Kelley, in her search for relevant literature, finds a chemical guidebook on the creation and negation of toxic gases.
"I am not human, but the body I am attached to is, and I keep them alive according to my directive. He does not like it here because of some sort of smell.
What happened to the people, and what do the synchs do?"
"The Synchs serve The Master. The Synchs do the will of the Master and help run the Master's Federation. We clean the streets and keep the lights on. We process the metal and ship it to space and return with supplies for the Master. The Master does not like people but he is not lonely."
<Damn. Glad that was only a sim.>
Seeing Anna and Cadence enter the Training room, he bows his head in recognition.
Nixil then re-entered the training simulator, this time selecting a melee scenario, vs an Andalite warrior.
Nixil now finds himself in a new location, one where he is standing in a field of grass next to a shimmering lake under a glorious purple sky sprinkled with stars and planets. It's the landscape that you'd find on a poster in a hippy cafe or a stoner's apartment. Opposite Nixil, another Andalite trots through the grass and stops about ten yards away from him. He respectfully bows before beginning to encircle Nixil, his tail-blade waving hypnotically as he utilizes the most fundamental tactic in Andalite melee combat.
"Yeah."
Anna does so.
At some point in the midst of the squabble/meet-up going on in the Training Facility, Anna finds a switch on the back of one of the pale, humanoid dummies. At first nothing happens, though it suddenly interrupts the ongoing conversation by springing to life. "WHO IS READY TO FIGHT?" It exclaims in a robotic voice without moving any of its facial muscles, throwing punch combinations and spinning kicks in the air like a drunk frat boy.
Vi continues reading. Skimming for passages of interest.
Many of the pages of the compendium contain terms and formulas that are meaningless without background and context in the field. One passage written in vernacular speech does catch her eye:
The point where a phenomena can be undoubtedly characterized as a Miasmatic Anomaly is the presence of Memetic Erasure. Once memetically erased, matter can not be restored by physical, chemical, atomic, magical or even divine means. This is where the title of Erasure originates, as "Damaged" or "Destroyed" implies a shifting of material (or immaterial) state, rather, the material ceases to be. It is theorized that Memetic Erasure occurs on the conceptual level, not only eliminating the matter but additionally any schema it has produced.
There have been numerous cases of sentient lifeforms utilizing and weaponizing Memetic Erasure for their own usage, though whether this is of their own free will or the product of an Anomaly is unknown. Because of its volatile and extremely potent nature, the usage of Weaponized Memetic Erasure is universally forbidden. All data on the subject has been recorded via observation and records.... Erlend goes into the library and looks for books on the various weird ass vehicles he may encounter in the great unknown.
The section on vehicular subjects is massive, as it seems everything else is. Topics range from the simple and mundane, cars, planes, standard spaceships and whatnot, to battle vehicles, star destroyers and "living" vehicles.
Mega heads on down to the Conflict Zone.
Ramona follows Mega, despite her lack of money.
Mega and Ramona (as well as anyone else who attached themselves to this grouping) teleport down to Conflict Zone 87. They appear in a Teleportation Station not in the middle of a forsaken battlefield, but a rather nice facility with tiled floors and fancy lighting fixtures, it appears to be busy as well. There's a number of restaurants, restrooms, and pamphlet distribution structures in the area, making it feel like a rest stop. Immediately upon exiting the building, it becomes clear that the Teleportation Station has been built atop a tall plateau, while far below firey explosions burst like a lightshow while crowds of running people appear like scurrying ants. A woman in a blouse speaks to a group of tackily dressed folk while gesturing below who gawk at the sight and take pictures. "Conflict Zone 87 is in a perpetual state. You might ask why they don't eventually run out of people or supplies, and to answer that, the Higher Council regularly steps in to enforce ceasefires that allow the people of 87 to repopulate and reorganize. These are the periods of lowered tourism of course." The crowd laughs flatly.
Ulibossk hands the native $200, before heading into the cavern with his thrall.
"I give you more big cash when I come out."
The native does a jig and takes the Zielons like a toddler receiving candy. "Dun get eated!" He calls after Ulibossk as the mindflayer and his thrall enter the dark cave. The water continues to rise until it nibbles at the their waistlines. As they move further inside, the enveloping darkness is punctured by a single light source. Ulibossk identifies the light as emanating from a female human being sitting on a rock that rises above the water, curling golden hair splayed over her naked body like a shielding barrier. When she spots Ulibossk she giggles and kicks a pale foot against the water, creating a small splash.