New Beginning 22: Once Upon a New Beginning...

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"You say terrible, I say 'I know what I'm doing after this computer thing.'"

[The Narrator]

Areson: cools!  Can I help in the rodeo?

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"If you got the rope!"

The Vault gives him a high five.

[Philote]

"Let's see what we can do about these Technari. If we can deal with them fast enough, Zale's creature might not be released, or at least we will have our powers restored to face it" I say "It might be good that we came to Aeon. How much information could they have on this place? Most of it is still unexplored as I said and we've got a good share of unique things that I haven't seen in other dimensions yet."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Yes, it might.....not. That'd be....swell." The Vault says carefully. Then it beckoned everyone. "Now, I don't want to just wait around here. I don't want to think that computer lady was talking about this particular horizon when she was talking about the bunch of prick computers coming to kill you guys, but just for safety I'm gonna suggest we get off the ship. I don't want to damage the thing anymore than it already has been, and I think fighting a bunch of pissed off computers would be just the thing to do that."

[Zaleramancer]

"Agreed. Mobility is an asset."

[Ericus Europaeus (Bug)]

CONTENTS DELETED

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[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"Personally, I wouldn't call it 'dingy,'" I reply finally speaking up, a new sword in hand, as Suzu stores a forge back in a pocket dimension. "I'd call it elegant."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"And I'd thank you for that." The Vault say, strolling down one of the marble paths to the west and beckoning. "I can give to the extended tour later. Right now, follow me. I'll get us to the edge."

........................................

Eventually, passing through a lovely garden, the group abruptly to the very edge of the ship and the large gun batteries that line it's side. Large artillery pieces of various size and design sit, evenly spaced, along the bannister. One of them, a very advanced looking green piece, is pointing it's cannon towards, if anyone cares to follow the barrel, the huge white sail of the ship.

Formerly white, anyway. It has been reduced to charred tatters blowing in the wind.

If one were to look over the edge, toward the bow, you would see a similar sail just as large as the enormous main one, sticking out of the side like a tree branch.

The Vault ignores this, instead fiddling with a section of banister. It lets out a sound and the banister extends high into the sky before falling like a tree. There's a slight splashing sound as new ramp hits the shallow sea.

"All ashore who's going to shore." Says the Vault, walking down to the planets surface.

[Philote]

"Let's see what sort of transportation I can call up" I say as I exit the Road to Dawn "Aeon always has something large and mobile around somewhere."

I reach out with my mind to find and call a group of animals towards us. The schools of silver fish that had been swimming aimlessly around the Road to Dawn suddenly scatter and flee away from us. In the distance, one of the geysers stops spewing water, and moments later, long silver silhouettes shoot out of the hole.

The figures snake along the shallow waters towards us. As they draw near, it can be seen that they have a large head and body section similar to a manta ray with antenna  and a centipede-like tail section, complete with several rows of legs, that comprises most of their mass.

"Climb on and take mental control of one if you want or can, I've only got them pacified at the moment. Otherwise, steer them by the antenna and try not to agitate them. I believe they hunt by spitting pressurized water."

[The Narrator]

Areson:  Cool--I don't think I seen things like this before!

Narrator:  Well this is awesome.  Let's keep up you two.

*They climb aboard and follow thr group*

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

''If I have, then I've forgotten.'' the Vault said, walking up to one of the docile creatures. It looked down at the current body it was using, the one it had been stuck in since the computers had done whatever it was they did to lock it away from itself.

Cicera. If the Vault were actually her instead of wearing her like a rented tux she'd be able to speak ocean to this thing and that would be that, free ride for everybody.

Unfortunately the Vault was not Cicera, so it started running down its usual list of strong arm tactics. This thing was an animal, so bargaining was out of the question. It didn't have acess to it's contents, so that meant no bribing the creature. Any artifacs or spells capable of controling it's mind were also locked away and inaccessible. That left two options: befriending the creature or intimidating it.

The Vault held out its arms and as it did the dampness of the grey suit intensifyed, staining the sleeve almost black as the Vaults arms extended, rippling and choppy, around the creatures neck. Like the tide it pulled the creature down, facing it at eye level. Then the Vaults face rippled, and for just a moment turned translucent. Those with good eyes could barely catch a silver white mass rushing forwards, as though from a great distance. Then a whole school of silver game fish exploded from the Vault's face and collapsed in a pile between Vault and beast.

The Vault turned the creatures head, pointing it down at the bounty in front of it, the released it. It looked warily from the Vault to the food, hesitated, then slowly began to eat.  

The Vault leapt on. It just went to prove a personal philosophy of its correct once again: faced with two choices, pick both.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The Penultimate looked down at his pick of the strange and beautiful creatures with a smile. It was a trick he'd learned from his friend Artemis at the Heroes of Celadon. He lowered his head a bit, letting his eyes only just peek upward, as though to kiss the hand of Gandrei's Duchess of Robailyn.

And then, extended a hand, palm upward like an invitation to dance, let the thing sniff it for a second, or mouth it, whatever it needed to get comfortable. As it probed his hand with its mouth, the Penultimate exuded the most subtle mental command, so small, so innocuous, that it could easily have passed for the creature's own waning skepticism. The creature wriggled a bit, but was quickly wrested under facade of the Penultimate's smile, and settled still enough for him to ride on, and catch up with the others in the group.

As he trailed behind them, he summoned his smart phone to hand. He scrolled through his apps, pulled up Twitter, and searched right away for the Martians' home page. Perhaps Marvin and the Martians had found a way to track where the Technari had coordinated their next attack.

@MartiansFromMars:

Technari still on hunt for unknown schematic. Earthlings, Martians and Venusians mobilized to prevent retrieval. Jovians pending. #DefCon5


Alarm colors the Penultimate's face, and he calls out to the others, "Um...this tweet says the Technari know where I'm from. They're attacking Earth on account of me."

[Philote]

I pick my own mount from the selection of creatures and focus my powers on just controlling the one.

"Is there a way you can get their attention Wulf?" I say "If they are going to be attacking someplace, it might as well be someplace we are ready to defend."

"Or do you have an alternate plan cooked up already?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"What he said. If you can't, there's no point in worrying about it."

[Ericus Europaeus (Bug)]

CONTENTS DELETED

The author has deleted this message.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The choice weighs on the Penultimate's mind for a second, but in the end, he decides, saying, "Looks like we're headed for Earth. Not that the people are desperate to have us, far as heroes are concerned--they have the X-Men, the Avengers, the Justice League, the Fantastic Four--but if they're there on account of me, I'm more than happy to give them what they're looking for."

The fish-creature on which the Penultimate rides turns at his subliminal whim, but he stops the creature, on seeing a most unpleasant sight, and hearing a most unpleasant voice.

"No need for anymore of your plans, humans." demands a stern female robot voice, vaguely feline in nature, "The schematic; hand it over now, and all of this can be over quite quickly. No bloodshed; I can guarantee that. Servitude may be difficult to finagle out of, but...we'll see what we can do."

The she-bot hovers mid-air, powered by a stealthy-silent jetpack. Her color scheme is yellow and green, and she seems somewhat styles after and Egyptian queen. Next to her is a younger-looking she-bot, schemed more simply, having only blue to mark her hair, tank-top, skirt and boots. Her arms are crossed, and her eyes are red.

"You heard Queen Vexus, flesh-bag." snaps the blue-schemed robo-girl, "The Technari won't stand for your insolence!"

"Quiet, XJ-9!" Vexus turns to XJ-9, eying her like a mother scolding a child, before turning back to the Penultimate and friends with smug contempt, "Certainly we need not threaten the Penultimate, or any of his...fleshy ilk. As officers of the impending Technari invasion, you have got to learn to do things with more tact. That said, Earthling...I cannot allow you to leave Aeon of your own volition. I can only give you two options. Either you hand over the schematic, and surrender peacefully, or resist our command, and die painfully. Sure enough your death will delay our collecting the schematic and its holder, but...not by much."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

The word [SCHEMATIC] blared in the Vaults mind like an air raid siren.

But that was for later.

The Vault put its arms in the air. "I surrender. I surrender, I'll stay right here. This place is nice, I'll have a vacation, it'll be wonderful. I don't even really know these guys. Like, I've known them for a day. They're actually stowaways. Hold on, I have to get my luggage. Anybody want anything while I'm up there? Snacks? Drinks? Computer Ladies, drinks?"

The mantapede began making it's way back up the ramp to the Road to Dawn.

[Tsubasa & Wen Tien]

"I'll take an earl grey tea with crackers if you'd please. Oh, and Suzu could you get me some ironwood from storage for the sheathe?" I reply as I bind the newly made sword's hilt.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Vexus smirked, "Heh heh, that's cute, humans. Unfortunately for you, we shall determine the conditions of your captivity, not you. Smytus, XJ-9, do well to secure them in the prison bay tightly. Their power output is strange. I'm not sure what to make of it."

A large he-bot, green and black-colored, made his way from out of the crowd of robots hovering mid-air. He and XJ9 exchanged glances, before gathering the supers off of their mounts and manacling each of them with bindings of a strange blue energy; any mental reaction other than the utmost calm would send a painful shock through the wearer's body.

"Alright, fleshlings." Smytus grunted, setting some of the supers onto the ground, "Just sit tight. Megatron and Optimus with their crews should be here soon with the prison vessel."