A*0-1 had shrugged and staggered off into the darkness - heavens, it was night already, how many hours had that little kerfufle had been going on, anyway? - several minutes ago, and Pluto and Saturn didn't look like they'd stop what they were doing now soon...
"Hey, mister, would you like to join?" Saturn called out. Ryouga shook his head. Not that he wasn't severely tempted, but...
"Thanks but no, Saturn."
He didn't have the right, in his way of thinking. Not any more.
Kiri or Uranus or whoever she was now wasn't 'one of them' any more, after all...
" - Ow. Hey, hey, Pluto, Saturn, quit. There wouldn't be anything left for Neptune at this rate, c'mon, pleeease?"
Argh, that did sound like Kina or Kiri, all right. Ryouga stared while Uranus went through the "shameless begging" routine. It looked quite practiced, all things considered.
"...Oh, you." Pluto muttered, sighing.
Saturn sighed, turning her rolled up magazines back into her glaive-thing. "Well, alright, then.." And then she gave Uranus a glare.
"Just so there's enough left for Neptune, though, Uranus."
Uranus shook herself - ahh, those bandages that appeared from nowhere, again, was it? Ryouga really wished he could figure out where those things came from, sometimes - and standing up, started to follow Neptune into the darkness which she'd disappeared to.
"Hey Neptune... Neptune, don't be mad at mee..."
Ryouga snickered. From what he could tell of 'Neptune's silently fuming aura from here, Uranus was going to have her hands full, just getting that one to talk to her again...
A*0-1 reached the Tendo household with only minor difficulty, only almost getting lost about 3 times or so. Darn, she wasn't in good shape, was she...
That Kina. Kiri. Uranus. Whatever. - Really.
According to the aura readings, everybody that was supposed to be in the house was there, and unharmed. Including one Tendo Akane.
Who she assumed wasn't a weird tree any more, as she seemed to be asleep in her bed. Tree's wouldn't sleep in beds, right? Unless they were in planters or something, that is...
A*0-1 went and checked, anyway, just in case. Yes, just plain human Akane, thank goodness.
OK. And now for a shower, and bed...
Somewhere off to the side, a somewhat worse-for-wear but bouncing Uranus was following a silently fuming Neptune.
"C'mon, Neptune, I won, right? Well, this time, anyway. Even ole Overhyped said so!"
Neptune just walked faster, heading into the night breeze.
"Aww, c'mon Neptune, you could wack me if you wish, y'know. Pluto and Saturn have had their turn already..."
"Well, ahh..." Pluto murmured. "Sorry for that taking up so much time..."
"It's alright." Ryouga shrugged.
"So..." Pluto said. "Shall we talk?"
Saturn simply shrugged at that.
"It seems like a good idea, yeah." Ryouga muttered.
"Alright, then, what about this - I ask a question and you answer, you ask a question and I answer. If either of us don't wanna for some reason, we say so and the other side gets another question to ask - Sounds alright?"
"Very well, then." Pluto sighed.
"You can start, if you wish?"
"Oh, I wish, alright." Ryouga mumbled.
"Question No.1 - Barrett Traps? Sacrifice Cannons? Are you people bloody insane? Or is it that we're actually not talking about the same things, here?"
Pluto and Saturn looked at each other.
"Hmmmm?"
"The last time I checked, "Sacrifice Cannons" were those bloody nasty things which strip-mine every Starseed - and anything with with any Life-energy in them, actually - in the area to make a big massive blast. Correct?"
"That does seem to be a accurate description, yes." Pluto said. "Though one can also store the energy gathered that way, of course..."
"The one which left entire planets and Star Systems lifeless husks filled with depowered and damaged Starseeds. Those Sacrifice Cannons."
Pluto nodded, wrinkling her nose in slight puzzlement.
"A very distinctive weapon, invented by - well, we're not quite sure, as it was one of the Star Systems Galaxia ate like confetti, Ahh, Mr -if you don't mind, may I have a name I can call you with?"
Ryouga wrinkled his nose. "Just call me 'Sia' for the here and now, then."
"Very well, Sia. Yes, those Sacrifice Cannons. They're really easy to make if you know how, and they were used so often in some parts of space in the latter days of the so-called Sailor Wars that some areas are still practically Lifeless, I believe."
Saturn sighed, nodding. "That's probably because 'rebooting' a Star System decimated by Sacrifice Cannons are a darn bloody pain - It takes at least 5 times as much energy then 'rebooting' almost any other kind of de-Lifed Star System. Even dealing with Systems Galaxia went through were easier, sometimes -"
What? Ryouga swallowed. Those folk talked about 'rebooting' a De-Lifed Star System was something done routinely, or something. Oh, he knew that it was possible, but -
"The good thing is that they turned out to be really easy to jam, too, once somebody figured out how." Saturn added.
All you needed was a couple of other Sacrifice Cannons, turned to the proper frequencies - they don't even need to be powered up all the way. That's why they fell out of use generally, but they're still useful to have around, you know. Deterrence, and all that."
Sacrifice Cannons were jammable? Well, alright, his memories were telling him already that they often malfunctioned in close proximity to each other, but - Universe, what else had he missed?
And - deterrence? - Wait a minute, if you needed multiple Sacrifice Cannons to jam just one - just how many of the damned things did they have?
Ryouga swallowed, then.
"Alright, then - And about the bloody Barrett Trap?"
Saturn sighed, at that. About that, Sia - One word. Galaxia."
"But - "
Pluto sighed, yet again.
"We - and our past selves - were trying to prepare for the unthinkable. You would know about that, I think, Sia."
And to that, Ryouga could think of nothing else to say.
Even though he did have the sinking feeling that perhaps a Barrett Trap was actually not exactly the worst thing he had to worry about, when these -people - were involved...
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(Posted Sat, 02 Sep 2006 10:36)
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