Not with a Bang: Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

The base camp is a mess by the time the fight is over. The heavy rain alone would have been enough, but the battle has churned up the earth itself. The previously peaceful clearing is pockmarked with craters and dark puddles where ash has mixed into rainwater, along with oil and blood that swirl unpleasantly through the shallow pools. The trees are bowed outwards with the force of the powers that waged through the area, trunks shattered and torn, boughs hanging haphazardly or draped with the remnants of tents and equipment.

Perhaps all that can be said is that it gives the Voidtrecker Express a decidedly clear landing spot. The train snakes its way through the jungle, coming to a stop in a familiar, though now lopsided, coil around the clearing, and opening its doors to allow injured to be carried on, or anyone from the train to disembark.

It’s clear that there are indeed people aboard - as the doors hiss open, activity is already visible inside, as well as voices audibly going back and forth over the tinny speakers of the ICP.

Now that the saboteurs are dealt with, the final repairs can be made to the damaged stations and the shields locked into place. By the time they are done, nothing and no one will be able to enter the planet - from space, anyway.

The train will remain in the clearing through the night of Imagination 12 and the morning of Imagination 13, until all the stations are prepared, the pandas returned to their rightful place and everyone has rejoined the train.

By midday of Imagination 13, the train is ready to leave. Everyone gets a message on their SCA to return to the train, if they haven’t already. Once all are onboard the doors shut and the train begins to snake through the jungle.

“Re-entering Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

The train rattles and shakes as the greenery around them (and the purple of a few farewell pandas) fade into the colours of the void.

Comments

[shutupnail]

His ears probably twitched the moment Tidus said his name even in private conversation with Lightning but the Namekian had his own conversations and actions to deal with at the time. But now he heard Tidus calling his name to him and he turned to watch him approach.

Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine, I think. We're still recovering," he said, trying to keep it honest. He had a slight frown on his face though like he wasn't so certain.

[theturksway]

Reno canted his head from side to side slowly and then finally shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, man. Everyone's in a tizzy over this shit. See, this is why we don't invite civilians to parties like this. They can't handle the high stakes."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Plenty sure, yeah, now come here. I'm not glass, you know."

She can take it. She knows she can and if she's honest, she wants to feel people against her, to remind herself that, yes, she's still alive.

"Haven't had the chance- why?"

[mtsilver_conquor]

Her eyes light up at the pinap berries, the only ones that would have been ready for harvest.

"Thanks," she means it, even if her gaze turns towards the 'balls on her belt. Thoughtful, distant. "Though I won't be letting them any time soon. Not because they don't deserve a reward - and they do, but because dealing with them while I'm like this..."

She trails off with a wince; even when she's out, none of it's going to be pleasant or easy or even nice. "Well. I'd sooner tango with Senna or Carratt than Princess or Dancer right now."

[blitzcheer]

"We've got good healers, medical supplies - we'll recover." He looks back at the landscape, the scattered bits of robot that paints the field. Holes littering with it, the smoke and smells of burning metal.

"Wonder if we can get some of the tech the people were using. Well," he looks back at Piccolo, "rest will help, in any case. And some actual sleep."

He pauses, a beat before-

"But, I had something I wanted to talk to you about. If you're in the mood."

[eyeslikeblood]

Ah, the young sage with the abilities of speech. He considers, nods, because that certainly won't hurt, but it's rather more action for the future than for their current issue.

"In the long term, the jungle should reclaim the site, yes. But in the short term, these conditions are unsanitary and demoralising. The blood, the mess..."

[eyeslikeblood]

"I had thought we could evacuate you, but it seems the luggage carriage is unsuitable currently." He doesn't need to go into detail, but neither does he sugarcoat the situation. Doing so wouldn't have Taiki looking any less worried or sorrowful. Still, he curses that the medical carriage is so perfectly situated in the middle of the craft; it removes a great number of options for where they might rest. "They're working to tend to the injured from there up to the medical rooms, so it would be best if we went to the front of the train directly."

He lowers one arm and holds it by his side, for Taiki to lean on should he wish it. "We could see about preparing a meal for everyone, or help if that's already begun."

[eyeslikeblood]

The restlessness from Inigo is almost indistinguishable from his own feelings, to the point that he's long since stopped automatically trying to separate it. The mood, if anything, has suffused the entire camp, inescapable.

Still, he can muster a smile for Inigo.

"I'd welcome the help," he straightens, leaving his bucket half-filled with burnt wires and shards of metal and plastic too small to leave in the pile, and takes the moment to stretch. The young prince certainly - regrettably - has similar experience in these matters. "Are you well?"

How does laundry sound?

[iamnotgod]

[Webmind has learned his lesson from the last notable time he'd helped in here - there's some sort of gripping surface latched to the bottoms of his feet.]

The best way to help each other is to help together, as a philanthropic poet might put it.

[Seeing as, literally-speaking, he considers himself neither. Well, maybe a philanthropist...]

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita only nods.

"I wasn't on-site when it happened - he'd killed one of the saboteurs we'd taken down, but got hit too hard by debris or something. I'd just taken off to follow their ship's signal."

The Spider had been able to save Glorfindel, and Yoite, but Xue Yang's injury had just happened too late in the scheme of things...

"That, and he's been in trouble before, for killing someone else on the train - someone he knew from home. So,"

She squeezes the ball, attempting to impart her stress into it.

"I can see why people wouldn't be too upset that it happened to him, of all people. But he was still out there, part of the fight and trying to protect the rest."

Nita's beaten herself up enough about this particular issue, though.

[unfavorableinstigation]

With a mental shrug (and equally-mental relaxing of shoulders), Nita makes her way up the side of the bed to administer a proper hug.

"It's just... I know we're missing people. And even after all that, we still had a death."

Admittedly Nita is not as worked up about that as she feels she should be. But perhaps that's not the issue at hand here.

"Not sure the med car would have helped there, though; it happened too late into the fight, same with the injury. After our teleporter had left."

Along with most anyone else who would have evac'd him willingly.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"The rocks I know I can tell to move, same with healing the cracks," she says, after a moment.

"But for the blood - if the plants use it as fertilizer, would that count as making it go away? Or would we need a cleaning solution?"

Easily fetched from the train, sure, but it'd be different from Nita's usual tactic of 'reduce, reuse, recycle'.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou's back to being a quiet listener, now that his thoughts are organized and the transcription is done.

It couldn't be helped, when you'd seen something that could do that trick before -- and on an infinitely-variable scale -- where else would one's mind go?

He tapped his pen against his lips, and offered Roland a one-shouldered shrug.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou put his head on the table again, fingers knitting together over it. His face was turned slightly to one side so that the raised, blood-red chakra on his forehead wouldn't dig into the furniture and give him a whole new headache.

"Don't be mean!" Yes, still whining.

[its_dad_sanzo]

"There you go," Koumyou said agreeably, sinking down until the water touched his chin again, "Sounds like you've stumbled into a game-plan, after all."

[namethattune]

Siebren is not the type to believe in karma or divine retribution, but this conversation is making him severely question that stance, as well as wonder what he did to deserve this.

"I helped you with your self-inflicted issue and yet you still call me mean." He huffs. "How rude."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"But you are!" Koumyou whined into the table, muffled, "It's very early and you're being very grumpy!"

Later - Imagination 13

[fun_thementalist]

Of course, at some point, Gen would be tracking Senku down. It's really not as if he needed a minder, or that he hadn't been healed magically, or that ... okay. Honestly? If we're really honest? Gen knew that Senku was a terrible patient, and would not rest if he needed to.

It wasn't even that he was bad at taking care of himself - the idea of rest and taking a break just didn't occur to Senku, Gen thought. He would advise it for other people, like when Chrome was overworked, or Francois became ill from some cold before they spread it to others. When Senku looked at his own health, it's as if there was a large blind spot.

So of course, he's looking for him on the train.

[comefadeaway]

"It would've been alright if it were people. I'm not a bad fighter." Yoite insisted a little bit, he wasn't. He'd worked hard to prove he had some sort of skill, or value.

"I'll be fine."

[mtsilver_conquor]

And Eva sinks into that hug. It's needed, wanted even. A reminder that she didn't actually die.

The news that they've had a death is sobering and Eva's swallow is thick as she leans against Nita. "How many are missing."

How many can they assume died at those cockspur's hands?

[comefadeaway]

Yoite didn't know if that was true, he was just trying to return the kindness he'd been shown, somehow. He was glad she was willing to move so slowly, because he was tired and worn out.

He just didn't have a lot of energy after all that blood loss.

He looked down at their hands. Miharu had taken his hand before. He nodded. "It's alright."

[namethattune]

He waves the apology away. It is fine; needing clarification is not some offense that requires forgiveness.

"Not anymore, in general terms." The Omnic Crisis is long over, though some unrest remains, depending on one's location. "My situation in particular can be. As I said, missions often become violent." That it is odd for a career scientist to be running missions at all, let alone violent ones, is something he has not thought to explain. It is simply how things are for him, and it is far better than the alternative.

[flatteries]

...

Inigo stares at Koumyou.

For a second.

Then ten seconds.

It may even turn into a full half on minute of silent staring, as if Inigo is trying to figure out whether this guy is trying to play him here or not..

"Are you serious?" For a moment it sounds exasperated, but Inigo seems to find his manners a moment later, hastily tacking on a ".. milord?" to the end of it. Nailed it.

[flatteries]

I remember it not being fun, UGH, SENKU.

It's a good thing he's fine now, that'll save him from getting an Inigo scolding!

"Are you sure about that?" That's what matters the most, after all. That the other is fine in the end. He reaches out to point at Senku's forehead. "Nothing wrong with that big brain of yours? We can't afford to lose it!"

Okay, of course Inigo cares about more than just Senku's brain. But under the current circumstances, he can't be the one to bring things down and make them all gloomy. He's got to joke just a tiny bit.

[happyends]

She dips her head into a nod. It's true. Despite everything that happened, they are leaving that world behind safely. It's not like the one the train pulled them back from, the one they abandoned to those shadows.

It's not like her own world, on the brink of destruction, especially without her there to do anything about it.

"Hmm. But.. I wish it hadn't come at a cost like that. It's hard to see so many people suffer like this.. Especially when there wasn't much we could do at all." They're just simple kids, after all. Nothing compared to some of the more overpowered fighters on the train. Even though Madoka sure wishes she could be more like that.