Player Plot: No Bananas On The Moon

[im_pancake]

Who: Twilight Sparkle and those who expressed interest in going
What: After months of waiting, it's time to investigate what's on the Lunar Base!
Where: Starting on the Lunar Gate and continuing into the Lunar Base
When: forward-dated to 11/23
Warnings: None just yet.

It was finally time. After months of working, delays, in-fighting and all of that wonderful stuff, it was time to investigate the Lunar Base. To be quite fair, if anyone was excited for this, Twilight was. After gathering another group to join her, they all gathered at the Lunar Gate back in the Continent of Ruin. Alongside Twilight's other equipment, she sported a large airhorn. She was going to put some Heroes in their place with them.

"Alright, everyone, it's time we finally figure out what's up on the Moon." Twilight said. "I'm going to admit, I'm very excited for this - I've never been in space before." She let out a sigh. "I do want to put down one little bit of ground rule here: no fighting. We've spent so much time fighting with each other that it's time we put a stop to it. Unless you have a very good reason to object to something happening, I suggest not trying anything. We don't know what we're going to encounter up there and having a crisis of conscience if something needs to happen is something we don't need. Especially since it's space."

Straightening herself up, she smiled at the others. "Now, you guys ready to get going?"

Comments

[scriptrix]

Eidolon Research, Proto-Eidolon Research, and Danger.

[Levy repeats the words on the signs for the group, looking to each of the teleporters in turn.]

I've had enough danger for now, so maybe let's check out one of the research areas.

[sesenta]

Akane at last toddles up to the group in her space suit, bearing mysterious coffee stains. It's not as if she lagged behind because the spilling of her coffee just so happened to coincide with the warning lights that went off, making her think that it was all her fault somehow.

Logically that made no sense, but she only got a few sips of coffee and the coincidence was too much for her weary brain to bear. She was so tired, you guys.

Still there was nothing to get the adrenaline glands pumping like a threat of planetary destruction, so she was a little more on her game now. "'Proto' means 'original' in Latin. That might indicate that some changes were made to existing Eidolons," she theorized, growing very curious. Now she wished she'd equipped her Summoner job instead of Magitek Knight. "Shall we split up? I'd very much like to see the Proto-Eidolon research room."

[21stcenturyguy]

"I dunno, 'Danger Room' sounds kinda badass." Grumbling aside, Santa followed behind Akane. He raised an eyebrow at the coffee stains.

"Fine. Proto-Eidolon for me, too. We can learn more about Eidolons if we find out where they came from."

[umslay]

Adjusting the power parameters would take more work, as well as a return to the facility with other Hackers. For now, he turned the weapon to point a bit above the planet. If an invader came from outer space, they'd be ready to blast it into smithereens.

"Let's go from Proto-Eidolon to Eidolon. I'm not one to care about these creatures, but you might need help accessing the data."

can handwave that anyone who went to Elicoor with Albel can remember Blair

[wickedone]

Albel had been quiet as the notes were read. Stewing, really, if anyone looked. Blair... What were the odds it was Blair Lansfeld? At the mention of Sophia, Albel was convinced. It had to be her.

And he wasn't surprised at all that she was at least partially responsible for this monstrosity.

He grit his teeth and stalked over to the Proto-Eidolon door. "Let's just go."

[im_pancake]

"Albel?" Twilight had caught sight of how angry Albel was and it was so confusing... and annoying. Someone else with a secret they were going to hide and let stew until it causes problems later on down the line. Greaaaat. "Ales, can you copy those notes somehow? I think the others might want to see them, too."

Heading towards the Proto-Eidolon Research room, the group is greeted with an amazing sight: a partially-completed Eidolon! An artificial one, to be exact! Who, or what, could have built such a thing and why was it abandoned?

It does look free for the taking, though!

(OoC: Congratulations - Project unlocked!)

[scriptrix]

Whoa...

[Levy's voice is breathy with awe as she stares up at the magnificent creature.]

They actually built an Eidolon? Or I guess... mostly built.

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena looked from the list to Akane when she spoke. The ninja did have her Summoner job equipped, but that wasn't why she was instantly curious about the Eidolons or what came before.

It was because of her own history, of course. Before she could say anything, however, Albel reacted to the name "Blair". "Albel, wait..." But he was gone. With a sigh, she turned to Twilight. "It's a long story, but there was someone named 'Blair' back on his world who worked for someone who didn't think Albel and others should exist." It was a simple explanation, but it definitely said enough. "Do we have that person's last name? It might not even be her."

Following the others, she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the artificial Eidolon being created. Anyone close by would see a a mix of emotions in her eyes as she stepped forward--the least of which was sadness.

"Corrine," she said softly, reaching a hand out towards the Eidolon.

[sesenta]

Akane prowled around the half-assembled Eidolon, knuckling her thin thoughtfully, the wrinkle in her brow deepening. The Eidolons were so strange looking, that she couldn't be 100% sure it wasn't completed. But there were several hints and indications. "This doesn't make sense." She shook her head before looking around the room, searching for files, a computer, anything that might give her more clues. "They were created by the Ancients? But they can speak and think and feel..."

Her gaze traveled to Aoi and she frowned with a quiet nod. There were a lot of questions in her mind. How could these creatures be given life? How had the Calamity managed to corrupt them? And how did this factor into Garland's fear?

"We need to see the other room," she abruptly decided, racing out of the room and down the hallway.

[umslay]

Ales waited for the others to enter the room, looking upward for any indication that were were computerized traps in this lab as well. It was stupid to put a weapon in a lab that contained potentially delicate materials, but he couldn't trust the Ancients to think right.

He stood to the back of the room, watching the Eidolon with dull interest. If they were going to create a monster, they abandoned it.

"Wonder if they have notes on this..." He searched the room for a computer.

[21stcenturyguy]

"Hey, maybe this isn't how they made the ones you use," Aoi reassured Akane. "This is, like, a prototype. Doesn't mean it's how it actually happened."

He shrugged. People had been trying to perfect robots for decades. Didn't mean that just because they found an android somewhere that real humans didn't exist. Robots couldn't think, just respond the way they'd been programmed. He didn't think the Eidolons were secretly robots.

"And, yeah, people worship Eidolons. They've been doin' it for thousands of years. That doesn't just spring outta nowhere. We gotta figure out if the Ancients made the Proto-Eidolon based on somethin' they found here on Crystallis, or if they built these fake ones to make way for creatin' the real ones, and people started worshippin' 'em after."

The name 'Proto-Eidolon' suggested it came first, but at the same time, they wouldn't know to call it 'proto' unless they knew an 'Eidolon' would come after. So the whole thing had been named retrospectively and who the hell trusted the Ancients anyways? Anybody who made a sketchy lab on the moon was bound to be off their rocker.

[wickedone]

Albel's anger faded as Sheena became his focus. Corrine... He knew that was the name of her moogle, but beyond that, Corrine had been a companion from home. She'd lost Corrine.

He gently lay a hand on her shoulder as he stood beside her, staring up at the monster of metal and wire. If he'd had any doubts about "Blair" before, they were gone. Creating artificial beings was exactly what Lansfelds did.

"Why would they build him?" he murmured. He didn't understand... It was one thing, creating artificial lifeforms to populate this world, act as divine beings. But taking the identity of a creature from another world? Just what connection did the Ancients have to the other worlds?

His gauntlet clenched and trembled as he considered another option... That once again, they were all created like this. The "Ancients" had orchestrated all of this, down to their programmed cells.

[ninjainviolet]

Covering Albel's hand with hers, she shook her head. "Sorry. I didn't mean to imply that this was Corrine. I was just thrown by the fact that this is a created summon." She sighed before turning to him and the others to explain.

"Unlike the other Summon Spirits--the Eidolons of my world--Corrine was man-made Summon Spirit. I have no idea how it was done," she turned back to the construct before her. "But he wasn't made like this. That I'm sure of." She took a step forward.

"This is more like Tabatha. She was an android created by Altessa--a dwarf." She stood for a few more minutes, just staring, her eyes widening slightly as an idea occurred to her.

"Tabatha was an android modeled after humans, what if the Eidolons we know of are modeled after this? Genetically created from the souls in this planet?" She looked at Albel again.

"I think we need to get to that other room." They might not have been creating Corrine, but damn if things weren't looking like the Ancients had gotten a few ideas from not only her world, but others as well.