thebastion | Event: Day 355 [OPEN]

You could try it with a million people, and it would still be an unreasonable risk. Shard! Display still image, Iowa Hellmouth C591164.

People, if you have sensitive stomachs, I advise you to look away.

[The holodisplay by the monument, gone so long unnoticed by most, immediately hums to life as Colin speaks.]

[Even before his mouth closes, a large still image manifests. It might very well be a piece of abstract art. Half of a human torso seems to stuck in the smooth gray wall of a building. Where the head should be is instead a tree branch, and where there should be uniform portions of anything readily identifiable, instead it is an abomination of assorted plant life, animal life, and building. It's as though everything is trying to occupy the same space, and failing.]

[Perhaps the only blessing of the image is that there doesn't appear to be blood anywhere...]

Your worst case scenario is a pipe dream, Zahi. You want your worst case scenario?

That's it. Right there. And it's already playing out in places. Haven't you noticed the portions of your own worlds blending into the skyway? Into what's left of Caelondia and the terminals? The mish-mash of reality and the broken laws of physics that keep this place running?

It is a temporal maelstrom, the result of worlds colliding without the veil between worlds to buffer them. No matter can occupy the same location as other matter in space, or in time. THAT is what happens when you damage time enough for that rule to go out of the window. THAT is why I was so terrified when this first came to light!

We know for certain this has happened once before, WITHOUT our worlds getting dragged into it. This time, worlds across the multiverse have started getting pulled in.

Do you really want to see what happens if it happens a third time?

Edited 2015-10-18 23:26 (UTC)

[See, initially, she was going to start out with a similar argument. Numbers alone do not win battle. Had Otherworld several thousand extra warriors to its name (or, she believed, even hundreds of thousands), they would've died just the same, because nobody knew how to fight the battle brought to their door. It wasn't enough just to have the will; lack of knowledge could be your death. Ikuri herself could have died here, even in the very beginning of her days at the Bastion, if she'd continued to act in ignorance.]

[Zahi was citing numbers and power as their main asset, but sometimes that wasn't enough. What they most needed was knowledge - and everyone seemed to be agreeing they didn't have enough. What they needed was to find the truth.]

[For that matter, Colin was someone she would have trusted to know what he was doing, but he seemed firmly against Zahi's plan. Zuko too, for that matter. The words of those two alone would have been good enough for her, but they're the more so here, because they're echoing what she's already thinking.]

[But then? Before Ikuri could vocalize any of it...there was that. That horrible image.]

[...]

[Colin had warned them to look away. Ikuri found that she couldn't.]

[...and her arms around Ibuki are the tighter for it.]

Edited 2015-10-18 23:53 (UTC)

Holy shit.

[Probably the only reason Rob can be heard right now is because he just broke the moment of shocked silence following that picture appearing.

It probably says something about him that after a moment he's pulling out his datapad to look for more information on "Iowa Hellmouth" in Colin's database.]

[Bringing up her sister - bringing up Yukio who had been there for a time and made dealing with the loss of her world a touch easier than it had been was enough to make Rin clam up. Her breath hitched visibly as her shoulders tightened, fingers working in to shaking fists at her sides.

She wasn't about to side with Zahi a hundred percent... but it did make her think twice.

Only for a moment, though.

Colin brought up that image, and what had been nausea as a result of nerves, uncertainty and anxiety turned in to the taste of bile rising in the back of her throat at the sight of it.]

Oh God... is... is that really what's happenin'?

Edited 2015-10-19 03:31 (UTC)

Obviously not, because Zulf came out of it whole.

[Zahi points a finger accusingly at Colin.]

You're just trying to scare them into doing what YOU want done!

How is that any different from what you're doing?

[A different voice spoke up this time, and a very large woman with massive pink curls came to stand at Colin's side, not even bothered by the disturbing image he had produced.]

You may not be weaving fear through the crowd but you are still using your charisma to win over others even with your lacking evidence. At the very least Mr. Starfury has proof that these sorts of anomalies can turn a stable universe in to an unstable one. All you have are words, and I for one am not impressed.

If you'd like more, I can certainly provide it.

[Colin shrugs off-handedly.]

All I'm saying is that the signs are there, and that I've seen it before. Is it happening yet? Yes, the very beginning of it is. Nothing as bad as what I'm showing you now. That comes after another temporal catastrophe.

Of course, since I'm sure you're a qualified temporal physicist, I should probably put more weight in YOUR words, huh? It's not as though you've lied to anyone or been responsible of deaths in cold blood, eh?

[Uh-oh.]

[That gets her teeth bared, and a low growl bubbling in her throat.]

[Ibuki wasn't really saying much now, though Ippo and Ikuri certainly helped the musician regain her composure. Though she definitely didn't look when Colin had warned them about whatever it was he was showing everybody]

[... but when Ikuri started growling-]

Ikuri-chan... not now, please, Ikuri-chan...

[She gave Ikuri a gentle squeeze. Now wasn't the time to exact vengeance for Crona. There were too many people here that didn't understand what had been sacrificed to get them here to the Bastion.]

Edited 2015-10-20 15:14 (UTC)

[She knows. Or rather, the words of her friend made it harder to forget. But being reminded of what this man was responsible for - and here he was, even now, trying to sow dissent...]

[Ikuri may not have much mind for politics, but even she can see what Zahi's trying to do. Hasn't he hurt them enough? Did stealing Crona not sate him? Now he has to threaten their home, their lives, their future? To fulfill his own agenda. He's already betrayed them; this is twisting the knife.]

[Her growl lessened, but only just, and for a moment in time her body tremored harder for it.]

First off- [To Rose in particular.] -none of us are from worlds advanced enough to even know if he is telling the truth or not. Secondly, if you doubt what I'm saying, ask Nate. He would say the same thing too, and he's the tech-guy who keeps this place running.

And as for you- [Now he's over to Colin.] -Of course I have lied before. I'm a general, which means I'm in charge of a lot of people at the same time normally. I've had to give orders that got people killed, and I have to live with that. And the way I live with that is by trying to make sure future mistakes don't happen.

But how about you? Were you planning on telling everyone about your secret project, or were you going to leave everyone high and dry when times got tough?

Ah, the classic 'oh look, a distraction!' technique.

Even if Colin has a secret project of any sort, it is entirely irrelevant to the situation at hand until flat-out proven otherwise.

[Megaera looks VERY annoyed as she pipes up.]

The facts are known. You'd need very specific resources you don't and won't have if you're going to go back in time and stop this, as Colin has already evidenced. Believe it or not, 'throw more people at the problem' is unlikely to be of any semblance of use.

[He takes a breath and counts to three internally, shoving down the angry retort in his head. Zahi will get his soon enough.]

Thank you Meg, but to answer Zahi's question let's do a very simple test.

[Colin turns to look at the closest cluster of Bastionites, then he looks around to everyone else.]

Hey! Everyone who knows me!

Who here wants to hear me talk at length about anything that I enjoy doing, in the way that you've all heard me do if you've been around me for any length of time?

A show of hands will suffice.

[He glances at Zahi then.]

I'm guessing since Gray got back to your group, you've at least had your people gossiping on what they know of me too. And if you're at all competent as a general, your agent with the Ura would likewise have known. I've got a bit of a rep, you know. All over, in fact.

Know what else my rep is, though? Talking. A lot. About everything except operational security. Anyone wants to know what I'm working on, all they have to do is be willing to listen to me. And believe me, I've got a LOT more than one secret project.

[He gives a cocky grin.]

I've also got a rep for helping... You know, growing enough food for two or three societies, trying to keep morale up, curing plagues, coming up with plans for macro-level housing and rescues...

I'm not expecting you'll see a lot of hands up, by the way. I'm an arrogant little shit that chases people away with my personality. Comes with being a know-it-all...

Edited 2015-10-21 04:04 (UTC)

[The general crowd consensus seems to be 'what the fuck is going on'. Most of the people here, they were either misled or had not been firm believers in what Zahi had been saying.

Zahi, however, is getting increasingly annoyed, and so are the people in the crowd who actually do believe him. They look ready to start causing trouble, but they haven't done anything yet. But for now, there is just a tense feeling in the air as Zahi speaks again, trying one more time to reason with the PCs.]

I am going to be very clear here, so there is no misunderstandings: we are going back. We are going to try again, and we are going to succeed.

Now, you can either go with me and help me, and be heroes who helped save many worlds, or you can be left behind while we handle everything. Either choice is fine by me, I can certainly understand if you did not want to help.

But you need to make that decision now, because there will be no more delays.

[Also, way off to the side by where Ibuki is, Zero pops out from behind one of the buildings to silently wave people over in his direction. Hmm what could he be doing?]

[Okay, yeah, no. Zahi outright declaring that This Is How Things Shall Be is really annoying Rob, and it takes a bit of effort to remain reasonably polite while he brings up a couple points.

He flips his wolf pelt up over his head, allowing its magic to boost his voice to a reasonable volume. The irritation in his voice isn't too hard to miss.]

First off, I didn't realize that you were Emperor of the Bastion. Apologies, your highness, for not giving you your proper due.

Secondly, everyone seems to be forgetting that not everyone is here; the Ura should be involved in this too. You want as much help as possible for this, right? Shouldn't you be talking with them too?

[Thirdly, the last Core isn't here yet, and while Colin knows in general where it is, only Rob knows its exact location. Sorry, Zahi, but no matter what happens there will be at least some delays ahead.]

['Reason?' That isn't reason. That's a declaration of war.]

[...and that's suspicious movement far too close to us. Ikuri can't move, or Ibuki will be vulnerable. But if she alerts anyone... the tension in the air is thick. Saying anything, and especially the wrong thing, will drop a spark on dry tinder.]

[A futile concern, she thinks. We're headed for a fight even now...and she cannot fight freely with Ibuki in harm's way. But Ippo...]

[She's looking at you now, brother, and possibly even whispering your name harshly to get your attention. That silent communication we do? Read her thoughts, man - her eyes meaningfully travel over to where Zero's movements took place. Something's going over there.]

[Alert everyone. A fight's going to happen. I can't protect Ibuki and drive away the invaders. She needs to be safe. If you protect her, I can stay near and protect you both. Colin had a securehouse, didn't he? Take her there if you can; my place is out here, and yours is with her. We need to do everything we can. Everything.]

[I will fill my role. You fill yours.]

[Her eyes snap back to Zahi, and the hatred behind them is ill-disguised. The rest of her is coiled, ready to move...and she makes not a sound.]

[Zuko really hoped this wouldn't come to violence. That's seeming less and less likely, and her body is tensed for action, but she's trying to keep her voice level. Zahi probably won't listen to reason, but the people with him still might.]

Rob's right. This isn't just your decision. It's not even just our decision.

What exactly is your rush, Zahi? If your plan is to reverse time, then what difference does it make if we use the Bastion now, or a week from now?

I've jumped into plenty of things without thinking. By now I've figured out that impatience isn't the mark of great planning.

[Megaera's annoyed look continues through Zahi's rant. Quietly, she communicates to each Bastionite she trusts, and also Colin, through telepathy, one by one...]

{He needs the rush because he has people who are agreeing to a hasty decision. Force an actual delay, and we force his hand. I've got three charms and two suggestions. Gimme the plan if you've got one.}

[It'll be possible to respond to her telepathically if you wish - she's not able to read unintentional responses, though.]

[Ippo heard the harsh whisper and without taking his full attention off Zahi, turned an eye to Ikuri. It was a meaningful exchange between them and no matter how much he wanted to disagree and insist that he stay out here with her...he knew full well she could handle any threat that was thrown her way.

Ibuki needed to be safe first and foremost; Ikuri was right that Colin had a safehouse set up and with Zero's signalling, he knew that was were he needed to be.

He gave Ikuri a nod and a confident smile, letting her know that he trusted her to handle things out here before he put a hand on Ibuki's shoulders and started to lead her quietly towards where Zero was, whispering silently in her ear as they moved.]

Ibuki, we should get to Colin's safehouse right now. Ikuri's going to handle things out here for us and she promises she'll meet us there as soon as possible, alright?

[This is what I'm for. Don't fear for me, Ippo.]
[The wolf in me is not tamed yet.]

[there's a split-instant surge of panic in the second it takes to recognize Megaera's telepathy, and she urgently relays a message back.]

{Enemy!! Outsiders, near area...!}

[Recognizing what's happening, she summons the mental image in her mind of the place she saw Zero...]

[Relay this to the others!]

[don't look now Ikuri because apparently Ippo lead Ibuki right over to Zero... whether he's actually an enemy or not would probably soon become apparent, as Ibuki gave Zero a questioning look; too distracted to really pay attention to what Ippo said]

Um, Zero-chan, what are you doing...?

[Colin eyes Zahi, and he just smirks. Darkly.]

An ultimatum from a failed general who hasn't be able to do much more than slaughter a single member of our group and use a child as a scapegoat for his thievery?

Who failed to steal a core in an ambush against a completely unsuspecting target?

Whose best plan appears to be naked aggression in the middle of a safe zone protected by a pacification field?

Who doesn't realize that his grand coup is insufficiently supplied?

Who doesn't seem aware that the grand majority of his invading force has already been separated from the innocents, painted, and sitting right in the cross-hairs of gods only know how many turrets?

I'm not impressed. This is why you lost the war, you know. And as I recall... You didn't just lose. You got your shit pushed in.

[Never taking his eyes off of Zahi, Colin leans to the side slightly. He also takes the time to address Meg's question.]

{Rob's got a data pad, and I've painted the definitely Hostiles in red. Probably hostiles are yellow. Innocents are green. You've got a moment if you want to check before things go south. I'm going to try to bait them into doing something stupid.}

That, by the way, is a hint. Here's a more blatant one. Anyone who doesn't want to get caught in the fighting of a coup attempt should probably get away from the monument.

If Zahi was clever, he would have tried to sabotage the turrets he knows about. I've already checked my turrets, ALL of them. Including the ones that I DIDN'T tell him about. And as Mr. "Do As I Say, Or Else" over there has pointed out, I'm way more advanced than any of you.

So if you're still planning to cause trouble, ask yourself... What are you going to do in the split second before a turret pastes you to the wall?

You can try to make your one punch a good one... or you can do the smart thing and not fight. And then you won't have face your maker with the shameful news that you helped a man whose grand scheme will result in the deaths of everyone you know, everyone you knew, and everyone who might ever be descended from you in the future.

Who knows? You might get lucky.

[The holo-display shifts suddenly at a mental command from Colin. It displays a video scene from one of the most iconic moments in Terran film history.]

Edited 2015-10-22 05:00 (UTC)

[For at least some of the Bastionites that's all the warning they need. Weapons may not be drawn yet, but hands are definitely on them, ready to go the second shit starts hitting the fan.

And for a good few seconds following Colin's movie-based threat it almost seems that's exactly what's going to happen.

But then surprisingly, a voice rings out through the crowd.]

STOP!

[Though armed, Zayna pushes through the crowd physically rather than violent force she could be using. More than once she has to give a command of "let me through!" to get to where she needs to be, but at the very least her cry has gotten attention.

She comes to a stop next to Zahi, though she makes absolutely no threatening movement towards Colin or the others.

She doesn't want to, and it's written all over her face.

Especially when she starts speaking not to him, but to Zahi.]

Father, stop this. Please. I'm begging you... don't push this any furhter! It's not fair to anyone here! These survivors don't deserve to have their emotions toyed like this any more, and those of us that came from here don't need to start another war just so you can have your second chance at saving our family!

[As Zayna suddenly steps in after Colin's panicked threat, Megaera decides to do two things. First, move towards Rob and his datapad. Second, again one by one, signal every person she trusts - plus, again, Colin - about Zero's presence and location. She's wary, but not going for her weapons yet.]

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