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The Seventh Star is Eden (Skeith Takahata II & MessedUpRp)

Ceres let out a relieved sigh when she heard Ariel's voice. She looked up at her finally. Feeling the needle enter her to relieve the tranquilizer was a welcome brief pain. As it circulated, she felt use return to her body, slowly but surely. Hearing her aunt's voice, she groaned a little, trying to force herself to sit up. Her head was throbbing from the fall, but otherwise, her body was still mostly numb and uncooperative. She let herself fall back to the sheets, realizing she couldn't force it. "A-Aunt Erza... I'm sorry. I was reckless. I was mistaken... I attacked the Sartan Commander, I thought he was..." She slumped her head back as she clenched her eyes shut. "There's no two ways to look at it. I fucked up."

She looked over at Ariel, shaking her head. "I am worried. I let Romulus escape. This was my fault. If they can't catch him. Or if they kill him. It's all over. It was my only connection to the truth. Without him, I have no leads or clues."

Her hand squeezed her Grandfather's a little tighter. It was such an incredible relief to be surrounded by people who cared like this. It was new and alien to her, but very welcome. Still, she was restless and frustrated, mostly with herself.
 
They all looked at Ceres silently, before her grandfather made a move to sit up. The nurses gasped and tried to help him sit down before he shooed them away, "I may be old but I'm not that old."

He stood on his feet shakily and gripped Ceres' bed for support. Looking her deep in the eyes he spoke, "you followed your lead. You could never have known that someone acting suspiciously couldn't have been the mole. You did what you rhoght was right sndbthere is no fault with that." He paused to let that sink in, Erza opened her mouth before Derevov shushed her.

"Quiet, you too." He pointed at Ariel who had also begun to speak, "I'm going to comfort my granddaughter in peace, "now Ceres. Knowing why he betrayed your family will not being closure, trust me Ceres. It will only bring suffering." He put his hand on her cheek and rasped, "promise me you will not hunt him. Neither your father or your mother would want you to hold onto such a grudge."
 
Ceres nearly panicked when she saw her grandfather try to stand. The same man that she had to wheel in here in a chair. "G-Grandfather, what are you..." As he leaned over her bed and spoke, she swallowed some, nodding slowly in confirmation. She couldn't tell him that her father, his son, might still be alive. Not until she knew for sure. She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand a little. "I won't. I promise." It was a bold faced lie, but one she did her best to deliver sincerely. It might not offer her closure, but if her father was still alive, she had to find him.

Feeling more use return to her body, she forced herself to start to sit up, it was a struggle, but she did her best to anyway. She had no idea what the next step would be. She knew if she insisted she wanted to start again right now, she would be refused and scolded for not taking care of herself. Still, she hated being idle, a left over feeling from her life in the camps. She brought an unstable hand up to clasp the necklace that her Grandfather had given her from her mother. Looking down at the swirling liquid inside of it. What good was she as a daughter if she couldn't even avenge her parents?
 
Ariel looked at her and put a digital hand on her shoulder, "Derevov is right Ceres... You mean too much to me to let you go through with this." She looked at her, her face falling. "You're all I have left." A virtual tear rolled down her cheek and fell down, dissapearing as the projector was blocked by the bed. A reminder that she wasn't even real. She could never be real. She changed her mind by siftinf through files again, lookingnfor something to hold on to.
 
Ceres closed her eyes nodding when Ariel started speaking. Her expression of caring and loneliness not lost on her. She felt the same way. Somehow, in their loneliness they had found one another. "I'm not going anywhere, Ariel. You aren't going to lose me."


She couldn't help wanting to reach up to brush the tear away, watching it vanish as it fell. She could see how painful not having a physical form was for Ariel. It was then that she remembered the physical body they found in the documents they stole. "Ariel, perhaps you and Aunt Erza should talk. You know, the other thing we found in the documents. We'll need her help, after all."
 
Ariel nodded and led Erza away, explaininnwhatbtbey had found, meanwhile Derevov looked at Ceres with a frown, slowly sitting back down. "You and your father shared things in common... Both of you are stubborn mules, and both of you are terrible liars." He looked at her with sincerity, "all that you will find if you seek out the man who betrayed them, is pain and suffering... Not just for you, but for everyone who is involved. So please, tell me that you won't do it. Even if you will, believe you won't for just a minute and say it to me Ceres."
 
Ceres listened to Derevov speak. She cursed herself when he called her out for lying. She thought on what her current objective had to be, focusing on benefiting the rebellion and finding Ariel's body. She wouldn't have time to pursue the conspiracy against her family, not for sometime at least. "I... I won't grand father. I promise." She said finally, looking up at Derevov. "You, Aunt Erza, Ariel, and the Rebellion have to come first. I can't be selfish. As much as I might want to be."

She took the necklace Derevov had given her, lifting it from her neck to look at it more carefully. "My mother's necklace... What does it mean? What is it?" She asked, looking back to her Grandfather. "I've never seen it before."
 
Derevov shook his head, "I wish I could tell you Ceres... She gave it to me after we were captured, waiting to be sent away. She gave it to me, she thought the guards would take it from her at the work camps. She told me that it would show you what it was... When the time was right." He layers back and coughed, "I am glad you're safe Ceres... You've grown into a fine young woman. Your parents would be so proud of you... I wish I could help you to hone your powers as a void mage more but I cannot... However there is a way."
 
Ceres' eyes fell when Derevov couldn't identify the object. She looked at it solemnly. Her only real connection to her mother, and she had left it with so vague a description as it would reveal itself to her in time. It was just like her mother to be so frustratingly cryptic, but such was the behavior of the void. Who knew how the darkness flowed, or what lurked with in it.

She couldn't see what pride her parents would have taken in her. She hadn't done anything of particular note so far as she was concerned. When he spoke of a way for her to grow stronger she looked up once more, notably curious and confused. "A way to further hone my power? How?"
 
He coughed harshly before laying back and looking at her. "There are still voidmages Ceres... Several... You can find them on the wild planets, hiding away. They can train you in the ways of the darkness of the void. Or at least five you the knowledge to teach yourself." Ariel rematerialized next to Ceres. "Ceres... Your aunt wishes to speak with you..."

Erza was pacing back and forth in the hallway outside the medical bay, when she saw Ceres she out her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Romulus' ship was shot down but he wasn't found. He's still on the surface, only a few kilometers out, I've sent a party to find him. Neither you nor I are going... We're too close. One of us could snap and kill him before we get our information."
 
Ceres helped her Grandfather to lay back, bringing the blanket back to cover him. "Rest now, Grandfather. It's been much to exciting of a day for you already." She placed her hand on top of his, breathing out a deep breath. "I'll seek them out as I travel for the Rebellion. If I can find them, I will learn from them. I am sensitive to the leylines the void paints throughout the stars. I can tell where it gathers, while a human might not be able to. They will hide where their power is strongest. Seeking them will not be an issue for me." When Ariel appeared at her side, she looked up at her. She sighed softly, nodding her head. "Of course." She looked back to Derevov, leaning over and kissing his forehead gently. "Get some rest, now."

As she walked out into the hall, her body still tingling and only partially responsive from the paralysis, she looked up at her aunt. As Erza's hands fell on her shoulders, she stared at the woman in shock for a moment. All at once she forgot her promise to her Grandfather. "Aunt Erza, he might now where they're keeping my father. The reason we were exposed. Why mother and I were taken..." She looked down at the floor, remembering her Grandfather's warning. "My grandfather says that if I pursue this everyone will suffer, not just me. But how can I not? My entire life up to now has been a result of his betrayal."
 
"Ceres, we are bringing him back alive. He will be interrogated as the prisoner he is, but you are too volatile for this mission, after seeing you charge one of our other commanders when you thought he was the mole, it was decided that you should be kept off of this retrieval. We cannot have you losing your temper and attacking him and maybe killing him. We need Romulus alive... Please just listen to your grandfather and do as he says." She squeezed Ceres' shoulder. Wiping a tear from her eye. "You lost your mother because of him, I lost my sister... I know ethat you want him to pay and he will, we just need to wait."
 
Ceres grew stubbornly upset when the reason for her staying behind was addressed. "Why bother telling me then? If we're so sure he'll be captured, wouldn't it have been better to just catch him and tell me later? What happens if he kills the pursuing forces? It might be our power that stops him!" Her color had begun to fade and the tendrils snaking from her body as she grew increasingly frustrated.

She closed her eyes forcing her temper to settle. "I... I Know you're right. It's just..." She clenched her fists tighter. "It's so infuriating. Every step of my life I've felt so powerless. Nothing has been in my control." She closed her eyes tightly. "So what do I do in the mean time? I can't find Dad without Romulus, I can't avenge mother... What else can I do? A mission? Training? Ariel's body? Anything."
 
Ariel's image flashed bright red at thr mention of her body. "Forget it! Forget about it! It's not real, probably just a fabricated file. It'd not even worth our time to consider such a thing!" She shouted. Her color cooled and her features softened. She looked around at the two women and dissapeared, retreating into her system. Emotion was still foreign to her. Being able to feel them was even worse.
 
Ceres went still and silent when Ariel shouted. She looked at her angry red form in shock. When she disappeared, she stood silent for a moment. In that second all of her personal frustrations vanished replaced by concern for her only friend. "I... I'm sorry." She turned, instinctively hugging her aunt. "I'm going back to my room. I need to relax and I need to check on Ariel." She placed her hand on her aunt's shoulder for a moment before walking away to her room.

As she entered the small domicile, she locked the door behind her. She kicked off her boots, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Ariel? Even if I can't see you, I know you're here and I know you can hear me. I can feel you." She looked down at her hands, meshing them together. "You're all I really have you know? You're my only friend. I want to help you too." She sadly closed her eyes before standing up. "I'm going to take a shower, if you want to talk afterward, I'm here for you." She stripped free of her clothing, walking back to the bathroom. Soon after she was under the hot water. It did everything but soothe her. It had been an incredibly stressful and emotional couple of days for everyone.
 
Ariel did see and hear her, but a chose to remain silent. Her outburst had been embarrassing. Her mind was all a jumble as her logic and her newfound emotions clashed. Ariel watched her leave, a malfunction happened in her systems when she tried to turn off the camera in the bathroom. The vapor from the showers must have shorted the switch, but why not the camera too then. She couldn't help but awkwardly watch her naked friend in the shower. She would tell her eventuallyx but not today. For now. She would tell her later, she had a hard day as it is.
 
Following her shower, Ceres toweled off, returning to the main room. She didn't bother dressing, looking up at the camera. She knew Ariel could see her, but for whatever reason she wasn't communicating. She smiled sadly before going to the bed. "What a day..." She muttered quietly. It had been one hell of a first day in the Rebellion. She infiltrated an enemy facility, rescued a Grandfather she didn't even know she had, and had helped uncover an Eden Imperial mole. She reached for the light switch before laying down on the bed, pulling the sheet up and around her.

She worried that she might have angered Ariel. What other reason would she have to ignore her? She closed her eyes, pressing her face deeper into the pillow. Hopefully they would be able to actually talk soon. She definitely didn't want to lose her only friend.
 
Ariel materialized herself in bed next to Ceres, her virtual body pressed against Ceres. "I'm sorry I got angry at you Ceres... It's just... I may have a body! I may have a chance to experience life. It's just astounding and I don't know what to do, I'm worried it's some sort of trap mostly. I would never be able to live with myself if you were hurt because of me." A hologram tear roles down her cheek and dissapears once it hits the bed. "You don't know how it feels Ceres... I can feel and understand like a living organism but I can never really understand it."
 
Ceres rolled over when she heard Ariel's voice, looking at the virtual woman. "Don't apologize. You're right. I don't know what's like. I can't imagine what you're feeling. But I know what's like to not have real agency. I grew up as a slave, remember? You have a chance at a real life, beyond the computer." She smiled sadly at the woman. "I know you want to protect me, and I appreciate that. I really do. But ultimately, it's my decision to make. If I want to take that risk for your sake, than that's my choice. Not letting me help you, is robbing me of my agency. If it's a trap, we figure it out and we get out. We always do. But if it's real... If there really is a body... Or at least a design for a body. We can't ignore that. I can't ignore that. You mean too much to me."
 
Ariel put a hand on Ceres' cheek, it ghosted through and elicited a soft sigh. "You're right, I can't tell you what to do... I'm worried though, what will happen if you get hurt or worse, I can't stop myself from worrying about you." She slid closer. "If you want to, I will not stop you from taking this opportunity... I'll follow you into battle if it comes to that, you're my only friend Ceres. I'd do anything for you."
 
Ceres furrowed her brow for a moment thinking about her words. When Ceres tried to touch her, and it faded through her face, she grew sad for a moment. "Wouldn't you like to actually feel my skin under your fingers? Or to feel my fingers on yours?" She asked, reaching forward and outlining the holographic shape of Ariel's face. "Risking my life so that you can have one is fine by me. I'll talk to my aunt, I'll get us a ship and we'll get your body. I'm sure it won't be hard. The Rebellion would benefit from knowing what kind of synthetic life forms Eden is developing. The mission can serve both us and the Rebellion, and we'll be able to count on their support." She sighed quietly, lowering her gaze. "For now, I need some sleep. It's... Been a long day. Tomorrow we'll make plans. Okay?"
 
"I've never wanted anything more Ceres... But I cannot and will not let you put yourself in harm's way for me... I can't stop you but I won't let you risk yourself for me." She slowly fades down into the soft glow of the glove. "Sleep Ceres... You need to rest."
 
Ceres drifted soon after. Exhaustion pulled her into a deep sleep. Her hand clutched loosely to her mother's pendant as she slept. As she woke, she sat up slowly in the dark room. She breathed out a quiet sigh. "Where to begin?" She questioned herself softly. She needed to procure a ship, she needed to search for Ariel's body, and she needed to find the remaining Void Sages in the galaxy. Then of course she needed a permanent posting in the rebellion. Perhaps a black-ops unit on the move? That would let her do everything she had in mind.

She dressed in the dark, moving to turn on the light. "Ariel... Can you request an audience with the remaining Commanders for me? I need to speak to them."
 
Ariel turned herself back on and focused one of her forms on Ceres. She materialized and nodded to her. "Yes I can Ceres." She was giving her a definite cold shoulder. She called the commanders together to speak with Ceres. She nodded and turnednto her, "it is done."
 
Ceres was a little surprised by how cold Ariel was behaving. She brought her hand up to rub her brown frustratingly. She breathed out a heavy sigh. "Thanks, Ariel. You're the best." She left the room, heading to where the commanders usually met. When she arrived, she immediately noticed how empty the room felt with one of the commanders missing. "Good morning, Commanders. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice."

"What is it Ms. Karn? One of them asked, crossing their arms. "As you can imagine, we're quite busy following the recent betrayal."

"Yes, I understand. I want to request a ship and a crew. As a void sage, like my mother, I am best suited to black ops and wet work. I'm here to request a ship and crew. Preferably something quiet and fast. I want to request a mission to steal sensitive Eden technology and to gather the missing Void Sages. It could serve the Rebellion in more ways than I can list."
 
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