Event || Strategy

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All the Heroes of Light and some NPCs.
Where: Aqures Ixen, Castle.
When: January 25th, Afternoon
Summary: All the Heroes of Light were formally invited to a meeting in the Castle of Aqures Ixen, in the conference room. They will be able to discuss strategy with their peers and the allies amongst the NPCs. This is the final preparation before endgame.
Warning: N/A.

Mingle Thread
The Meeting

Comments

[empirenpcs]

[ Cid shook his head with desperation at Ramza. ]

Someone get him a replacement brain...

[ When Jade asked for input from their Avatars, none of the NPCs react. It might very well be none of them know they are actually Avatars yet. Prajapati remained very calm and stepped forward after a moment. ]

If I may- It is my understanding the Calamity is made of the remnants of dead worlds. For all intent and purpose, they were already destroyed and yet they are unable to die. [A pause.] Bringing further destruction upon it sounds counter-productive. Whilst fighting might pave the path to the solution, I do not believe it is the solution itself.

[ She then looked at Duster. ]

I would, however, advice caution trusting anything from Kalki. She was a master of deceits and had no qualms committing the worst atrocities to accomplish her ends.

[boomchucka]

[Selphie raised her hand before standing up and looking around at everyone in the room before settling on Twilight briefly with a very worried frown on her face.]

We may not be able to save the worlds that have already been devoured by the Calamity but we can still try to save the worlds that haven't been devoured yet. We can't give up because something seems impossible. Nobody here would have done any of the things that we've all done if we'd just sat down and given up. I don't know a lot of the stuff that the others know but I'm not giving up on my world or anybody else's.

[Her expression took a turn to the thoughtful.]

Is there any way to use our power to help those devoured worlds and their souls find peace? Like... an exorcist or something? Or maybe fix the Soul Divider so that it can start doing its job again?

[jadethenecromancer]

[None of the Avatars are stepping up... Interesting. Before he touches that, though, a brief clarification might be in order, especially given that many of the natives likely aren't aware of all the details.]

Technically, the Soul Divider is doing the job it was originally designed for. It takes the energy from our worlds and recycles it through Crystallis. From what I could tell, that part of it is still functional.

The trouble is that it was never efficient enough to sustain this world for very long, even back when the Ancients first built it. That's why they resorted to assimilating such an excessive number of worlds and inadvertently gave birth to the Calamity in the process.

[Jade glances at the other Heroes he spoke to during their earlier meeting.] We do have some ideas for improving the Soul Divider to handle significantly larger amounts of energy. However, we'll still need an energy source to revitalize the First Crystal. Otherwise Crystallis will run out of energy and die once we stop the assimilation.

[All that said, he'd be interested to hear an answer to Selphie's first question.]

[neverfirstclass]

[Cloud nods as well.]

The cannon might seem like an option as a last ditch effort to save all other worlds but I have a feeling it won't work like we want it too. All of this is about the Planet's desire to live and doing all it can to survive right? The cannon could make things worse for all we know.

Ira has the right idea I think. We need to get this thing to stop, and based on everything we've been through it feels like this is something alive. [He pauses, thinking of the Avatars.] Not a force of nature we can just stop with overwhelming force.

[He frowns, shifting his stance, his hand going to his hip as he looks down.]

I think we also need to prepare ourselves for another possibility. If we do all of this right, there's probably no going home for us. Not if the worlds have really been destroyed and consumed. It's also possible we won't survive in the end...I'm not talking about sacrifice or anything like that. If we undo all this and set things right there's no way to know what will happen to outsiders like us. Or the moogles. Those of us with blue crystals, we're part of THIS Planet now, right? Those red lines in the soul divider and the red of our crystals when we arrived. They have to be related.

[He looks around at the others, gauging their reactions.]

And we have to be ready to accept whatever comes from our actions.

[acceptedoblivion]

[Ira blinked in surprise, turning his gaze briefly to Duster, Jade, and then Cloud. Wait, people were seriously agreeing with him? This is a thing that could happen? Perhaps showing his age a bit, he let out an amused-yet-relieved noise--the smallest of chuckles--before turning to Prajapati with as serious an expression that he could muster.]

Exactly. Which is why we we don't trust the other idea she gave us so willingly.

[Sacrificing everyone and becoming a god? Seriously, who in their right mind would think that's a good idea? No, that would be out of the question for most of those in this room with few exceptions.]

You're right, Cloud. Whether there is a way back or not, once we go through with this there's no turning back.

[Yet for how sure he sounded, his heart felt... heavy. Heavier than it had felt in a long time. Maybe even ever--but definitely more than when he'd died. resting his hand over his heart, he continues.]

Still, it's what she would have done... Follow her heart and do what it said was right, no matter the cost to herself. And mine's saying we have to at least try. If we don't, there won't be anywhere to return to.

[shinrasfinest]

[Could it really be that simple? Just dispelling the fragments of souls that's holding the Calamity together? Well they have constantly been dogged by this idea that it's quite-likely not so over-complicated as the collective group of them seem to have been making everything. Sephiroth's gaze is drawn over towards Mograma, the parallels between this idea and what went on in October are bright indeed.

He tries not to get pulled into the heavy that lingers behind both Cloud and Ira's contributions, instead blinking a little as a thought strikes and turns back towards Jade and whoever else might be more informed of the mechanics than he is.]

Does anyone know what powers the Lunar Base? If I'm to understand it's from the Ancient's first-home and if going kamikaze with the cannon is really the only use...there isn't anyway it could be converted into the desired power source?

[shinrasfinest]

[A nod gets cast at the use of his title, but that's all, he's trying not to be present here in his capacity as an official in the military. Even though if previous meetings were any precedent, it would likely result in him applying some such force in that regard, one way or the other.]

Ever at the grindstone, likewise I'm sure.

[Not that he knows hers, but his work is no secret at all so perhaps he might gain some insight by way of leverage with that as a tool.]

I imagine you're often pressed for time, being that there are so many displaced individuals with the reckoning seemingly around the corner?

[zodiac_brave]

Ramza shakes his head. "If we could end the Calamity while Garland still lived, his role as the Guardian of the Cycle would cease to be. He might even return to the knight he was before. But while he lives, he will do all that is in his power to ensure the cycle continues."

Both Kalki and Palitutu had seemed convinced that Garland must die because he was an impregnable barrier to their goals.

"So we either must kill Garland, or build up a force strong enough to distract him while the rest take care of the Calamity." He and Bartz had attempted it in the Sage's future, but the vision had ended before Ramza saw the results of that battle. "And I do not know if we can afford to divide ourselves and still exclude the military from lending us their aid."

[not_most_days]

[Mary raises her eyebrow at the other woman. Her words danced around the subject with expert ease, and she wasn't sure she believed a lick of it.]

The past may belong there, aye, but it always seems to have a way of cropping up. We live our lives so focused on the present we sometimes forget about the things we'll leave behind when our time is up.

[Her right hand shifts, tugging at her left sleeve thoughtfully.]

And it's not about urges. The blade is meant for those who would do harm to a great many others should they remain in this world. It's a tool to remove rot, not a weapon of revenge or murder. Those who have used it that way rarely sullied the Creed much longer after.

[boomchucka]

[The minute that the crystals came into the conversation earlier, Selphie knew that there was something that wasn't correct.

Not all the heroes came to Crystallis with red crystals.

She was like a few others that she could name off the top of her head that have white crystals and while she still didn't know if that was a good thing, there had to be some way of figuring out who had a white versus a regular crystal. She eventually stands up again and holds her left wrist up in the air. Anyone who looked close enough would see a blue ribbon wrapped around it with a white crystal expertly wrapped inside it. Her gaze settles on Cid and the others in front of them with an unusually serious look on her face.]

Okay, first things first. To my fellow heroes. Raise your hand if your crystal is white. Secondly, to the group of people in front of us, sorry for not knowing your names but if you can shed any light on these crystals and what they mean, I think a lot of us would really like to know.

[21stcenturyguy]

[Santa raises his crystal up and twirls it between his fingers lazily. It's a translucent, hazy white.]

A bunch of us died or turned to rock, but all the Heroes that that bitch Kalki woke up and dumped into the Crystal Caves had crystals like these. Dunno why. We thought it was normal 'til we met the rest of you.

[toomanymistakes]

[She also raises her hazy-white crystal, nodding.]

Aside from making us useless to Garland's plans, we know little else of the significance.

[im_pancake]

No, there isn't. The Lunar Base's power is vastly different than something that could power the First Crystal. The Lunar Base was essentially made to watch over Crystallis and "regulate" the people down below, so to speak. The main cannon, at full power, was powerful enough to destroy the planet. The other cannons were designed to attack the other cities.

[red_planet_blues]

[Sparks takes his own from inside of his coat - a crystal clear star-shaped one.]

Uh, mine didn't start off this way. But Kalki saw to change that, whatever it means.

[unyieldingspirit]

[the sword situation seems taken care of but there is a sad bird, and K'pandolu straightens.]

I can help look after him.

[jadethenecromancer]

Yes... Ours changed when we got close to the Calamity in the Heran Research Center two years ago. That's when it awakened and started spreading.

[Jade takes out his fonstone-shaped crystal.]

All we know is Kalki's claim that a white crystal signifies a connection to the Calamity. What this means, or how it's different from the Black Crystals... I'm afraid I don't know. Trying to scan them at the lab only results in an error message.

[He pauses, mulling over what Lucrecia said.] ...Although, if we're useless to Garland's plans... That would imply we can't be sacrificed for Nova Crystallis.

[hiddentruth]

Indeed.

[ She paused, looking away for a moment. ]

All I have seen share similar predicaments... They are afraid to die, of course. And yet, that very fear has made life itself a torture. Ironical, isn't it? Neither happy with life nor death.

[hiddentruth]

Even the most beautiful of paintings make abundant use of dark colors.

[ She idled for a moment, looking at the other Heroes of Light. She opted not to reply to Mary's first sentence either. ]

Only the artist can judge what the balance should be. Immoral as it is to us, some things might be necessary.

[empirenpcs]

[ Once more Cid rolled his eyes and shook his head, but that time it was directed at Cloud and Ira. ]

Y'know kids, if your plan involves everyone dying you might as well call it a day now. I'm sure Garland will even lend you a hand for that.

[ This aside, Kurma was the next one to step forward when the soul divider was mentioned. ]

If that's Ancient construct, our people specialized in Magitek can work on it. However, there are still two issues. We don't know anything about the melodies and we're running out of time. [ A pause. ] The Ancients died out before ever perfecting their system. Even if you have a plan to modify it, three months won't be enough.

[unyieldingspirit]

She was- collecting fragments, I thought…

[she frowns, and shakes her head.]

That's- most likely the renewal stage, I assume?

[not_most_days]

Aye, I have one. It lost its color when we ran into Kalki, same as them.

[She gestures at Sparks, K'pandolu and Jade.]

It wasn't anything she did to us, least not how it looked. It happened when we got close to her and the crystal she was working on down there.

[She pulls out her crystal and turns the cube shaped prism in her fingers.]

Could be the Calamity has already ate its fill from us. I don't like the implication, but I've not liked most of the other possibilities either.

[jadethenecromancer]

[Jade crosses his arms and drums his fingers on one bicep. Kurma has a point, unfortunately. Any plan they want to enact with the Soul Divider would require man-hours they don't have. Even if they started months ago, it probably wouldn't have been enough. They need more time.

Time... Well, this idea might not convince anyone of the Heroes' collective sanity, but...]

...There is one place that isn't bound by time. And thanks to the Ancients, we know it's possible to move celestial bodies there. At least moons, possibly planets.

[A dry smile.] Of course, going there would present a whole new host of unknowns.

[not_most_days]

[Mary frowns, but says nothing for a moment. She understands that the world isn't perfect and that things happen in nature to correct the course of things. Death is natural, and nature can be cruel. But in the right circumstances life persists and thrives in its wake.

She understands this.

But the woman's words still remind her of what a Templar would say.]

Perhaps, but the artist should take care not to forget where their paint came from and what it's made of. An image painted in blood will never stop being blood, no matter what it's shaped into.

[She shifts her head, looking sideways at Parasraya.]

Necessity doesn't absolve one of the consequences of their actions, even if they believe them for the greater good. Setting aside judgement for now, it's still something that should be remembered. Do whatever you will, but be wise in the course you choose.

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

There is a profound silence following Jade's statement. "You want to- stop time around Crystallis. Even try to pull the entire planet into the Rift?"

Jack leans on his hands and goes very stiff and still, and he stares Jade down with an indecypherable gaze. Concern, wonder, but what wins out is that he's considering it.

When he finally speaks, it is in a matter-of-fact tone. "With a powerful-enough time engine, it would be possible to pull Crystallis into a pocket of Time, remove its influence from the rest of space and time. It would prevent the Calamity from infecting other times. It may also keep us from going home." The sheer tension in Jack at this idea comes out through those last words.

"There's no breaking a Time Bubble from the inside. And just because I know it's possible doesn't mean I know how it was done. But if we get to the point that we are completely out of options..."

Doctor.

Jack's voice falters. "...it's there."

[line_piece]

Thanks, K'pandolu. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.