each Beacon member took to the head of the local Beacon branch. Yet Penny didn’t feel right in trying to keep any more secrets from Alicia, she had done that too much already.

“I don’t really know, how well it’s going to pan out, but I know there is at least a handful of girls who will stick with me which is about the best I can hope for at the moment”

Alicia froze, eyes widening as Penny revealed what else she had been up to. The Seraph had been considering if she should tell Rachel the location of the Shelter, but it seemed that that might be off the table. At least in the short term.

”I...see.” Her response was slow, cautious. Another boundary to be pushed, for better or worse. ”Can you keep them under control? If they follow their instincts and start to hurt people, I won’t be able to condone the Shelter continuing to operate.” She was all for giving people a chance, but they had to make the effort.

“For the moment, I think so, but it’s hard to know for the long term. I’m going to be trying my best to make it work though.” Penny would admit “That said, if you need to drop me and the shelter, do so. Twenty years of you running Beacon will give us another chance at making this shelter idea work.” She would speak with quiet conviction fully willing to place her future into Alicia’s hands.

“Just, try and give me a warning if you can?”

”I can do that,” Alicia agreed with a nod. She wouldn’t make any predictions as to what might happen in the future, but there was no doubt that she would let Penny know if things went wrong. Ideally before any armed force was used.

The thought of that did cause something to occur to her, and she reached into a pocket before tossing a small bag to Penny. ”Before I forget, here. Courtesy of Aurelio. He said he felt like we needed them more than he did. she had her own little portion, but she wasn’t carrying that with her right now.

Penny would catch the bag and glance in, noting that it held a decent chunk of Coins. “I’ll swing by the infirmary and give him my thanks before heading out again” She would say as she sequestered away the welcomed boon. “Keep me in mind if you need anything done” She would say as she turned to leave, before she turned back and gave Alicia a short side hug “And I’m glad you made it through the night.” she would add in honestly before moving to leave. After all there was still much work to be done.

”I will. And thanks, you too,” Alicia assured her friend before moving off in a different direction. They both had their responsibilities, it was time to get back to it.

---

“Cool banner T2wave. Be a shame if someone stole it.”

— Veronica

In the past, Veronica was a difficult person to get a hold of. With the advent of the Cradle’s Glimmr account however, it was easy for anyone to get in touch with Trixy. Alicia sent Trixy a DM requesting an audience with Veronica, and waited. It wasn’t long before she could hear Veronica’s voice in her head.

“Greetings, Alicia Hayden.” Came her monotone voice. “I had thought you would contact me sooner. Is Sylvia still interested in my proposal?”

Waiting patiently, Alicia had expected a phone call, or maybe an instant message. But she was not too surprised at the sudden sound of Veronica’s voice in her head as she relaxed in her bedroom for once rather than staying at HQ.

An eyebrow rose, mostly for her own benefit rather than any signal before she answered. ”Sylvia is no longer in charge of the Penrose Branch of Beacon. I am. I’m surprised you didn’t know that,” she observed while shrugging off the awkward feeling of talking to herself despite the voice in her head.

“I don’t really care who’s in charge, she said she was interested in allying with me and I thought it was best to get in contact with her. But if that’s to go through someone else, so be it.”

”As for the proposal you mentioned, that would depend on whether the attempt on the head of the Ascendancy would represent the official policy of the Cradle.”

“As I understand, said Ascendancy head ordered that my agents ‘be dealt with’ after assisting with the take down of a monster queen, during which they avoided firing upon the inquisitor.” There was a click. “Surely you don’t expect my agents to part with their lives just because they were told to?”

While Alicia would admit that Rachel had been a bit hasty, she couldn’t entirely fault her in the heat of the moment. ”By that same metric, your people also possessed the ability to leave at their will. Since the dealing with had been left to my prerogative, wanton violence had not been my first instinct. But attempting an assassination is a significant escalation, as I’m sure you realize.” She had to be firm, especially where Veronica was concerned. She was a former Mint broker after all.

“They could have left, yes.” Veronica agreed. “They also could have been attacked as they fled. They could have run into Beacon reinforcements or had a bounty put on their head. While we’re talking about hypothetical situations, Rachel could have kept her mouth shut. That would have solved everyone’s problems.” There was a growl in her voice. “If it were a Cradle agent ordering the death of some Beacon girls who helped them slay a monster, I know you wouldn’t take it lightly.”

While Alicia would concede that Veronica had a point, it still grated on her a bit. It took force of will and determination to take deep breaths and pull away from the pain of those memories. She had to follow her Virtue after all.

”You’re right. And I apologize. Emotions were running high at the time from all the violence, and we’re still working through the aftermath of that. I’m not opposed to an arrangement like the one that you approached Sylvia with before, as long as that stays an isolated incident. More fuel on the fire to keep the Ascendancy here is the last thing we need.”

“Then we are in agreement.” Veronica’s voice was still a low growl, but it seemed to be clearing up. “You’ve been rising through the ranks, Alicia Hayden. I believe you even outstrip Sylvia now. What is it, paladin now? Hard to keep track.” She sighed. “But I requested Sylvia not because of her rank, but how she held herself. Sylvia is cautious, yet has a rational mind. I hope you don’t mind me saying those are rare in Penrose. Even in Beacon, I would not be surprised if they allied with Justine just to take a shot at Mariette.” Veronica grunted. “That was a joke. I doubt Beacon would ally with a world ending horror worshiper. But Justine is no joke. She was at the rave. She turned one of my girls, so she’s clearly up to her old tricks again. Anyway, I have my agent’s soul stone, so don’t worry about ‘killing’ her should Justine use her when she sieges Beacon again.” Veronica chuckled. “Anyway, allying would be good for both of us I feel. I’ll give you some time to set that up. Message Trixy again in a few days with the news. But I’m getting off tangent here, you were the one that wished to contact me, So what would you like?”

For a moment Alicia got the impression that Veronica knew everything that had happened and was trying to subtly imply something, but she quickly dismissed that from mind. If she didn’t know about what had happened to Sylvia despite her death happening near her agents, then she probably didn’t know about the deal with Justine.

Besides, there was still a difference. There was no doubt that Justine could not be trusted, and she recognized that fact. It was just about getting the drop on her first. ”I’ll keep that in mind.” Odds were good she wouldn’t have recognized who it was beforehand anyway, but the assurance was nice.

That brought them back to the meeting. ”That incident was the main thing,” Alicia freelty admitted, before pausing to consider the opportunity at hand. ”Still, if you have information on where to find the people behind what happened at the rave, it would be appreciated. We’re working on it from our end but your sources are different than ours.”
“What is the likelihood of the Ascendancy attacking my agents again? Because unless it’s near zero, cooperating with Beacon will be more trouble than it’s worth.”

A sigh escaped as Alicia’s head bowed. As much as she wanted to say that there was no possibility, she knew that to be a lie. She couldn’t control Rachel, especially not after all of this. ”Then I guess there’s nothing else to talk about,” she replied.

“You may have the potential to change things at Beacon, Paladin. But such change is something you need to actively pursue if you want it. It won’t come falling into your lap.” A pause. “It is unfortunate that Beacon has reverted back to its old ways. With Justine hanging around and a war between corrupts and Beacon in sight, it’s feeling like a bit of a repeat from a few months ago, isn’t it?” A rhetorical question, Veronica continued. “I know you’re not stupid, Alicia Hayden. The person who needs to be sat down and talked to is the inquisitor. Until you’re willing to fix your organization, don’t bother contacting mine. I won’t ally with someone who actively tries to use and kill my agents. You know how to contact me again should things change.”

Alicia could feel a pressure being lifted off of her mind. Veronica had disconnected.

Well, that was that. Slumping down, Alicia’s gaze fell upon the ceiling as she reflected on what had been, and what might be. ”Things must be so much easier when you’re self employed,” she sighed. For now, she would just need to come up with a new plan.

---

&

The next couple of days after the Rave were very busy. With so many fallen, Beacon had to work harder than ever to police the town and keep the individuals inspired by Eden’s call to war from causing further trouble. It was not an easy task, but it was one that needed to be done.

As head of the Penrose branch, Alicia had been heavily involved in those efforts. Sometimes she had gone out personally, and other times she had delegated to create a better picture. The nights weren’t as long now as they had been, but she still wasn’t satisfied. If they couldn’t restore order in the city, that just made it all the more likely that the Ascendancy would just bring it all done because they believe the cause was hopeless here.

That said, she still found some spare time. Right now, she was looking for someone. There had been a new member to join Beacon just before the Rave, and they had not gotten the opportunity to chat. But she had heard things, and wanted to ensure that she had a passing familiarity with the members of the Penrose Branch.

So she walked along, greeting those she walked past while poking her head into this room and that. How hard could it be to find Anaya?

It was there Alicia would run into one of the spirit girl's smaller dolls, wandering around the halls. Once it noticed the seraph, it waved to her as to say "Excuse me!"

Coming across the doll, at first glance Alicia thought nothing of it. It took her a moment to remember what the files said Anayas magic was, and how the doll connected to that.

Once she had she would come to a stop, turning to face the figurine. "Hey there," she said to it. "Is your owner around here somewhere? I was hoping we could talk."

The doll tilted it's head, then nodded. It tugged gently at Alicia's sleeve as it lead her to Anaya. Anaya herself was busy trying to make some life sized dolls, more smaller ones floating around her and trying to assist.

Following the doll, they soon arrived at their destination. Alicia came to a stop, simply watching for a moment as Anaya went about her work. It was intriguing to watch how she went about the creation process, with dolls helping her to make more of their kind. The room was sizable enough that she had the space to work, so it seemed she was availing herself of Beacons facilities well enough.

After her initial curiosity had been satisfied, the Seraph-Paladin soon approached. "Looks like you're hard at work," she noted with a nod. "I take it that means you're settling in well?"

"Oh!" Anaya jumped some when Alicia spoke up, turning to face her superior. "Uhm, yeah! I mean, I have my own tools back in my interdimensional apartment, but there's a lot more to work with here." she said, brushing away some dust. "Still have to start on their armor though, eheh..."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. Not that she would have been offended otherwise, but Anaya seemed like she was satisfied, so that was good enough for her. With that said, she turned to her true purpose here. "Do you have a moment to talk? I know you joined up fairly recently, so I was hoping we could get to know each other a bit better."

"Oh, okay." the spirit girl set her tools aside. She let the other spirits continue working. "What do you wanna know?"

Stepping over, Alicia leaned against of the tables as Anaya gave her approval. "I guess well start easy. How long have you been a magical girl for?"

"A few years or so, maybe more." Anaya said.

Alicia nodded. So, kind of like herself then. not that unusual. "travel much, or did you just stick to a couple cities before coming to Penrose?

"I mostly traveled often. Crawley didn't want to stay in one place for too long, always kept me active." She shrugged.

That in itself seemed like a decent segue, and Alicia took it. This was one of the main reasons she had wanted to chat after all, besides getting to know Anaya as a person."About that, so...What was it like, working for a Horror? I mean I've talked to Serenity, but that's still a weird situation so I don't want to act like its indicative of anything."

"Eh, Crawley was a more reasonable...guy. Guy? He didn't want to enslave the earth or something like that, just to take advantage of it's resources." Anaya explained. "Hell, he was the one that gave me the tools to make more dolls. The armor was just from collection, but I did try and make my own eventually. But all in all it was...strange, for a lack of better terms. But I know there are other, far worse horrors out there, so I consider myself lucky." she sighed.

"Huh." Alicia wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Fawning praise was one option, but this didn't really get that far. She'd have considered apologism if Anaya didn't already have the Spark. That probably gave her a better perspective.

So for now she pushed on. "What sort of stuff would they usually have you do then?" She didn't intend on judging, but it would help her get a better idea of things.

Anaya stretched. "Normal stuff for anyone working for a lovecraftian entity, mostly intercepting other horrors' operations. Most of my work was for the Mint, so...yeah."

There was a reflexive tightening of fists at mention of the Mint, inspired by all that had occurred recently. Alicia took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and to remind herself that Anaya was no longer with the Mint.

"It sounds like you it pretty easy then, relatively speaking," she noted. "Why join Beacon then?"

"...Because," the spirit girl started. "I wasn't really happy where I was back then. Between the voices of the dead crying out for help; for vengeance, "Big Brother" Mint always watching, and trying not to get killed at all times? I felt like nothing more than a ghost myself, a phantom. My mother made the right choice leaving them." she explained.

"Besides, you guys were willing to spare me after my screw-up with the Endsinger. I guess it made me think that...maybe you're not as bad as others make you out to be." Anaya smiled. "So don't worry. After they turned Penrose into a warzone, I don't plan on going back to the Mint. she added, having noticed Alicia's reaction.

Alicia couldn't imagine what that was like, that sort of pressure and suffering that Anaya had to deal with. She couldn't blame Anaya for wanting to get out of this when she had the opportunity to do so. "Reflex, don't worry. I didn't think you'd go back so easily."

She smiled after a moment, tapping the desk. "I just hope that we've been living up to your expectation so far. It hasn't exactly been the best of circumstances."

Anaya nodded. "I understand, and even if times are tough, being here's great!"

"I'm glad to hear that." Considering some of the things Serenity had been through, Alicia was glad to hear that it was not the same for Anaya. She liked to think it was a good sign. "Well, if you need anything just let me know. With all the trouble getting along and being prepared so we can trust each other is more important than ever."

"Right, okay!"

Pleased that things had gone so well, Alicia felt comfortable returning things to a less serious topic. To do so, she leaned forward to examine one of the dolls that Anaya was working on. "So, do you give them names?" she asked, glancing between it and its creator.

"Not really. Most of the spirits have their own names." Anaya started putting the finishing touches on the more recent doll. "But some don't remember, so we give them monikers to go by, at least till they do."

"Ah, makes sense." Alicia didnt know that much when it came to Spirit girls beyond the basics, so this was a new experience for her. "I can use some of my more mundane magic to talk with spirits, but this seems really impressive compared to that. Is there a particular kind of spirit you use for this sort of thing?"

Anaya shrugged. "Hm, not really. I do look for spirits of old warriors, or of magical girls long passed. Just those that are capable and willing to fight."

"Huh. Is it alright if I hang around to watch a bit? I'm a bit curious as to how it works," Alicia admitted.

The spirit girl nodded. "Of course, the others do love the company." she chuckled.

Having gotten approval, Alicia settled in to watch Anaya as she worked. She might pick up a thing or two, but even if she didnt, the idle chatter would have to let the day go by. There were worse things that she could be doing right now.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer

As events transpired Korax was calm, deliberative. It issued orders when the Captain was distracted with the main business of their exploration, and made sure there was a steady hand. That was its job after all, though there was not much to do as they passed through the wormhole.

But on the other side things soon became complicated. A vessel approached, citing some kind of spiritualist text with regards to their arrival. That was strange, but at least Korax was not alone in thinking so.

The arrival of the large ship was more surprising, both in its size and the technology with which it was equipped. It understood the Captain's orders to follow the vessel, especially since there had not been any attempts of violence or threats against them. Until that occurred, it was sensible to address things in a diplomatic manner. This species did not seem particularly aggressive anyways, perhaps aside from the size of their ships.

Now they merely had to prepare a delegation to meet with a spiritualist figurehead. As far as Korax was aware this was in the rulebook prepared by the Alliance, so it should be a simple task.

Nonetheless they had gathered in the meeting room. Korax was silent as the Captain laid out the situation, and asked for volunteers. The Lifebringers talk of planetary chakra was merely confusing, but the rest of the suggestions were more sensible. Of course, if the Captain was going to go and speak with the Vel, it would remain on the ship. There were no other pressing matters, and someone with command experience would have to remain in case an emergency did arise.

"It is unclear if their 'Vel' figure has predicted these travelers to be hostile. Context appears to indicate that is not the case, as they have not resorted to force or surrender. There is a strong probability they will request aid with some matter of importance," Korax observed as he looked to the Captain. "This one would be wary of involving the Prize in a conflict that is beyond the current scope of the Alliance's understanding."

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer
Addressing Captain Carabello @Tortoise, Botanist Lan’thar @Raylah

Korax had no doubt that the three of them were drawing the occasional glance from those who passed by. The more traveled citizens might be lesser in that regard, but it was still strange enough to attract attention. Their ISA uniforms merely added to that.

There was a brief pause in the conversation as Nicholas tended to business that had sprung up, though this did not take long to do. Soon they were conversing once more, with Elm describing a situation that had transpired in the botany labs. At least the wounds were not inhibiting her, for she likely would have been back on the ship if it was an urgent affliction.

"This one has no plans beyond experiencing more of Alliance culture before we depart," Korax replied to Elm's query smoothly. It was true enough.

But it seemed that Elm had a more interesting proposal, and Korax read over the flyer that she presented swiftly. One could imagine an eyebrow rising, if eyebrows were a thing that its kind had. "Intriguing," it agreed. "This environment could be replicated aboard the ship, but it does provide greater access to the general public. This one may accompany you, though it is not certain if their facilities are prepared to deal with its kind." It then shifted to look at the Captain, to see if Nicholas intended on indulging his inner daring nature since he had been forced to have some restraint during the pirate operation. It was.....very likely, at least if its estimates were correct.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer
Addressing Captain Carabello @Tortoise, Botanist Lan’thar @Raylah

Entering the station, little time was wasted as the duo began their exploration. The Captain sampled one of those novel rodent tails he had mentioned earlier. The substation was more interesting to the First Officer, with goods for sale of all varieties. Very eclectic, with many species of the Intergalactic Star Alliance hawking their wares. For the most part Korax chose to watch, the alien equivalent of window shopping. It did not see a need for much personal items, so unless something of significant value truly stuck out amidst all of this, it would not be as free with its money as the Captain was.

It was little surprise that they soon stumbled across another crewmember down here. With 300 individuals serving aboard the Prize, the odds of stumbling across one in a [lace like this was fairly reasonable.

"Greetings," it said as they approached Elm. There was some curiosity past the stoney gaze, as Lavathulin species was very unusual as far as his own were concerned. Such plant life did not exist where its people developed, rendering an additional uniqueness beyond that of plant based sentient life forms.

Finding itself addressed, it then spoke up. "This one is Korax, First Officer of the Pride. It is pleasing to meet you."

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Others departed, leaving to do their own thing, to recover from the events of this night or simply to avoid further conflict. Alicia let them go, uncaring of their intentions or the instructions that she had been given. she was even unaware of the attempted attack on Rachel. Right now Eden had her full attention, and so long as what had happened here remained fresh in her mind that would not change.

Her first blows landed, though to no surprise Eden healed them relatively quickly. Having walked off everything from before left that little of a surprise, unless she had spent all her mana. But she wouldn't have been so eager for a fight if that was the case.

More unexpected was what came next as her attacks seemed to bend around Eden rather than hitting her. Her brow furrowed as he Third Eye revealed what was happening. "Gravity? Well that's a hassle." Not an insurmountable one, but having to deal with someone who had Specialization in two different kinds of magic would make this more difficult. No wonder the psycho was so confident that she could come out of this in one piece.

At that point Rachel arrived, Alicia not letting her focus lapse from their foe aside from a curt nod. "Yes, let's," she agreed with Rachel's declaration before returning to Eden once more. "Shame everyone willing to tell you already left. Cause none of us are." If Eden wanted Cindy then it could only be for bad things. That made her even less inclined to be courteous and helpful on top of everything else.

It seemed Eden felt the same way, and eyes widened in confusion and surprise before Alicia dove out of the way. She hit the ground with a grunt, but that was much less than what she would have suffered had she remained in place. Even now she could feel the residual heat from the protracted blast, and while she couldn't see it she was pretty sure that it had singed her uniform (Worse than the Rave had, anyways)

While Serenity kept up her barrage of time manipulated daggers, there was no doubt that Rachel was preparing her move. Alicia would not let herself be sidelined, even if she had to account for the gravity. Rolling to her feet, her bow rose upwards as she drew and fired. To negate the issue of gravity she would approach from an upwards angle, letting it rise and then fall in a large parabolic arc. As it did so it broke apart into smaller arrows that would nonetheless pellet the area with explosions.

Explosions seemed like they were working pretty well, so she might as well invest in those a bit more.

Still, once again she was forced to be cognizant of friendly fire, and would adapt accordingly depending on what Rachel did. After all of these tricks it would be unwise to assume Eden couldn't pull anything else off too. As much as she wanted to avenge her sisters, she didn't want to end up in the same situation either.

_{@Ariamis@Crusader Lord@Vocab}

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer
Addressing Captain Carabello @Tortoise

Sarcasm passed by uncommented on, a subject that Korax was still working on when it came to other species. A particularly tricky subject, especially since Humans used it so often. For now, it listened silently as the Captain answered its initial query.

Its head tilted slightly, a sign of confusion as Nicholas made his interesting observation on some of what the Starbase had to offer. 'This one thought that humans considered rodents to be unsatisfactory nutrient sources," it replied. "Why then would someone choose to sell it?" As much as Nicholas might want it, the first Mate could not simply forget the question had ever been asked. His memory was not like that of a computer, to be edited and deleted so easily.

That left the question the Captain had followed it with. Korax thought about it for a moment or two, balancing obligations and things that it needed to do against what might happen while the two of them were on the station. As the Captain had noted, the starbase team was perfectly capable of handling damage such as this. There was no reason to get in their way.

So having considered the offer, it made its decision. "Very well," it agreed. This one will accompany you." It might allow it to know the Captain better, and that was a positive. For now, it prepared to follow Nicholas wherever he decided they should go.

Aboard the I.S.S. Prize : An Episodic Sci-Fi Adventure

Korax, First Officer

The mission was a success. The hostages had been released, the pirates surrendered, and there were minimal casualties. Which was not to say that all loss of life had been avoided, but for a situation such as this it could have been much worse. That was what the records of previous encounters indicated, and Korax was inclined to believe them.

There had been congratulations all around when they returned, and he made sure to commend the quick thinking of Beta Team in dealing with the trap engineered by Du-Vos aboard the Moray. it was what they deserved for their performance and their teamwork, and Korax saw no reason to fudge or otherwise alter the impact of their contributions to the success of the mission.

But repairs were necessary, and so the ship had returned to the nearest Starbase. It would not be long, but they would be able to spend some time recovering and preparing for the mission ahead. Soon they would be through the wormhole, and off on their true journey. It was only a bit delayed.

As the rest of the crew filed off to enjoy some leave on the station. Korax moved to stand next to Carabello. "Greetings Captain," it said without hesitation. "Will you be taking leave as well? This one can oversee the repairs if there is anything you wish to do before the ship departs."